As the echo of Trell’s blessing faded from the air, Nick collapsed to the ground. Delayed terror from his close brush with death had sapped the strength from his limbs.
If I had cut that any closer—if the parasite had assumed control a few seconds faster—I would have died. And what followed would have been a fate far worse than death. He took a long time just to lay there and process, comforted by the knowledge that, for a fleeting moment, he was whole and safe; that he didn’t hurt anymore; and that nothing could hurt him now.
When Nick came back to himself, he realized that there were two new additions to the chamber. The first was a glowing golden door, like the one at the entrance to the dungeon, set against the far wall. The second was a gleaming silver chest.
His recent experiences had given him an awful lot to process, but not unlimited time in which to do so. Attached to the message still floating in the periphery of his vision was a countdown clock. It had begun at one hour but was now sitting just a few seconds shy of twenty-eight minutes. He would have to wait until he was back on the island to deal with what had happened to him. Because right now, he needed to maximize his gains while he was still inside the dungeon.
To begin, Nick read the message from the System in full. Responding to his intentions, the prompt glided back into the center of his view.
Tutorial Dungeon, The Sewers of Kastilla, has been successfully completed.
Restoring contestant to pristine physical condition.
Your performance has been rated as: exemplary. As a result, you have earned a high-tier Quest Reward Chest (Silver).
Additionally, you have received bonus experience and essence.
Please open the chest and exit the dungeon. You will be automatically teleported back to your tutorial after one hour unless you step through the portal first.
Wait, what is essence? Nick bookmarked the thought for later as he turned his attention to his surroundings. Now that he knew what he was looking at, he was in awe of the legacy that Trell had left behind, because every surface of the stone chamber was carved with intricate runes. The story of Trell’s life and the history of his people.
The writing was neat and clean but became increasingly smaller as it progressed across the chamber, as if Trell had realized that the chronicle he wanted to leave behind was going to take up more space than he had originally believed. Nick wished that he could read the words, but apparently his Gift of Tongues only worked for languages spoken by living beings.
He realized that the carvings had been made with the strange sword Trell had given him, which must have been enchanted with some sort of magic to have kept the edge razor sharp despite countless years of abuse.
Mouthing a silent prayer for the fallen ratman and its people, Nick went to work. He began by looting the room, looking for anything that might be useful later. He wasn’t willing to go anywhere near the entrance bordered by the nasty rot mushrooms, although they appeared to be inert now that the parasites and the core inside him had been destroyed. He briefly considered running back to the dungeon’s entrance to retrieve his straw sunhat, but quickly decided that it wasn’t worth risking his life for a basic item.
Hoping that Trell would forgive him for the indignity, Nick tried to remove the rat’s chain and plate mail. But like the other bodies he had inspected, the metal was somehow fused with the corpse’s flesh and anchored to its bones. He had neither the time nor the tools to pry it free. Nor the willpower, if Nick was being honest with himself. The helmet was loose, though. He removed it, then retrieved his dagger and the sword before walking over to the chest that had appeared beside the glowing golden doorway.
The intricately carved chest was a gorgeous piece of metalwork and would have fetched a pretty penny back home. Inside was a considerable pile of loot and a single sheet of paper. Excited by his haul despite his horrifying ordeal, Nick picked up the paper and read.
Congratulations! You have received a Quest Reward Chest (Silver).
Two tutorial knowledge points have been awarded.
Contents: Potion of Lesser Antidote (Common, Consumable).
Drinking this potion will cure one instance of poison or disease (tier 1 species only).
5x Orb of Flashbang (Common, Consumable).
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A favorite of rogues of all stripes, these magic-infused orbs will release a bright light and loud sound after their trigger has been pressed. The delay can be set between four and ten seconds.
Adventurer’s Coat (Uncommon).
This reinforced leather coat is a favorite of adventurers across the multiverse. It is made from materials that are naturally resistant to a wide variety of elements and is waterproof as well.
Modifications: Self-maintenance, durable.
Bag of Molding (Uncommon).
This bag can hold up to one hundred pounds worth of items, regardless of shape, as long as they can fit through the opening of the bag. The bag reduces the weight of its contents by 10% and stores items separately from one another.
He turned to examine the object in question, which looked a lot like the backpack Nick used to wear to school, with a flap over the top in place of a zipper. He removed it from the chest and took a closer look.
Like everything the System had given him, the Bag of Molding appeared to have been fashioned by a skilled craftsman. The leather was so dark that it was nearly black, and delicate lines and swirls had been stamped into its surface. He was pleased to discover that the pack weighed almost nothing when empty. When he tried it on, it fit like a glove and was surprisingly comfortable to boot.
While he was a tad disappointed not to have been given an unlimited storage item, Nick was still extremely satisfied with his reward. Just having a backpack is a huge upgrade for me, and the magic storage is pretty awesome. Although there is no way I’m calling it by that name. With his preliminary inspection out of the way, he was ready to see the bag in action. His new sword would be a perfect test, as it was about twice as long as the bag was deep.
He danced with excitement as he slid the tip of the sword into the mouth of the backpack. He watched in fascination as it went down and down and down, until the blade disappeared all the way up to the hilt and then vanished completely. Well beyond the point where it should have touched the bottom. This was Nick’s first true experience of magic other than his wand, which was close enough to a gun not to trigger the same sense of wonder.
He reached in to retrieve the sword, only to touch the bottom of the empty bag, afraid in that moment that he had been tricked or made a mistake and lost his first real weapon. But when he lifted the bag, he realized that it was heavier than before.
Thinking about how the screen on the obelisk had responded to his thoughts, Nick held the image of the sword in his mind and reached in again, this time wrapping his fingers around the hilt before drawing the blade free. He played with the bag for another five minutes before breaking the spell that witnessing magic with his own eyes had evoked, remembering that the clock was ticking. He pulled the sword out one final time to take a closer look before storing it away.
The blade was longer than Nick’s arm and top-heavy like a machete, likely due to its missing pommel stone. It would be a bit awkward for precision swordplay, although it was still an imposing weapon. The body of the blade was full of holes, like the metal was Swiss cheese, leaving the edge serrated like the teeth of a saw. Due to the missing pieces, the sword was surprisingly light despite its imbalance.
Nick tried out a few experimental slashes, able to guide it even with his modest strength as long as he used both hands. As Trell had implied, the sword was either magical or forged from an incredibly robust ore. Despite the damage to its body, the tip still held an edge after carving Trell’s legacy into the bedrock of the cavern, not to mention the surface of the crystal container.
The consumable items seemed useful but didn’t require a close inspection just yet. So, after slipping one of the flashbang orbs into the pocket of his toolbelt, he dumped everything else into the bag, along with his sword, and slid his remaining dagger back into its sheath.
As advertised, the bag seemed to shave off a bit of the weight, and when he shook it vigorously, Nick could feel nothing rattling around inside. That meant the potion and orbs within were likely immune from being broken by outside forces and that wearing the pack would not throw him off balance. Yet another awesome feature provided by the accessory.
Last but not least, Nick turned his attention to the leather coat. He was ecstatic as he pulled the jacket out of the chest and held it before his eyes. In addition to having another layer to ward off the chill ocean breeze, he had finally found his first piece of body armor. The leather wasn’t all that thick, but with the durable and self-maintenance modifications, he was sure that it would offer his torso substantial shielding. Night and day compared to the pittance of protection provided by his battered bathrobe.
The leather jacket was deep red and textured with a pattern that looked like scales. Or perhaps they were scales after all, now that Nick took a closer look. The front had a pair of deep pockets to help keep his hands warm, and a series of buttons ran along one side. Trying it on, the coat was a perfect fit, and it came down a bit below his waist.
When he looked down, he saw that the chest had already begun to melt, running like water to form a pool of silver along the ground. The metal soon sank into the stone, disappearing without a trace. With a shrug, Nick took the various objects out of the pockets of his robe and packed everything into the bag except for his canteen and the two tins, since they clipped onto his belt, leaving him free to use the pack for other resources. Finally, he took off his bathrobe, bidding the article of clothing a fond farewell before storing it in his bag and pulling on his new leather coat.
With only five minutes left on the clock, Nick moved on to the final object he had decided to keep—the helmet he had removed from Trell’s body. There was no way he was trying it on without washing it out, as the ratman had been wearing it for decades without bathing. But just by looking at it, he realized that it wasn’t going to fit. He decided to keep the helm anyway, so he put it into his new bag alongside the rest.
Part of him was curious about the side passage he had found earlier in the sewer, but there simply hadn't been enough time to return, and he wasn’t ready to pick a fight with a powerful underwater predator regardless. He decided that he would be more aggressive with the risks he took going forward, but not until he gained a few more levels and increased his attributes.
Nick had barely survived his first dungeon, but in the end, he had come out on top. He was back in peak condition, had secured some amazing loot, and was in much better shape to survive the dangers of the Searing Isle.
He used the final seconds he had been granted to adjust his gear and go over his contingencies, since the tutorial had entered its second phase while he was exploring the dungeon. He needed to be prepared to face just about anything on the other side of the portal.
When the countdown dwindled to thirty seconds, Nick finished reviewing his plans, walked over to the portal, and stepped into the light.