The [t2] Bone Crypt dungeon was dimly lit with eerie, flickering torches casting elongated shadows on the ancient walls adorned with skeletal remains. The air carried a musty odor, a blend of aged bones and the dampness that clung to the cold stone surfaces. Faint whispers of air circulated, while occasional echoes reverberated through the crypt, adding an unsettling ambiance to the already ghastly environment.

As soon as we entered, my Cartographer profession leveled up, granting an additional zoom level for the larger map. It increased the range from one mile to two. I opened the map and it showed a labyrinthian layout. Toward the end, the dungeon ended in a spacious room, which I assumed belonged to the boss. I made a mental image of the path to travel.

“Stay close to me,” I told Darya. “We’ll run right to the end, kill the boss and get out.”

We were on the clock. Not wasting a moment, I bolted ahead, my feet thumping loudly. Darya followed close behind, but her steps were barely audible.

The sight of the first skeleton was uncanny, and it made me pause in my tracks. It was one thing to see one in a video game, but another to have it ‘alive’ and moving right before my eyes. It felt unreal, unnatural. That feeling lasted a second before I crushed its skull with my hands and pummeled its bones to the ground, trampling over it.

While keeping an eye on the mini-map, I continued on bulldozing right through any skeletons that got in the way. This place and its monsters were far from the paradise of a tropical island and I couldn’t wait to get out and move on to the next dungeon.

It was a brief run, and it helped immensely that I could see the exact path to take to get to the final room. I imagined other dungeon runners without [Cartographer] getting stuck in these twists and turns for hours.

In the center of the spacious chamber stood a menacing skeleton in dark iron armor. The boss wielded a massive two-handed sword, swung over his shoulder. A ring of burning braziers cast a sinister light.

* [t2] Executioner [Green]

Its red eyes glared at me from across the way. The Ebony Boar and the Dire Bear were [Green] last time, but this Executioner, despite being a tier three, was actually [Gray.] It must have been as a result of [Measured Savagery] pumping up my attributes so much.

Thumbs on the power crystals of my two new Ardent wands, I strode forward. The boss cackled like a demon as I approached. The whine of my wands grew louder with every step, signaling their imminent intent to fire. I raised and aimed them straight on.

A moment hung in the air. The boss charged at me, sword raised high, but the wands fired before he got close. Two bolts of red burst out the wands with resounding booms, lighting the room in flashes of blinding light.

On the receiving end, bones shattered on impact. His two-handed sword spun in the air for a brief moment like it was a cartoon. Dark iron armor went flying, bouncing against the back wall. The unbearable clatter of the noise made me wince due to my heightened perception.

[Evolution Points gained: 2]

I grinned. “Holy-”

Darya approached with care like a spooked cat, glancing from side to side as if the thousand pieces of the boss would somehow come back together and attack. By the side of the portal a glorious item laid next to a dungeon orb and a ball of ordinary twine.

“Pants! Praise the gods.” I rushed forward and picked up the black, linen pants. They weren’t remarkable to be honest, except for being in a pristine condition. I walked off to the side to put them on.

“Don’t look,” I spoke over my shoulder to Darya.

“What?”

“I need to change into my new pants.”

“Oh,” she said, and turned around.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Most importantly, these pants had just the right cut out for my tail. It’s like they were tailor made to fit my ass. Normally, I wasn’t a praying man, but right there and then, I was a believer. I dumped the old ones right where I took them off as they were beyond salvaging at this point. I strutted back to the portal, feeling like a whole new man. I was going commando, and it felt great.

“What’s the twine about?” I asked. “Is it for your profession?”

“Uhm, y-yeah. It’s braided cotton for candle wicks.” Darya had a warm, rosy hue to her cheeks. All the chasing after me through the dungeon must have been quite the workout.

“I’d love it if you could make me a candle or two,” I told her. The nights were longer than I could sleep. With candles, I could use that time to work on my crafting.

She smiled mischievously. “I’ll trade for a wand.”

“Deal.” Candles for an oak branch, and a shiny rock? Yes, please. It was a great trade.

I had expected to gain a level, but that wasn’t the case. Though I did get a good chunk of experience needed for the next level. Perhaps experience needed was much higher after level ten? The third item was a dungeon orb, and a lucky one too.

* [t3] Void Dungeon: Granite Island

* Portal uses: 6

* 3 of the monsters are Elite

* 15 of the monsters are Empowered

* +23% Experience / +23% Item Quantity

It was different from the previous ones. It had Elite and Empowered monsters. Darya hadn’t mentioned anything about such monsters before.

“These Elites and Empowered, are they worth the time?”

“They’re likely to grant worthwhile items, but they’re dangerous … well, probably not to you.”

“Like the boss?”

“No, maybe half as much?”

“And the Empowered?” I asked.

Darya shrugged. “Somewhere in between Elites and the regular monsters?”

“I get it. We’ll kill them if it doesn’t take too much time.”

“When you say 'we,' you just mean yourself, right? I haven't really thrown in much, or anything at all, really. Not that I mind."

I scratched at the back of my head. She did have a point. I could do all these dungeons by myself, but all the orbs belonged to her except the last one we got together. That one belonged to us equally. For a similar reason, it made sense to split the loot. If there was some loot that could help her or the orphanage, then I was more than happy about it. But most importantly, I liked her company. She was gutsy and beautiful -- a perfect combination in my book.

“I don’t mind either.”

She looked at me with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. “Alright.”

Before leaving, I took a look at the map and found an oddity. There was a walled off section nearby. I hoped it was a treasure chest.

“Hold on,” I said excitedly. “I think there’s another secret area here.”

We had to clear out a room full of skeletons to get to it. Using my mini-map I walked up to the false wall. It appeared similar to the others – damp, rugged stone with mossy patches and occasional cobwebs. I searched for concealed levers or buttons but couldn't locate any.

“See anything?” I asked Darya.

She shook her head. “Maybe the mechanism is somewhere in the room?”

We searched the room for a couple of minutes, but couldn’t find anything. Minutes were ticking by on my [Measured Savagery] and I didn’t want to waste it. I kicked the wall out of frustration, and to my surprise, it turned slightly.

“Ha! It just needed brute force.”

I pushed harder and it moved aside completely. In the secret room behind it, a small chest laid on the ground toward the back. I made short work of opening it. A golden light beamed from the chest, and inside was a quiver.

* [Ancient Relic] Endless Strife

* Item type: Quiver

* Arrows are replenished

* +25% to Bow Damage

Darya gasped. “Well, wouldja look at that.”

“Ooh, shiny. How much is it worth?”

Darya turned to me with a hurt look on her face. “Y-You’re gonna sell it?”

“What? No, I just wanted to know how good of an item this is.”

She pursed her lips. “Fifty? Maybe seventy gold?”

“That’s a lot. That’s better than the items we got from the boss, right?”

“Oh yeah, and by far.”

“I assume you’d like to use it?”

She bounced on her toes. “Like? No, I’d love to!”