Finally!
Over an hour stumbling through the tall undergrowth, but I've found it at last. Dungeons aren't exactly living beings, but if this world follows the game's rules, they're born. A small core forms upon absorbing mana. Following a massacre, a skeleton dungeon might pop up pretty quickly. In other cases, like this one, they form after centuries of slow absorption. There's a mountain and forest here. I'm right on the mountainside, in a rocky outcrop that cuts through the woods. No clue how long this dungeon's been here, but they will discover it in a couple of years, so I was hoping it'd already formed. When I finally find its entrance and confirm it has, the relief and joy hit me hard.
Because I need to level up. Not just to pass that exam anymore, but to stop being some useless yes-woman to the villainess's sister. I've already decided I'm not going to act like Bianca. I'm going to be me. Got some excuses ready, like hitting my head yesterday. Whatever—the dark hole in the rock opens before me, and the longer I stare at it, the more nervous I get. Because I don't know what happens if I die. Will I actually die, or return to my body? I definitely don't want to find out, but my gamer side refuses to be in a magic world just to sit around sewing like some bored noble lady.
Magic, power.
Can't deny my excitement just thinking about becoming a spellcaster. So here we go.
I've got a backpack with food and water. Plus several torches, a rope, and a short sword I snagged from the country house guards' storage. No idea how to use it. Honestly, hope I won't need to. This dungeon's full of slimes, and slimes are weak to fire. I light a torch and I'm about to head in when something catches my eye. I look right, at the rock wall I've partly cleared of brush. Seems to be another hole, just as dark as the one in front of me. I frown. There weren't any other caves here—I'd reached this event in the game and cleared the dungeon with two of the school's eligible guys. I clear away the rest of the brush and bring the torch closer. It's a dungeon. If it were just a cave, the light would illuminate part of it. I edge a bit closer and yelp in surprise when text appears before me, like a video game popup window.
Congratulations, you have found the entrance to a dungeon accessible only to travelers from other worlds. Would you like to enter?
"No," slips out before I realize this might lock me out forever.
But no way am I going in with my level who-knows-what (seriously doubt bookworm Bianca's been grinding) and zero combat or magic skills.
Anyway, my heart's racing. I just saw a message from the system that governs the world. In the game you could see them but none of the NPCs could. Which means maybe, just maybe, I can access my stats without touching one of those status slabs. Or better yet, I might be able to level up more efficiently than the natives.
Can't wait any longer. I turn toward the slime dungeon and enter. No messages or popup windows, but when I cross the darkness, I know I'm inside because my torch starts lighting up the rough stone walls. It's a tunnel that starts narrow and quickly widens, enough for a party of five adventurers to walk side by side. Water trickles down the walls onto the floor. Green moss, non-luminous, partly covers the stone. Nothing to hear but my quick breathing, the torch's crackling, and occasional drips. Just like the game. I look ahead, knowing that when I reach the tunnel's bend, two slimes will drop from the ceiling where they're lurking. I'm ready. I throw the copper cup I brought for drinking water ahead of me. Two "plops" follow, and the creatures, two jelly-like masses about the size of my head, fall onto the cup. I bring my torch closer and burn them. They try to jump away, but the fire's spread through their bodies and moves with them. I eye the cup without touching it. They were only on it for a couple seconds, but their corrosive goo's already half-melted it. As for the creatures, they burn completely.
A message appears before my eyes.
My heart stops for a moment.
Yes!
Thank the gods of this world and mine.
I have notifications, I have a system!
Congratulations, you have killed two Level 1 Earth Slimes. You have leveled up. You are now Level 2. Would you like to assign your free stat point?
"Yes."
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My status sheet appears before me. I don't even care that useless Bianca was still Level 1. Maybe it's even better—I can build my stats how I want. I'm beyond excited. My life is now a game, and even if it's an otome, I'm going to ignore that part and focus on becoming the most powerful mage.
Why?
Because in games I only care about two things: winning if it's like LoL, or maxing out if it's an MMORPG.
Bianca L'Crom
Race: Human
Age: 17
Level: 2
Constitution: 6
Strength: 2
Intelligence: 3
Agility: 2
Wisdom: 6
HP: 6
MP: 6
Magic Affinity: Earth
Skills: None
Spells: Earth Control - Beginner Level
Since I'm not sure where to put the free point, I save it for now. Well, at least I have one spell, even if it's just the most basic earth magic. In the game, you cast spells from the number keys of your keyboard where you had them selected. Then, your character said the name out loud, so I try.
"Earth Control," I whisper, since I don't want to shout in the middle of a dungeon.
A screen appears asking me to select where I'm taking earth from, what shape to give it, and where to move it. After burning through half my mana in attempts, I discover that while I do have to speak the spell's name, I can do everything else silently if I concentrate, if that is my intention when I cast it. If it weren't for my good memory and remembering where the creatures are in this dungeon, I could use it to roll an earth ball in front of me. My range is only one meter, but if I move along with the ball, it'll stay in range. It's a basic technique any earth mage uses in the otome. As for the dungeon, I walk down another long corridor with one lurking slime and a fork with three paths. One ends in a pit trap. I avoid it. Another leads to a small chest guarded by four slimes. Thanks to the torch and knowing where they are, they're not too hard to take down. I come out mostly unscathed, though when two jump at me at once, I can't dodge one and it lands on my stomach. I quickly burn it and the creature leaps left while consumed in flames. The few moments it was on me were enough to hole my dress and burn my skin. After beating the other two, I pull the water flask from my backpack and pour a generous amount on my belly. If their acid is like Earth's, it keeps corroding until you neutralize it. I improvise a bandage with a simple white undershirt I brought exactly for this and return to the fork. That's five slimes since hitting Level 2, and my level progress hasn't even reached a quarter of the required experience. Looking at it that way, no wonder a sheltered noble hadn't managed to level up in almost 18 years of life.
The last path is the most dangerous. I stop for a while before heading down it, taking the chance to eat some of the bread and meat I brought. There's a boss, a small one since this is a newbie dungeon, but a boss nonetheless. It's with three more slimes in a chamber. It's got a boss door, meaning once you enter, you can't leave until you've killed it. That's why I can't use the earth ball to lure its minions into the corridor and kill them one by one. No matter how much I think about it, I can't figure out a way to make this easier and minimize the risk, so I finally steel myself, light a second torch, and go for it. Once inside, I avoid the spots where I know the three slimes are lurking on the ceiling and go for the boss. It's bigger, mastiff-sized, and while fire hurts it, it doesn't catch flame. Its minions end up dropping down and coming at me from behind. I run to a wall without losing sight of the boss, wielding my torches for protection. Once my back's covered, I keep fighting. When the small ones jump at me, I just have to catch them with fire and they burn and die shortly after. The boss is tougher, but it falls eventually. I slide down the wall until I'm sitting on the floor. My clothes are a mess, full of holes. I pour what's left of my water over myself. I have burns in several places. One on my leg is worse, but thankfully it hurts like hell, so it's not third-degree. I go to the chest, hoping it stays like in the game and there aren't any traps. I open it. It's identical. Contains two minor healing potions and a minor corrosion resistance bracelet. I frown. This is the typical loot, where's the bonus?
Congratulations, you have conquered the Hosca dungeon for the first time. You receive an iron treasure chest.
Congratulations. You have leveled up. You are now Level 3, you have one free stat point to use.
"Yes!" I smile with relief as another chest appears before me, small and made of the metal it’s named after. I rush to open it, excited for what I hope is inside. So excited that I get a bit clumsy and drop the loot from the other chest. The bracelet is fine, but the two valuable potions shatter before my eyes.
“Nooo!” I shout in frustration. But it’s too late. Thankfully, I’m able to drink the drops left on the largest shards of glass and at least heal my burns. Oh well, might as well go all in. I open the iron chest and carefully pick up the necklace inside. It's beautiful, a silver-colored metal chain with a red gem pendant.
Greater Protection Necklace. When damage would reduce your HP to zero, it protects you and maintains you at five HP while the damage source continues. Cooldown: 1 week.
I lift my hair and put it on. With this, leveling up will be less risky. I grab my backpack, which I'd left on the ground, and start heading back.