The jungle here was noisy I took this as a good sign as usually when things were quiet in a place as alive as this it meant there was a predator that everything was afraid of. Stalking forward along the game trail was fairly easy and while I wasn’t jumpy I was on edge. Everything here is new to me. Everything might be dangerous so I pinged my identify off of almost everything. I was rewarded with some information on how the ecosystem here worked and some herbs that may prove to be useful later as they were described as having minor healing properties and were a main ingredient in a sort of healing paste. I also found a carnivorous fruit tree that I ended up giving a wide berth due to it’s description and the many bodies hanging from it’s branches.

Target identified – Elder Eskreshia Ent – Level ?? – The Eskreshia Ent is one of the more solitary Ent species known for its fruits that can be used in many an alchemy recipe however when eaten raw while providing many benefits there is a chance that you become a thrall of the Eskreshia Ent. Elders are Ents who have permanently rooted to one spot in exchange for more potent fruit typically only found in prey rich environments.

I did however mark it’s location in my mind as it sounded valuable if I could manage to kill the thing but I had more important things to worry about. Not to mention all of the bodies hanging from its limbs identified as Eskreshia thralls ranging from levels 3 to unknown. The highest I could identify was level 12 but after identifying as many as I could I received a notification.

Identify ranks up to rank 2 – Identify 2 can now identify up level + 11 may receive more information on targets weaker than yourself.

Knowing how identify leveled was nice but currently inconsequential. I kept following the game trail as it wove between trees. After another ten minutes of walking the slightly sloped path I could hear what sounded like a waterfall. I continued to push towards the noise and found a large pond that was filled by a waterfall about six meters high. The pond had a small flow out of it going towards the opposite side of the island. I stopped at the tree line and crouched to inspect the area before moving in to the open and was glad I did. Three meters or so away from me along the bank was a large lizard that looked to be some sort of monitor drinking water.

Target identified – Unklio Tree Monitor – Level 5 – Unklio tree monitors are large arboreal lizards known for dropping down on their prey and using their weight to pin them while they bite down and hold.

It was higher level than me but it was primarily arboreal and it’s main hunting tactic was dropping down on it’s prey. Here on the ground where I could sneak up on it I figured I could take it out pretty easily. I tucked behind a tree and drew the arrow to my cheek and focused. I could feel something almost like a click in my mind allowing my to engage called shot if I wanted to so I did. Immediately mana drained away and my vision zoomed in and the arrow started to hum ever so slightly with energy. I targeted just behind the front leg where I could see a gap in the ribs and released. As soon as I released I was drawing the arrow in my hand to the string and pulled back and released a follow up shot at the same spot not bothering to trigger called shot. The notifications for critical hits and called shot activating popped in the bottom of my vision seen but ignored waiting to see the reaction of the monitor but there was none. It slumped to the ground dead two arrows piercing its heart.

Enemy defeated. For defeating an enemy above your own level a small amount of bonus experience is awarded 550 experience gained.

Shade Stalker level up x2 2 free stat gained 2 Dexterity gained 2 Celerity gained

Called shot ranks up to rank 3 – Called shot 2 has increased accuracy – Called shot 3 damage multiplier from x2 to x2.5

Marksman ranks up to rank 3 – marksman 2&3 increased accuracy

I applied the two free points to perception to get it to twenty since I knew dexterity would get points whenever I leveled up. I walked up to the monitor and pulled out one of my arrows the other was broken beyond hope. As I pulled it out I received a notification that I didn’t get for the crab I had killed.

Would you like to loot this creature? Yes/No

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I chose yes and the creature turned to dust that blew away in the wind and I received a new notification.

Looted 5x monitor arrows

Looted Unklio tree monitor bounty card

The arrows went straight into my quiver and I was pretty impressed by them. They were quality arrows but the heads were made of five centimeter long thin serrated teeth that looked like they would cause a fair bit more damage than the initial ones I received. The bounty card was interesting a thin semi-transparent sheet of a paper that stated it was a unique lootable item that could only be gotten by assassin, hunter, and bounty based classes. It would keep a count of the number that thing that I killed or if it was a unique creature would just count as a proof of kill. I could present this to any system terminal and it would pay out the correct bounty and possibly extra experience. If there was a specific item to be looted from the bounty the bounty card would hold it in a dimensional space so that it didn’t take up space for the hunter. It looked like these monitors had a bounty for up to twenty of them as they were considered a delicacy meat for some city on the other side of the planet. It also had a warning that getting to the Unklio island chain was dangerous as the deeper water surrounding it are inhabited by leviathan class monsters and the Unklio islands are uninhabited. This was both excellent news and not so good news in one. Looks like I could live here without having to deal with others for the time being but if I decided to leave I would need to be much stronger than I am now or to find a new way to leave. I also learned that this planet was considered a wildlife preserve for the most part and that the tech level couldn’t exceed a certain point without severe system penalties.

Now that I was safe from predators for the moment I moved forward to the water and took a tentative sip. It tasted clean, crisp, and quite cold. A shiver went down my spine and a glimmer deeper in the water caught my eye. Mostly covered in a white sand was a silver chain leading towards the waterfall and seemed to go under it. Curious since the bounty message stated that this island chain was uninhabited I tossed the quiver and bow into my dimensional bag and dove in. Expecting the cold helped me not lose my breath during the dive but it was quite refreshing. At the two and a half meter mark I reached the chain. Grabbing onto it I pulled myself away from the waterfall first and found that under about ten centimeters of sand was an anchor into the stone it was covered in odd symbols that glowed a slight sky blue. I pushed up to the surface and got another lungful of air and dove back down. Pulling myself along the chain towards the waterfall. The thundering sound and pressure of the waterfall grew and beat down on me as I got closer to it. As I pulled myself further under the waterfall the chain started to glow slightly and I tried to let go but I couldn’t I could only slide myself forward along the chain. I knew I had plenty of breath left so I pulled further calmly. The pounding began to fade and it started to get darker but I could still see. The pressure mounted higher and higher each pull forward seemed to press on me exponentially but the chain started to angle upward now instead of just forward. Another pull forward and the pressure was no longer just physical but mental and I could feel myself getting low on air my chest tightening and involuntary spasms starting. I continued to pull a weight on my mind building like the fatigue of an hours long fire fight settled on my mind. Heavier and heavier still but I pressed forward. Like a snap I pulled myself onto dry land now in a cave silence hung in the air and dared me to break it. The only thing to be heard was my breathing and heart beat but the pressure was gone.

Trial of the mind passed.

Welcome to the “Hermit’s hide” dungeon.

Title gained for bearing the mental pressure of a sage class being “Steel Mind” permanent +5 to willpower. When title equipped your mind will be harder to assault.

Title gained for diving to the very depths of the seas and living “One with the depths” permanent +10 to might, vision no longer distorted by being under water, you may now breathe underwater. When title equipped you are no longer seen as an outsider in the depths and some may see you more favorably.

I took a moment to regain my breath and swapped my active title out to “Steel mind” as I wasn’t currently in the depths and protecting my mind seemed pertinent. Looking around finally I was able to see that I was in a small antechamber with a smooth stone floor but the walls were decorated in a mosaic depicting a being surrounded by sea creatures all seeming to hold it in reverence on one wall and the other a mosaic of the same being leaving the sea onto an island alone. On the far side was an ornately carved door with a system prompt in front.

This is a trial dungeon that may only be completed once. The insides are not representative of the actual space. Upon completion the dungeon will swap ownership to whoever completed it as the previous owner has died also upon completion the dungeon will revert to it’s actual shape and size. Would you like to attempt the trials of ownership? Yes/No Trials completed 1 of 4.