"You don't need to keep the Classes you picked. Don't spend the perks. Don't buy the Skills. Do something else. I'll tell you this, right now. We re going to stay in this Dungeon until you two have earned a Class rank-up that you want to take. We are going to kill monsters in the deepest levels until you reach level twenty. Once you do, we'll study and learn other things. I'll break these bindings that shackle you."
That was my speech to the cat-kin siblings, two months ago. Yes, we've been delving, the five of us, since our meeting at the upper level.
At first, they killed the monsters I'd restrained with the mastiffs to grind up their levels. I kept going lower and lower. We reached the lowest level ever visited, deep tunnels where the magic could be felt in the air. My detection range seldomly picked up a signal from a sentient in the Dungeon tunnels above. The caverns down there belonged to us and the monsters. Terrible creatures levels sixty through seventy.
A wonderful buffet of monster parts, cores, and Experience. Even so, the limitations of a mortal body and the lack of an Experience multiplier gave the expression "the grind" a deeper, crude, and all too real meaning.
Two months. A meteoric rise. Noble scions would pay their weight in gold to reach the first rank-up in that much time. Finally, the siblings unlocked their desired rank-up. Eric unlocked his first but he waited until Lorna had hers lined up too. They wanted to rank up together. The 40 of their current level stayed with them for quite a while. The dogs were fifty-seven now and I stopped letting them get any Exp to let me and the siblings have some. I wouldn't be surprised if they jumped straight to the sixties.
"Are you ready?"
"I'm going to rank up into [Monster Slayer]," Eric declared. "It is one of the rank-ups for [Monster Hunter]."
"And I, [Bewitching Enchantress]!" Lorna said with pride.
There was no other way around. One's Class shaped the person. Lorna's way out of being a mere [Prostitute] was to focus on the alluring and charming aspect of her Class. From what I heard of her description, it was a spellcasting class that could charm and control the minds of even monsters.
And that was the funniest part. Since my multipliers for killing monsters were greater than a thousand, I too reached the rank-up threshold.
"Then go ahead. It will be my last order. You two are to rank up into the Classes you chose."
I triggered my own level-up process, making my choices where I could.
> You reached Manaborne Sorceress level 20
>
> You gained 1 perk.
>
> You reached Ghostsight Eleon level 20
>
> You gained 1 perk.
>
> You reached Spirit Jeweller level 18
>
> You reached Fae Enchanter level 18
>
> You gained 96 Skill Points
>
> Attributes above the cap were redistributed.
>
> 29 / 100 Attribute points withheld.
> Shadow Warp (very rare): When under the cover of shadows, you can instantly move into another shadow that fits your body in a range of Magic x10 meters.
>
> Crystallize Spell (very rare): Sacrifice a magic core of sufficient size as part of the casting of a spell. The core will sustain the spell as long as its energy allows.
My rank up had only one option each.
> Deep Eleon (ultra-rare): Infused by the power of shadows, the Deep Eleon thrives in the deepest parts of the world.
> You became a Deep Eleon (rank 2). You gain:
>
> 1 Attribute point every level.
>
> 1 Dexterity every odd level.
>
> 1 Soul every even level.
>
> 1 Mind every four levels.
>
> 1 Endurance, Charisma, Luck, Willpower alternating each level.
>
> 7 (+3) Skill Points every level.
>
> 5 HP, 8 (+2) MP, 8 (+2) SP every level.
>
> 1 Perk every 2 levels.
>
> You gained the perk: Deep Sustenance (very rare): You thrive on the magic energy of the depths. The deeper you go, the less food, water, and sleep you need, and the slower you age.
> Manastorm Savant (ultra-rare): Their flesh overflowing with raw magic, the Manastorm Savant taps into this infinite power to give shape to her every whim.
>
> You became a Manastorm Savant. You gain:
>
> 1 Attribute point per level.
>
> 1 Magic every odd level
>
> 1 Soul every odd level.
>
> 1 Willpower every four levels.
>
> 1 Charisma, Mind, Ego, and Luck, alternating every level.
>
> 1 Endurance every four levels.
>
> Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
>
> 6 HP, 13 (+2) MP, 13 (+2) HP
>
> 7 (+3) Skill Points per level.
>
> 1 perk every even level.
>
> You gained this perk: Manastorm Wellspring (ultra-rare): Your Mana Wellspring range is increased to between 4 and 5 times your Soul Attribute in meters. The boundaries fluctuate. The regeneration bonus to 100%. It now affects you.
I felt power. My aura expanded to an absurd range. It was a kilometer wide at its smaller size now. I felt the excess energy from the creatures around me flooding my being. Not to mention my own regeneration doubled. It wasn't painful but the sensation made me feel like imitating a wrinkled old man in some space office fighting the most motherfuckingly master laser sword knight ever. He shouted "unlimited power"!
I had three billion Exp to allocate after the rank up. The first level after the second rank up needed a hundred million now. Levels would slow down to a crawl.
> You reached Manastorm Savant level 5
>
> You gained 2 perks.
>
> You reached Deep Eleon (rank 2) level 4
>
> You gained 2 perks.
>
> You gained 50 Skill Points.
>
> 59 / 100 Attribute points withheld.
No Profession levels. They were stuck, requiring thirty-nine billion each for the next rank-up. My next level was two billion Exp away.
I spent all my Skill Points to combine my riding and training Skills.
> You created the Skill: Wild Wrangler (ultra-rare): Able to ride, tame, and train any non-sentient creature that can both support your weight and you can climb onto.
>
> Your rank with Wild Wrangler is Master 50.
>
> You gained this perk: Master Wild Wrangler (unique): You can tame and train one extra creature for every 10 points of Charisma. Creatures you're training learn 50% faster and can understand your speech.
What perks were available for my new levels? There was a lot to choose from, but these two got my love as I was assaulted by a fit of laughter when I saw them.
> Breathe Rocks (very rare): You can extract what you need to breathe from nearby rocks. You do not suffocate while buried in rocks or in any environment without breathable fluids if there's enough rock available.
>
> Rockwalker (very rare): You can move at half speed through rocks. If you collide with stationary rocks, you sink instead of crashing.
Aww dammit. I read it wrong. With my first read, I thought death by lapidation would never again be a concern. But no. If the rock is moving toward me, it will still hit and cause damage. As for my magical Class, I found a duo that was absolutely indispensable.
> Hidden Wellspring (ultra-rare): Your Mana Wellspring is not noticeable unless one monitors their MP regeneration closely without a full MP pool.
>
> Wellspring Selectiveness (unique): Your Mana Wellspring only works on unauthorized targets if their MP pool is at its maximum. In this case, it only works at a quarter of the normal efficiency.
This will cut the extra regeneration for people I don't want to while still giving me the excess MP if they are capped. At a 25% extra rate instead of a hundred percent but it removed the risk of becoming someone's MP battery... And I could use it as an MP buff aura whenever I want.
----------------------------------------
On our way back, I let them train their new Skills and get used to their Perks. I just sat on the metaphorical backseat while the dogs and cat-kin siblings ravaged everything in their path. On the third level, we heard some... awkward sounds.
To put it bluntly, we heard people having sex. My sense showed five people, four of them human. And boy, were these girls loud. I found the voice familiar and curiosity won over my uneasiness and I led my party closer. I recognized the voice. It was Josie. Karina shouldn't be delving, her late pregnancy and fighting with daggers in the frontline didn't quite fit with one another.
"Hail the orgy!" I shouted toward the tunnel.
For some reason, Lorna punched Eric. I never knew why.
The moaning stopped. I heard muffled curses and then there were people coming down the tunnel to meet us. I calmed my dogs and gave a mental command to sit down.
"Hail the tunnel!" Cedric's voice sounded annoyed.
"Cedric! You're about to become a father, why are you in a dungeon?" I shouted back.
"Rose? By Zacheia's milky tits!"
I shall not judge people's religious curses. I shall not judge...
"Bet you thought I was dead," I joked.
"Actually, yes. You descended two months ago! And we had a lot of deaths among the people that were in the Dungeon at that time. Well, good to see you."
"How's Karina?"
He smiled and uttered a wry laugh. "She's home. I made her a concubine." I raised an eyebrow. He explained, "I'm married. To the daughter of a viscount. She doesn't delve. And before you judge me, everyone knows what we're doing."
I shall not judge people's sex lives. Especially when mine is so messed up.
Josie came down the tunnel, squealing, "Rosie! Rosie!"
She picked me up and tossed me around, spinning like a doll. I guess it's easy when one weighs less than ten kilograms. Valiant barked.
"I think I need to let my dogs catch your scent. They are getting antsy because you are getting too handsy."
"Damn. These doggies are seriously wicked," Cedric said now that he had time to pay attention to them.
"They are Valiant, the male, and Spirit, the female."
He whistled. "Fifty-seven? They're worth a small army. And who are these kids back there?"
We were all kids, by my account.
"Lorna and Eric, my apprentices."
"Hey," another girl that approached said, "Weren't you Zachariah's porters? How the heck are you level sixty-three?"
"Who's Zachariah?" I asked. "Josie! Put me down."
"He was our former master. Yes, you're right," Lorna answered.
The confidence that being level sixty-three gives a person is awesome. I hope I can temper that on them. Rising to power too fast is troublesome.
"And he was also the one responsible for all the deaths you mentioned, lord Cedric,." the cat-kin girl added.
The new members of the harem party all joined us. Damn, Cedric's cum might as well be honey. I'm not going to drink the Cool-Aid, though.
"We need to report it to the guild master," Cedric said. "Do you have proof they were the ones doing the murders?"
"Zachariah was collecting the plaques of the dead delvers," Lorna answered.
"I can only think of two reasons to collect proof of one's murders," I said. "Either to keep as trophies or to use as proof. And since he was killing people inside the Dungeon, I guess it is the latter. It's something I've thought these last two months in the underground. Zachariah was hired to feed the Dungeon."
"Fuck," Cedric cursed. "Is this related to the failed stampede? People wondered if it was criminal. People also wondered if you weren't related to it."
"Yeah," I replied noncommittally. "Look, I profited like crazy with that stampede. I might want to cause another but no. My involvement with the stampede was limited to murdering the shit out of the monsters."
"Where are the tags?"
"I have them here with me."
"Girls!" Cedric shouted. Totally unnecessary because all of them were here. "Wrap it up. We are surfacing earlier. We need to bring this up to the guild master."
They gave me angry glares as if I was trying to steal their honey-flavored cum. Nope. Not happening. How did I know they were glowering at me if I was blind? Subvocalizations. They weren't making happy sounds.
----------------------------------------
"What else do you have in this dimensional storage of yours?" The she-hulk of a guild master asked me after I dumped Zachariah's still warm body on the table. Still bleeding, by the sound and smell.
"Two huge dragon corpses and my house," I answered honestly. "Among other things," I added.
Cedric spluttered. I hope he wasn't drinking anything.
"Nevermind. Here are the tags," she said as the sound like a keyring chiming and clicking rang. "Your story is confirmed. Zachariah was the culprit behind the delver deaths two months ago. I'll pay you the reward for bringing him to me."
Wasn't there was a bounty on the killer?" Cedric asked.
"Yes. Thank you, Lord Cedric. I'll add those to the reward Ms. Honorcoin is entitled to."
"I'll never say no to more gold," I grinned. "And I lay claim to all of Zachariah's possessions, including his slaves."
"What he had with him in the Dungeon, yes. His above-ground possessions will be seized to pay reparation to the victim's families. Guild policy."
"Wait--" Cedric was about to protest on my behalf but I raised a hand.
"I'm fine with that. So long the money really goes to the families. And trust me, I'll know."
"There's no need for threats," She answered seriously.
"I know. I trust you, guild master. However, we know very well how slimy can things get down there."
Cedric chuckled.
"Thank you for understanding, Ms. Honorcoin. I'll take a couple of days to sort this mess, I'll have your rewards ready by then."
"My pleasure to help. Lorna, please," I reached with my hand. She took it and we walked out of the guild and back home.