Rin watched the Dirt Stomper enter the cavern from his safe spot on the wall. He activated Identify, having a hunch he wanted to test.

Dungeon Boss: Level 35 Dirt Stomper (Earth Type)

Elite and boss monsters cannot be charmed until first defeated in battle.

Charming requirements not met.

I knew it! It didn’t say it was a dungeon boss the first time I met it!

The monster only displayed its boss title—and the accompanying charming requirements—when inside the dungeon. That meant either the Dirt Stomper was charmable outside the dungeon, where it was no longer considered the dungeon boss. Or it was not charmable in that scenario, and the Game of the Gods simply didn’t say so.

Either way, my trap is set. I have to give this a shot.

The Dirt Stomper approached the edge of the hole with evident curiosity. That was Rin’s cue to spring into action, swooping to the ground as the undead raven. When he was ten feet away, still barreling through the air, he transformed into a level 19 Dirt Ball, the strongest version of the monster he’d conquered.

The oversized ant was oblivious to his approach, and he smashed into its rear, a direct hit that sent it tumbling into the slippery pit below. The dungeon boss spun about, desperately clawing for purchase on the slick walls. But its clod-like feet weren’t built for clawing, and it failed miserably, sliding to the very bottom of the pit. Here, the scales of the thorn fish activated, inflicting water damage against the beast as it thrashed about in the pool.

Unfortunately, though the damage was the monster’s precise counter type, it was a relatively weak effect and only served to enrage the beast further. Once the boss gathered its bearings, it gathered dense clods of soil around each foot and methodically stomped its way up the side of the pit. It overcame the slope’s slipperiness by sheer brute force, slamming each foot through the cloak material into the earth beneath.

Rin took off in his raven shape, firing the Death Ray repeatedly at the ant’s head. He aimed to eventually penetrate its compacted dirt exoskeleton and give it a killing blow to the brain.

He made serious progress and was about to break through when he was forced to veer aside, dodging a dirt boulder lobbed by the monster.

The boss had climbed free of the pit.

I’m back at square one again. Time for something drastic.

Rin dismissed the enormous slippery cloak and imagined his wings covered in pure steel with a knife-like blade extending from their front edges. He dove at the monster, swerving at the last moment to strike its right foreleg. To his surprise, the wing blade sliced straight through and the ant shrieked in pain, tumbling to one side as its limb dissolved into a pile of soil.

That simple but bold act was the turning point in the fight. The monster was so distracted by its pain that it affected its aim. Rin dodged its projectiles with ease as he circled the beast, peppering it with Death Ray attacks. When the ant paused to nurse its limb, he saw his chance and swooped down, taking out another leg on the other side.

When the creature’s carapace finally yielded to the Death Ray, Rin turned into a Dirt Ball and conjured his Leg Spikes outfit beneath him. The attack drove a steel spike through the boss’s head, staking it to the ground

The thing shuddered and stilled.

Dungeon boss defeated

Ugh, finally. I’m so glad that’s over.

Rin turned human, naming his new memorable outfits Slippy Cloak and Wing Blades.

Without warning, an acute headache pounded behind his eyes. Pressure swelled within his sinuses until he groaned, clutching his face in agony. His feet rose from the ground, levitating as swirling blue lights whizzed about his head. To top it off, a massive plume of mana essence rushed into his body.

Just as he felt he would pop, a cloud of blue smoke exploded around him. The essence dissipated along with all traces of his headache.

Craven’s Transmutation has evolved to Grade E.

Evolved ability: Partial Transmutation unlocked.

You may now isolate your transmutation to specific parts of your body. Cost of Transmutation varies depending on total percentage changed. Cost of Full Transmutation lowered to 5 MP.

Rin was thrilled. He’d long ignored the annoying notifications insisting his ‘Transmutation had improved by a negligible amount.’ It appeared the incremental improvements had finally added up and tipped the balance.

Sometimes it took years for a magical ability to evolve to the next grade, especially if you never used it in dangerous situations. The Game of the Gods rewarded risk, and the fastest route to improving an ability was to heavily lean on it during a battle where you courted death. Technically, Rin’s human form was still stuck at level 6. In a very real sense, every battle was one where he courted death. His two fights with the Dirt Stomper were a perfect example. He’d been a single mistake away from changing into the wrong creature and being stomped into oblivion. And as a reward, he now had two evolved abilities—a rare gift indeed.

Now that I’m getting the hang of it, this Cursed class is pretty amazing.

Rin held out his right fist and activated Transmutation while focusing on limiting the effect. The ability obeyed his wishes flawlessly, changing his fist into one of the trademark earthen clods used by the Dirt Stomper. With a slam, he cratered his arm into the floor, showering the area with grit. The noise was impressive, but the effect was more bark than bite. The ability’s power was greatly diminished in human form, far weaker than what the native Dirt Stomper had displayed during their battle.

Maybe because I’m only partially transformed? This … isn’t as good as I thought.

His once eager expression drooped into disappointment. Partial Transmutation seemed like a fun trick, but he questioned its usefulness. The best thing he could say about it was that the ability had a low MP cost. But his human form was so weak that he avoided it at all costs during combat. One well-timed hit would put him permanently out of commission. This Partial Transmutation ability was impressive to look at, but it wouldn’t change how he fought his battles. It was simply too dangerous.

So what is it for? Craven’s abilities are never useless. They only look that way.

He concentrated on his feet and discovered he could transform them into earthen clods like his fist. However, he soon discovered he could only utilize elements from one monster at a time. He couldn’t mix and match the limbs of different monsters simultaneously.

So that leaves me with … well, what exactly?

It was a strange ability and one he continued to ponder as he equipped his Monster Pack. He was about to continue experimenting when a trail of swirling essence caught his attention. It swept into the center of the chamber to form a glittering dungeon flower. Rin trudged over and mechanically tossed it down his gullet.

The Mountain’s Footstool: 19/20 flowers acquired

Dammit, one flower left. I should have guessed. And I bet it’s in some secret place only the Dirt Stomper can unlock. That’s just the kind of thing Craven would do.

He wasted no time transforming into the level 35 Dirt Stomper. The monster gave few magical boosts, but several physical ones. At a strength of 78, it was officially his strongest creature and nothing else came close to its eyepopping stamina of 114.

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Good thing I didn’t try to outlast this thing in a battle of attrition.

Rin Cartwright

Level 35 Dirt Stomper (Earth Type) [CURSED] Level 6 Potato Farmer

Attributes:

Strength: 78 (+65)

Dexterity: 37 (+32)

Perception: 36 (+21)

Stamina: 114 (+99)

Toughness: 70 (+62)

Current HP: 700/700

Recovery: 65 HP/min (+35)

Magic: 22 (+12)

Current MP: 213/220

Absorption: 13 MP/min (+8)

Charisma: 49

Inherited Abilities:

Pound: Grade E

Harden: Grade E

When Rin saw the two grade E abilities, his heart skipped a beat.

Harden? No wonder the death ray took so long to break through!

It was a critical piece of information that explained many of his challenges against the monster. In hindsight, he should have figured it out sooner, and he mentally kicked himself for taking so long.

The next time an attack isn’t working, I need to switch it up with something else right away.

He began a meticulous pounding sequence around every square foot of the cavern, starting from one wall and working backward in straight rows. It wasn’t long before he noticed one section was noticeably firmer, resounding with a deeper thud. Transmuting into the level 25 Dungeon Digger, he plowed a hole straight down to find an underlying stone floor a dozen feet down. At the precise spot beneath him was a secret stone lid, inset and laying flush with the floor. In typical Craven fashion, the only way he could have possibly found the secret was by employing the boss’s trademark stomping ability.

His oversized mole claws peeled the stone lid away and tossed it aside, revealing the last dungeon flower. He ate it without even bothering to transform. Reversing out of the hole he’d made, he spied the dungeon chest already waiting for him near the cavern’s exit.

Secret Treasure Chest

Second Timer Bonus: Despite the long history of this dungeon, you are only the second person to discover this chest. Rarity upgraded 1x.

Epic => Legendary

Choose a type of treasure:

Ability

Artifact

Consumable

“I’d like Craven to choose on my behalf,” Rin said aloud. When nothing happened, he spoke louder, making his intentions crystal clear. “I defer my choice to Craven. You can skip the countdown. I’m not going to choose.”

The only sign that the Game of the Gods understood him was a blue cloud of mana essence coalescing into the shape of an elderly man.

“Hello there, my boy,” said Craven, smiling agreeably. He acted as if appearing in a cloud of blue smoke was the most natural thing in the world. The god was sitting in the same wingback chair, the same long thin pipe in his right hand. The book in his left hand, however, was different, with an indigo cover this time. ‘Mackie’s Monster Ailments’ was titled in bold white lettering on the front. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. You’re doing quite well by my estimation. Don’t you agree?”

Rin shuffled his feet, unsure of what reaction was appropriate when receiving praise from a god. “I found that last fight quite challenging, Mister Craven, ah, sir.”

“But well within your capabilities, hmm? You can’t expect to one-shot every monster now, can you? That would be immensely boring.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about my weaknesses, sir. You see, I have two assassins after me.”

“Only two, eh?” He appeared genuinely concerned, but for entirely the wrong reasons. “That does seem low. I had thousands in my day. A strange request, but well within my capabilities. Would a hundred be sufficient? I may have to bend some rules about interfering with the lives of humans—”

“NO! No, uh, mister godliness. I don’t want more assassins. And what do you mean, in your day?”

“There was a time when I dabbled as an adventurer, exploring dungeons, making friends, and even more enemies. Hence, the assassins. I had buckets of them following me around. I was particularly fond of their attempts to poison my food and the impromptu fights in dark alleyways.” He waggled his eyebrows and chuckled. “It certainly made life interesting.”

Rin blinked. “I don’t think I can handle the two I already have. I need a way to fight them, you see. I can’t use Transmutation at all.”

The god paused with confusion evident on his face. “Why not?”

Now it was Rin’s turn to be confused, and he shrank back, staring sheepishly at the floor. “W-well, it explains right there in the description. The rules say Transmutation can’t be observed … c-can it?”

The god playfully bonked Rin on the head with his book. “My boy, rules don’t apply to the likes of you and me! Have you learned nothing?” He pointed with his forefinger at the pupil of his eye. “How does the word ‘observed’ apply to someone without eyes?”

“I-I don’t understand.”

“Poke their damn eyes out! It’s easy.”

It took several seconds for Rin to understand the man was serious.

“One of them is very fast.”

“Fine, use a smoke bomb then. Or throw sand in their face. Create a distraction. Hide behind a damn tree if you have to. Get creative, lad! There are many interpretations of the word ‘observe.’ You must discover which ones suffer the clever little loopholes allowing you to survive and thrive!”

“Oh … kay. Yes, I can do that.”

Craven beamed, delighted that his infinite wisdom was being absorbed. “You understand it’s only the act of transmuting that is blocked? Once the change is complete and you’re a monster, there’s no issue with being observed.”

“I pieced some of that together, but it’s nice to hear you say it out loud.”

“Excellent.” The god paused, and his smile grew weak. When the silence drew longer into awkward territory, his eyes wandered as if he was forgetting something. He appeared clueless as to what to say next. For all his godly powers, his skill at carrying a conversation was all too mortal. “Anything else you need?”

“Yes! A storage ring. I keep losing all my stuff when I transform. It’s a huge pain having to constantly lug it around with me.”

The god held up his forefinger and raised his eyebrows. “Ah, but you’ve dealt with it very creatively, from what I’ve seen. Your clothes ability is coming in clutch, is it not?” He was clearly pleased with himself, his eyes twinkling.

“Y-yes, I’m very thankful, Craven, sir. But it still causes problems—”

“Good, good,” said the god, curbing Rin’s complaints with a warm smile and a gentle pat on the arm. “If you don’t mind me saying so, what you need is a good companion. It’s no fun to adventure alone. And you’re neglecting the mana weave those tailors showed you. There’s a wealth of untapped power there with your wardrobe ability. If you would only put in the effort to use it!”

“I know, I know, I’ve tried. But my weaves don’t stay together. They fall apart at the slightest sign of stress!”

Craven tapped his finger against his temple. “Visualization and patience. That’s the key, my boy! That clever tailor showed you the technique, didn’t he? You must picture the weave firmly in your mind, project it into the material, and most importantly, wait for it to absorb. Not the best ability to employ in the middle of a fight, I’ll grant you, but don’t forget about your Memorable Outfits ability. I wonder how that could be utilizied with an outfit already chock full of mana weaves, eh? I wonder? And I predict the very next monster you charm will aid your efforts considerably.”

The god actually winked at him as he rose to his feet and stretched. “Well, I suppose that’s it, then. My work here is done. I’ll be off.”

“Wait! You never gave me a reward!”

The god frowned. “Is not my mere presence enough? Besides the fact I’ve given you several priceless nuggets to ruminate on with your tiny mortal brain. How many gods have you entertained before, my boy? I’m not at your every beck and call! No, I shall be off. I have so many important things to do.” He held out the fingers on one hand, examining his nails and picking at a cuticle. “Worlds to conquer, dynasties to topple. That sort of thing.”

With a sharp snap of his fingers, Craven vanished, leaving behind a brief silhouette of mana essence that faded into obscurity.

Rin slumped.

I can’t believe he didn’t give me anything! I should have just picked for myself when I opened that stupid chest!

It was then that he spotted a tiny black potion bottle, no bigger than his thumb, resting in the precise spot where Craven had stood. A note was tied around its neck.

Only joking. Drink this somewhere safe.

“Sly dog,” said Rin, his mood lifting. He could almost hear the god cackling in the shadows.

The vial felt unremarkable in his grasp, and its appearance was underwhelming. Knowing Craven, it was likely packed with magic and supremely powerful. A quick Identify proved entirely useless.

???

Question marks? That’s all?

It was just the kind of trick Rin had come to expect from the god. The bottle went into his pocket, and a glance at his Charisma revealed it had reached 50.

I should be able to tame that level 49 Shadow Weaver at the temple now! And it has ‘weave’ in the name, too. I bet it’s the monster Craven was talking about!

The boy transformed into the Scout of the Undead, swept up his Monster Pack, and exited the dungeon.

Craven said to drink the potion somewhere safe. I know just the place.