Once Chloe finishes her level increase, I pull her behind a nearby outcropping. There’s a strange brown chest on the ground that looks highly suspicious. On the one hand, with our world looking a lot more like those of video games and the mention of loot during the disclaimer, this could be the treasure we came looking for. On the other hand, I can’t ignore the possibility of more monsters or traps. Or both, considering that ‘monsters that look like treasure chests’ is a phenomenon in a number of games I’ve heard of.
“Are you going to open it?” she asks.
“I will. Stay on your guard though, there may be traps, and I might need a heal or antidote spell if there is.”
“You think it’s a trap, and you’re still going to open it?”
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained. That’s kinda why we’re here in the dungeon in the first place. This is more about taking smart risks and mitigating them whenever possible.”
Chloe sighs. “Go ahead.”
I open the chest, grateful there’s no locking mechanism on it. If there were, I could try to blow open the lock with an [Ether Bullet] fired directly into the keyhole, but that would risk damaging the stuff inside.
What I find is a set of white robes. It’s hard to tell in the low light, but I’m guessing there’s a number of defensive enhancements on them thanks to the power of the System. I take a moment and pull out my magnifying glass, and sure enough, I can confirm the subtle arrangements of glyphs etched into the fabric. I hand them to Chloe.
“You should put these on. They’ve got enchantments woven into them and should protect you better than our regular clothes.”
“Wait, shouldn’t you wear them if that’s the case?” she asks. “You’re the one who’s fighting at close range!”
“Keep your voice down,” I say in a whisper. “We don’t know what else is waiting down here. And yes, ideally, I would be the only one getting into combat. But we got outnumbered by the hellspawn, and that boar moved far faster than I could, and we might have to fight people some day.”
“I don’t want to fight people!” To her credit, she keeps her voice much quieter this time.
“I don’t either. You didn’t see my mother’s body. It was– I’d rather not say more on that.”
“I’m sorry, Sera.”
“The point is, as long as you’re alive and awake, you can heal me from the brink of death, but I can’t do that to you. So it’s more important that you have it.” I don’t mention that her [Vitality] and [Health] are probably lower than mine by a considerable amount, but it factors into my analysis.
She acquiesces and goes into a corner to change, while I stand with my back facing her and keep an eye out for anything unsavory approaches. Nothing does, and after about three minutes, she gives me the okay. She looks exactly like a priest in her robes of purest white, except if the priest in question was a cute brunette and a high school senior instead of a man and an actual senior.
“How does it fit?” I ask.
“Perfectly,” she says. “I think there’s something about this outfit that allows it to stretch or shrink down to the right size for its wearer.”
“That’s convenient, for sure.”
It also means that I can pursue a side job as a [Planetouched Clothier] if I can figure out how those enchantments work. Though, the idea feels a little unfulfilling. I’m curious why the Hellspawn Pitchfork didn’t do something similar. Probably because it was a weapon specifically designed for those lesser hellspawn monsters, rather than existing for the benefit of humans like this armor.
Chloe moves around a bit more to adjust to her new outfit. Once she’s satisfied, we stash away her old clothes, share a few bites of trail mix, and prepare to depart deeper into the dungeon.
The layout of the dungeon, as best I can tell, is roughly helical, not unlike moving down an overly large spiral staircase, though a smooth ramp rather than stairs. In another sign of the artificial nature of this space, there are no rocks, crevices, or other tripping hazards on the floor.
About ten minutes after we leave, the ground shakes. The two of us remain steadfast, seeking shelter against the nearest wall until the quake subsides. When it does, I immediately scout the area, searching for what might have caused it. Seeing nothing, I worry if this is the dungeon changing shape, as the guards had warned us about. Chloe shares a similar concern.
“What do you want to do?” I ask. “Go on, or turn back?”
She hesitates.
“If you want to go back, we absolutely can.”
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“A… A little further. We can turn around after the next fight.”
I’m surprised and relieved at her bravery and determination. We continue on, and not three minutes later, encounter another monster within the depths. This one looks closer to a crocodile, with its huge, snapping jaw, four stubby legs, and the way it lurches about. Its tail is a bit longer and thinner. Not nearly enough to be used as a grappling whip, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it trips its prey with the appendage before rending them asunder.
I get in front of Chloe and ready an [Ether Bullet] in my blowgun as I wait for the creature to notice us. If its skin is as tough as the last enemy’s was, I’m probably not going to deal much damage unless I strike a weak point. The eyes, the face, the underbelly. Those were the weaknesses last time, and I expect the same here. Maybe also the underside of the tail.
It approaches even quicker than the boar did, snapping its jaws so quickly it was like a blur. I fire two [Ether Bullets] in rapid succession, aiming for where its mouth will be the next instant. The first one grazes off its snout, but the second one hits home, chunking its tongue, sending teeth flying, and sending it in a rage. One of the teeth wedges into my shoulder, and as I pull it out, I feel some oily liquid in addition to my blood seeping out.
“Shit! Chloe, I need an antidote as soon as you can ready one!”
I curse my foul luck as I try to grab two more [Ether Bullets]. Already I can feel the numbness setting in. It hasn’t yet affected my ability to move, but my ability to feel what I’m doing with my right hand is compromised. I’m able to fight off the fatigue setting in, but now it’s joined by a queasy sensation in my stomach and throat. The urge to revisit my breakfast grows, only to be stifled when Chloe’s spell relieves my nausea.
Now just as snapping mad, I fire another round of four [Ether Bullets] in rapid succession, trying to knock it over as it charges me. Unfortunately, its center of gravity is too low, and I’m only able to stagger it, not topple it. It snaps down upon me, and I respond by tossing an [Ether Bullet] into its mouth as I sidestep.
This attack proves far more effective than the last. Smoke emerges from its esophagus and the creature is clearly shaken. I grab my [Fire-Forged Bat] and poke it in the right eye, giving Chloe an opportunity to throw another [Ether Bullet] into its throat.
The creature is reeling, but it remains dangerous as it attempts to hurl a sphere of something venomous and probably acidic out of its throat. I push Chloe out of the way of the projectile, though I suffer splash damage on my legs in doing so. And it burns to high hell and back, but I force myself through the pain as I stand up, and in a single blow, slam my fiery weapon through the creature’s remaining eye, silencing it for good.
I shake and tremble and fall back to the ground. Chloe grimaces as she sees how my wounds have turned white and purple from the damage. My health is still falling from the acid splash and the blood loss. My eyelids grow heavy, but I don’t fear for death. We’re… not safe, but as safe as we can be in a dungeon, with no other enemies in pursuit and the creature before us dead. The System notification confirms it, and Chloe’s healing is a breath of fresh air as I rest my head in her lap.
[You have slain a Dark Crocodile (Level 10). You have gained 350 Experience.]
[Unique Trait [Touched by the Multiverse] increases your Experience gain to 525.]
I bemoan if the System can’t just combine those two notifications rather than having to separately display them each time. Strangely enough, considering its general disposition toward me, it agrees to do so without complaint.
[You have gained enough experience to reach Level 8. [Vitality] +1, [Mind] +1. Please allocate stat points (Remaining: 3)]
1 point each to [Strength], [Speed], and [Vitality]. As much as I want to continue to invest my stats in my [Mind] for the long-term benefit of my class, the realities of this dungeon have shown that I need to think about the short-term more than I have been. Chloe’s healing has been a godsend, and the fact that we work together both personally and as a party is great. But I came far too close to dying for either of our comforts, falling to a mere 20 [Health] before finishing off the enemy before us. I’m feeling much better thanks to her spells, but she’s still sniffling and holding back tears from the experience.
[Maximum Health increases by [Vitality] x2 + Current Level + Rand[1, 3] = 69]
[Maximum Ether increases by [Mind] + Current Level + Rand[0, 2] = 38]
[Level: 8; Experience: 1,255; To Next: 285]
[Current Stats: [Health]: 394 / 471 ; [Ether]: 195 / 230]
[Current Stats: [Strength]: 14; [Speed]: 17; [Vitality]: 29; [Mind]: 30]
[Your [Ether Bullet (Rank III)] has upgraded to [Ether Bullet (Rank IV)]]
[You have learned the Class Skill [Trick Shot]. Would you like to take this skill? (Skill Slots remaining: 3/6)]
I take it on the assumption that I can always overwrite the Skill with another one later. I go ahead and check the description, although I can intuit what the skill does just based on its name.
[[Trick Shot]: You have developed increasing skill with manipulating Ether in its rawest form and wielding it as a weapon against your foes. In doing so, you’ve learned how to target weaknesses on both the inside and the outside. This skill improves your efficiency with using [Basic Ether Manipulation] with your [Ether Bullet], allowing you to more easily evade enemy defenses and strike where it’s least expected.]
So, it’s a skill that helps me do what I could have been doing all along but never thought to try. I imagine once I become more skilled with [Basic Ether Manipulation], I’ll be able to do it all without needing the skill, but for now, I’ll gladly use the crutch as I get more familiar with my class’s repertoire.
I try to get up, but Chloe pulls me back into a hug. I advise that we should start heading back to the surface, and preferably sooner rather than later. She asks if I am upset. I’m not. Frustrated in my own weakness and how I wasn’t able to defend her as well as I would have liked. Okay, yes, I might be a little upset, but only at myself. Not at Chloe in the slightest.
The [Dark Crocodile’s] body fades away, leaving behind another treasure chest identical to the previous one. I approach slowly, keeping awareness of my surroundings as I do. My entire body tenses, still expecting a monster to spring out. Instead, I open it to find a leather breastplate and what appears to be the hilt of a sword, sans any blade. I’d like to examine it further, as I’m sure the enchantments contained within are going to be invaluable as I attempt to enhance my class further.
But that’s for later. Chloe helps me equip the armor, increasing my defense from 29 to 39 in the process. I store the hilt in my backpack— far away from the rest of my [Ether Bullets]— and the two of us turn around and start heading back to the surface.