The sight of Max’s fuzzy gray head delighted Caesar. As he climbed down the tree, the wolf circled around in excitement. It led him towards the direction it came from, where dirt became speckled with spots of mud, and a rotting stench filled the air. His vision trembled and he leaned onto his wolf for support. Symptoms worsened as they walked deeper into the woods but cleared up with the extra Vitality provided by Dominate.

Soon, puddles of water began to appear and grow into pools and ponds. Dirt became mud, squishy and soggy, clinging onto his boots. When he started seeing bones embedded in the ground, he nodded his head with confidence. The two approached a circular ring of light hovering in the distance.

“Identify.”

Dungeon Detected!

Undead Swamp

[Type]: Field

[Level]: Rank 1

Caesar smiled. Great expectations welled up inside him. He walked inside the portal with Max and readied his weapon.

The dungeon opened up to reveal swampy terrain with piles of bones in the water and the mud. He spotted skeletons meandering in the distance, and a few crocodiles swimming in shallow pools. He approached the skeletons, believing them to be an easier target. Some carried clubs; others equipped daggers or swords. Caesar made sure to engage one at a time with his wolf and pulverized the entire group with ease. A black wisp manifested again from his marked target and rushed at him. He closed his eyes and concentrated.

A clean white skeleton appeared in front of Caesar. It grinned and bore its empty eyes straight at him. He studied it from head to toe and told it to pick up one of the dropped swords. It complied.

Skeleton: Mundane

Level 0

Ability: None

Strength: 4

Agility: 6

Endurance: 5

Magic: 3

Willpower: 2

Spirit: 2

Pathetic. But Caesar kept it, undeterred. He believed a proper weapon would help it work wonders if it could mimic some of his instructions. He also wondered if it could equip artifacts. His mind strayed a little, thinking of the possibilities, but came to when Max headbutted him. They continued their journey across the dungeon, killing a few more skeletons and leveling up to three, earning two more stat points which he held in reserve.

One of the defeated skeleton groups held a spear. He gave it to his skeleton and began searching for lone crocodiles to hunt. Near the edge of a lake, a giant crocodile rested in the mud while another swam a few meters away. Caesar had Max pretend to be stuck in the mud and wriggle around. The crocodile opened its eyes, distracted by the noise, and stared for a few minutes before crawling towards the wolf.

Caesar and his skeleton prepared to rush in and held their spears ready. As the crocodile picked up speed, Max growled at it and the two humanoids moved. The crocodile became surprised and enraged, attempting to chomp into the wolf’s flank, but a spear blocked its path. Another spear pierced into its throat afterward, causing it to struggle. It lashed out with its tail, but Caesar dodged and prepared to strike again, aiming at its eyes. With Max holding down its tail and a skeleton impaling its throat, his spear pierced directly into its brain. The group then readied themselves for the next fight.

Giant Crocodile – Rank 0

[Rarity]: Common

Although the other crocodile had noticed them, it left after watching its friend die a miserable death.

Caesar found and slaughtered various pockets of monsters scattered around the swamp. He eventually rose to level four and rested near a bony pillar reaching as high as some of the trees outside the dungeon. Squinting into the distance, he spotted a vague silhouette of another similar white pillar.

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He scrunched his eyebrows in thought but went to tackle a harder challenge instead. Nearby his area stood a small shack made of mud with eerie skulls scattered around. In a field dungeon, places like these indicated a stronger enemy than usual - a miniboss. He sent in his skeleton first to scout the area. If it died, no matter. He had secured another.

Skeleton One walked inside the shack and a shrapnel blast immediately tore it apart. Caesar felt the core shatter in his mind and frowned. Not even a second? He summoned his second skeleton and prepared to fight.

Skeleton Mage – Rank 1

[Rarity]: Uncommon

Caesar became wary. The problem with Awakened enemies at each rank was that nobody really knew what power or facet they had awoken until they used it. While Awakened enemies of the same type usually shared the same pool of powers, his parents had told him about notable exceptions in history who tore apart entire groups of adventurer teams and gave whole cities nightmares for years. But for the survivors, incidents like that could be worth it when the enemy lay dead and the search for catalysts began. He experienced mixed feelings when confronted with the possibility of the same situation.

The skeleton mage hobbled out with a glowing wooden staff in its hands. A pulsating brown orb hovered above its head, which it sent soaring once it spotted him. Midway through the air, it exploded and spat earthen shrapnel, from which he rolled away. Brown energies flowed from the earth and around its staff as it prepared to cast the spell again, but Max rushed in and tackled the mage.

Caesar rammed his spear into its eye and grappled with the staff. He backed off after tearing it away. His two summons attacked it without pause, giving it no chance to concentrate on its spell and forcing it to defend with its hands. It did not succeed.

[Notice]: Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 5! +2 Free Stat Points

Caesar’s satisfaction filled him with glee as he thought of ways to distribute his ten free stat points. Currently, each stat was capped at twenty points maximum, due to his current ability rank. He wanted to consult his teacher for advice. If that didn’t go as planned, he’d wait until he had access to something special, like a magic spell, to know what to focus his stats on.

The hut contained a rank one Uncommon Mana Potion, enough to restore one hundred mana over ten seconds. He kept it in a different pouch.

On his way back, he noticed a hole in the ground and thought it a convenience to strive for more experience. Jumping down three caves, Caesar continued with confidence bordering on arrogance. But he never thanked himself more for his silent gait when he heard sounds of rough, rapid combat in the final hole down. Glimpses of yellow light flashed, and blond hair flitted on scaled skin.

He figured he should leave.

Recalling his monsters and exiting the dungeon, Caesar noted that the skeleton did keep the spear in his crown. He recorded possible routes to the dungeon along the way and waited for a carriage. Exploring the dungeon was a must. While he didn’t manage to find any useful materials, the new summon types represented great opportunities for him.

When he arrived home, the cool dusk wrapped him in calmness. Closing his eyes at his balcony, he basked in the air and let his mind go blank. Tomorrow would be graduation day for school, where his teacher would offer to answer questions for the Awakened. However, he didn’t have a good excuse as to how he got his ability.

He returned to his bedroom where a glass enclosure lay in the corner of the room, on a small desk. This memento from his parents contained insects, worms, and plants of different types found in the vicinity. Having raised these from childhood, it stuck with him from when his parents left at ten years old. For some reason, whatever life he put in had no desire to fly out. The box itself is not enchanted, so is it my parent's ability? They had never told him much – not their abilities, nor their ranks. All he knew was that they had migrated into this region from some other place.

For hours, he watched his beetles pick apart the leaves he’d gathered from his trip.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted his stupor. Opening it, Caesar faced a pair of amber eyes. Long black hair hung loosely behind her shoulders. His only friend, Mary, glowered at every inch of his body, especially near his torso and upper arms. Her gaze flickered to his spear and back to his eyes.

“Where were you last night?”

Caesar didn’t how to respond. He opened his mouth to speak, but Mary beat him to it.

“You know you don’t have to try so hard right? University admissions have already passed. Just wait for next year.” She pulled out a glimmering, azure vial and handed it to him. “Here. I got my parents to get me an Awakening Potion.”

“Thank you.” Caesar felt a bit awkward. He scratched his hair a bit, then pocketed the vial. “So… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

She shook her head. “Let me heal you first.” White light glowed around her hands as she cast a healing spell. “There.” She smiled and turned to leave. “I’ll come again to visit soon.”

Caesar glanced at the gift in his hand.

[Item]: Awakening Potion – Rank 1

[Rarity]: Rare

[Effects]: A catalyst for rank 0 individuals.

Wonderful. Really, thank you, Mary. He couldn’t help himself but grin. Awakening Potions at the Common rarity granted F to D tier powers. Uncommon rarity allowed up to B tier abilities. Thus, this potion was truly priceless – only reserved for the wealthy. A glint shone in his eye, then faded. Mundane rarity meant none of his summons could awaken abilities. Tomorrow, he could choose from the crocodile or skeleton warrior, but he’d rather pick a skeleton mage if he had another chance.

Although he expected to never lose Max and wanted to keep his first summon forever as a keepsake of his early days, he knew he needed something better if he wanted to challenge the boss of the dungeon. But it’d also have to align with his other skill, since he needed to use Dominate as a disguise. The ability his summons received would have to remain a trump card.

Caesar associated Essence Crown with the fruit he ate, expecting his parents’ pursuers to come for him next if they received word about him. Thus, Dominate served as a good cover for it.

What should I choose tomorrow?