“Looks like it’s the big day, huh?” Hazel said, sounding less than excited.

“It certainly seems that way,” Astrid replied while placing some arrows into her magic quiver.

It had been exactly twenty days since Hazel, Astrid, and Nycteris had begun their grinding fest to get stronger. And the results were quite exceptional.

Status Window

Name: Hazel Thatcher

Race: Human

Level: 18

Class: Mage

Free Points: 0

Attributes:

Strength: 7

Agility: 16

Endurance: 20

Intelligence: 38 (+33)

Wisdom: 36 (+18)

Willpower: 12 (+10)

In nearly three weeks, Thana and Astrid were able to increase their levels by three to four points, putting them both at Level 18. Considering that they were only two levels away from reaching level 20, the duo considered attempting to grind it out a little longer to get there.

However, there wasn’t enough time. There was only less than a day left of their time in the Tutorial Dungeon. If they wasted their time to try and get to Level twenty, then they wouldn’t have enough to attempt their battle against the boss.

There was also the added fact that Hazel and Astrid reached level eighteen three to four days ago, and haven’t made any progress since then. However, that was also because of how low leveled all of the monsters were in the city, due to them being Fractured humans.

Because of the lack of progress, Hazel and Astrid decided to proceed with their plan against the boss at their current level, while also praying that it will be enough.

Aside from their levels, Nycteris had just recently made it to level fifteen, which allowed him to receive his second marker and skill. And the skill he chose was called [Bloodlust]. This skill allowed Nycteris to enter a berserk-like state that increased his stats to about ten percent.

This ability will be very helpful for them when they fight against the boss. By increasing his power, he would be able to stand a better chance against the boss, if only a little bit.

However, there was a problem that the group faced involving the [Blood Lust] skill. While under its effect, he couldn’t control his body and was completely overtaken by his primal instincts as a vampiric creature of the night.

Of course, Hazel and Astrid learned this the Hardway when Hazel stupidly wanted to test Nycteris’s ability against the swarming sea of Fractured humans in the northern district. At first, Nycteris was doing fine while slaughtering the fractured. But that didn’t last long when the Nightwing changed targets, aka, Hazel and Astrid.

Just as Nycteris lunged at the player duo, Hazel deactivated Nycteris’s summon and he disappeared in an instant. Needless to say, that moment was an extremely close call if she hadn’t sent the Nightwing bat away in time.

With a bit of preparation, Hazel and Astrid proceeded to test out the capabilities of Nycteris’s [Bloodlust] skill. From a very safe spot and out of sight of the Nightwing bat. They held no desire to experience something like before again.

Aside from ranking up Nycteris’s skills, Hazel’s and Astrid’s skills have improved as well.

Rank 5

A spell that allows the User to manipulate objects without touching them. User is capable of picking up objects larger than their heads, while also having the capability to lift multiple objects at once. The more objects under the influence of Telekinesis, the more mana is used.

Rank 9

A spell that lets the user summon a bolt of condensed mana to strike their enemies down. This spell does not have a cooldown.

Rank 7

Allows the user to summon a shield made of mana for fifteen seconds. It will be able to protect the user and block most attacks. The cooldown lasts five seconds.

Rank: 9

Gives the caster the ability to fire a sickle-like blade at their enemies. The sickle is made of cursed energy that damages the enemy over time. Curse Dmg is increased by 15%. It’s a skill that is highly used by Witches. The cooldown lasts ten seconds.

Rank 7

A skill that allows the caster to deteriorate anything or anyone they wish. By being afflicted with decay, their vessels slowly decompose, withering away until they are nothing but ash and dust. Rot dmg is increased by 13% It is a common ability used by witches due to its fast-acting effects. The cooldown is thirty seconds.

Rank 5

The caster is capable of summoning a cursed spear that corrupts and damages their enemies over time. Curse Dmg is increased by 9% The caster will be able to conjure up five cursed spears at a time or at once before initiating a ten-second cooldown for each spear.

Hazel had been quite busy during the past twenty days. But it was worth it, considering how much stronger she became. Both Mana Bolt and Baneful Sickle were one rank away from reaching Rank 10.

Then there was Telekinesis. After constantly using it so often when fighting monsters, she got the hang of properly controlling the spell. While it still took quite a bit of mana to move things so often, she could more or less handle it better than before.

Because Hazel had the most abilities compared to Astrid and Nycteris, she had a tougher time increasing all of their ranks. She had come to learn that juggling the number of spells she possessed was not an easy task. But her hard work still paid off in the end.

Astrid’s skills were of a similar rank to Hazels. Her [Hawk Eye] was Rank 8, [Rapid Fire] was Rank 9, [Piercing Shot] was Rank 8, and her latest skill [Quick Step] was Rank 6. Much like Hazel, Astrid was working just as hard. If not more.

Hazel and Astrid continued to pack their belongings that they planned to bring with them to the final battle. They believed that once the boss was defeated, they would be teleported away right after. Or at least after they received their rewards and such, so they needed to take everything that was theirs to not lose them in this dungeon after completing the objective.

During the past couple of weeks, Hazel also used the opportunity to return to the Tower Island to retrieve a few items for when they finally left this dungeon. A Majority of the items that she took were the paper schematics, several books regarding magic and the like, and other miscellaneous things. Hazel was able to get this done with quickly without wasting a lot of time thanks to Nycteris flying her back and forth.

With their belongings packed, the group placed them on a saddle currently attached to Nycteris. Hazel found this item a couple days back when she was exploring the city and searching for fractured to kill. The item was just big enough to place over the Nightwing bat, and it had hooks and the like that allowed them to hang their stuff on.

“Alright, I think that’s everything,” Hazel said with a sigh. “Let’s get moving.”

“Understood...”

“Lead the way, then,” Astrid advised.

The group made their way out of the tavern they’d been using as their base. Once outside, Hazel and Astrid climbed on the Nightwing bat as he prepared to take off. The player pair was soon seated on Nycteris as he took a pouncing position while spreading his wings out.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

And with a single flap, the group ascended into the sky much like before. They blitzed past the rooftops of buildings in seconds as they soared over to their next and final destination. The northern district.

“How are you feeling?” Astrid asked.

“A bit anxious, I guess. Then again, we are on our way to fight against a very strong enemy who is also a Boss of this dungeon, so I feel that I should be more than just anxious.”

While Hazel did everything she could to prepare for this day, there was a part of her that felt she wasn’t ready yet. That she was jumping the gun.

If the boss they were about to fight was too strong, then it was possible that they could die before even completing the tutorial. And it was this morbid thought that clung to the back of her mind, plaguing her with doubt and fear that she could be in way over her head in this scenario.

But despite the risks that were clearly presented to them, Hazel couldn’t help but think about the reward if they were able to succeed. Defeating a sub-boss of a Tutorial Dungeon had to be a big deal. The kind where they could obtain more powerful items to make them stronger for when they leave the Tutorial Dungeon.

And that was the only reason why Hazel didn’t back down and planned to go through with this plan to face and defeat a sub-boss. The higher the risks, the better the rewards. And the risks that Hazel was taking were pretty high right now. Which made their upcoming rewards that much sweeter to get their hands on.

“We should be approaching the Northern District,” Hazel told her group. “Be ready for anything.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Astrid stated while drawing her bow and arrow.

Nycteris let out a vicious snort, likely acknowledging his master’s orders. The trio was rapidly reaching their destination, and all of them prepared for a fight.

As they approached the northern district, Hazel looked down to see the familiar and numerous sea of Fractured humans still roaming around the area.

“The fact that we weren’t even able to eliminate a good quarter of them is a bit frustrating,” Hazel grumbled, intently peering down at the monsters below her.

Hazel and the others spent a good majority of their time fighting against this horde of monsters. Due to the sheer number of them, the group was able to receive a lot of experience from killing them.

However, that number also proved to be the horde’s biggest advantage since Hazel and the rest of her group were unable to even diminish the population enough to be significant. Regardless, the fractured in this district were still perfect for obtaining experience, if only a little, due to their levels.

But, because of the time they were currently under, the group wasn’t going to bother fighting their way through to get to the boss. Especially when they could simply fly over the horde thanks to Nycteris.

Sadly, the horde had a flock of their own flying allies. Ones that were flying around the very building they were heading toward.

“You think they’re going to notice us?” Hazel asked.

Immediately after she uttered this question, the group flew close enough to the flock of monsters that they were then registered as a threat. A good majority of the flock then soared over to the group, determined to take them down.

“You just had to ask, didn’t you!”

“Yeah, that’s definitely on me!”

Seeing the small group of flying monsters zip toward them like a horde of moths to a light, Nycteris dove down to avoid them. Hazel and Astrid braced themselves as the Nightwing attempted to avoid them.

“Nycteris, head to the entrance!” She told her familiar. “Astrid and I will try and keep them off you!”

“Understood...master!”

While the Nightwing maintained course, Hazel and Astrid carefully spun around to face the flock monsters chasing them. It was a mixture of harpies and wyverns much like before. Thankfully, there were no flying monkeys in the mix.

Raising their weapons, the player duo aimed at the flock. A moment later, they unleashed hell upon their enemies.

Five menacing purple spears of cursed energy materialized in front of Hazel before being hurled at the flock with malicious intent. The cursed spears barreled toward the flock and tore through a good majority of them, either killing them instantly or mortally wounding them. Either way, the ones struck by Hazel soon descended from the sky, falling into the horde below them.

Hazel figured that the Fractured wouldn’t attack their own, so she didn’t expect a scene like in a zombie movie where the undead ripped someone who fell from the sky apart as the rest of the characters watched in horror.

The sound of screeching from the harpies and wyverns filled Hazel’s ears as her sight was flooded with kill notifications. She mentally pushed them to the side to focus on the flock still chasing them, only to witness several arrows zip through the air like a bullet and obliterate more of them.

More of the flock fell from the sky, unable to stay in the air from their injuries. Before more could appear and take the place of their fallen brethren, Nycteris soon made it to the entrance.

“We’re...here!”

Hazel looked in the Nightwing bat’s direction and witnessed them rapidly descending to the ground. The very ground where a lot of the fractured were roaming around. As soon as the mage saw this, her eyes widened before she held Astrid and pulled her closer.

“Brace for impact!”

Not waiting for another second, both Hazel and Astrid clung to Nycteris’s body. The familiar soon crashed into the ground, delivering a devastating shockwave that blew away the fractured humans nearby. Their bodies flew in the air for a few moments then crashed into the ground much like Nycteris did, but not so gracefully.

Seeing that they were no longer surrounded, if only temporarily, Hazel and Astrid hopped off the Nightwing bat and made their way to the door. They made it to a pair of double doors that led inside.

Both Hazel and Astrid placed their hands on the door and pushed it open with all of their might. The entrance creaked open, revealing a lavish lobby room inside the building.

“Get inside, quickly!” Hazel urged the group.

Astrid and Nycteris followed her command and rushed inside the building, entering the lobby room. Hazel was the last to get inside, and once she was, all three then pushed the doors closed to prevent the horde from following them inside.

They could still hear the distant moaning, snarling, and groaning from the Fractured getting closer to the door. Then numerous poundings could be heard, signaling the group that the horde was desperate to get inside.

Hazel and the others backed away from the door, but not before grabbing nearby heavy furniture and placing it in front of the entrance. The pounding and distant ground could be heard from beyond the entrance, but the group made it their mission to ignore it.

They had bigger fish to fry at the moment.

“This place is quite...lavish, to say the least,” Hazel noted, glancing around at the lobby room they found themselves in.

The lobby of the building could only be described as grand or extremely goddamn expensive. There were gold-colored tiled floors that were polished to the point where you could see your reflection, beautifully crafted chandeliers made of some kind of expensive glass material, and very pristine and artsy columns that supported the ceiling above them.

Taking a closer look at the snow-white columns, she noticed that there were rough lines of gold engraved on the grooves. It reminded her of that Japanese technique where you restored broken bowls and cups using gold. She believed that the term was called Kintsugi, but she wasn’t certain.

Moving away from the columns, the group made their way to the other end of the lobby where a lone entrance door was located. Standing in front of the entrance, Hazel and Astrid both then pushed open the door to see what was inside. Only to be mesmerized by what they saw.

On the other side of the door was possibly the biggest amphitheater or opera house in the world. Numerous chairs were lined up in rows, leading all the way down to the stage where people would be on stage to either place music or act. Even the walls were riddled with private rooms where people could sit and watch the show from that spot.

The group slowly entered inside, completely taken away by the sheer magnitude of the amphitheater. Just then, the doors were slammed shut behind them, startling the trio.

Hazel turned around to see that their only exit was now possibly locked. Her face creased into an irritable frown. She should’ve been more afraid of this scenario, but instead, she felt more annoyed than anything.

“Ooh, scary~” She taunted. “Give me a break.”

Hazel had seen plenty of scenes similar to this. The main characters enter some haunted building, and the doors creepily close behind them, without anyone doing it.

A moment later, a panel appeared.

[You have entered The Sub-Boss room “Jester’s Opera House!” Until the sub-boss is defeated, you cannot leave the room.]

Reading the new panel, Astrid sighed. “Well, looks like we’re not going anywhere anytime soon...”

“At least not until we took down the sub-boss.”

Speaking of which, where was the sub-boss located anyway? Hazel and Astrid glanced around the opera house, searching for their opponent. The dark elf then pointed down with a somewhat grim expression.

“You think it’s the thing on the stage platform?”

Hazel followed Astrid’s gaze before spotting the center stage where actors and the like would usually do their act. She then strained her eyes as she quickly saw a lone figure right in the middle of the stage.

It was some kind of jester, wearing a multi-color outfit with baggy pants, four drooping horns with bells attached to each one, and funky red clown shoes where the tips of the footwear curled up. But what caught Hazel’s attention was the menacing smiling mask it wore. The eyes were carved as Xs and the mouth bore sharp teeth, as if ready to eat its next victim.

After staring at the sub-boss for a moment, the group decided to walk down the path to get a closer look, being cautious of the jester before them as they did.

Getting closer to the stage, the Jester began to twitch, which caused the group to pause as they readied themselves for battle. And just as Hazel brought her staff up to prepare a spell, the Jester monster suddenly disappeared from the stage.

The mage’s eyes widened in shock. “W-where the hell did it...?!”

She couldn’t even finish her sentence before the Jester revealed itself before them...as it blitzed toward Hazel with a dagger aimed right for her throat.