Somewhere in Tutorial Block #108
After running into the former crown prince’s team and continuing on around the island as the team goes into the jungle itself, the team fights more monsters all the way till Astrid finally reaches level ten. But right after finishing off the last monster of the most recent group of tigers, she hears Rob shout, “Hey! Look down here!”
Astrid turns her gaze away from both the tiger corpses and the level-up message to find Rob looking down over the edge of the island.
“Get back from there! It’s dangerous!” Shelly shouts, and Alara and Aidan join in shouting at the idiot.
“No, look!” he says while pointing down and glancing at the group. “It’s a dungeon!”
Astrid’s lips part for a second before she runs over to him to find a rather old and decrepit set of stairs on the side of the island leading to a cave. And when her eyes lock onto the purple portal that’s covering the entrance to the cave, she gasps at the sight of a new message.
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Dungeon – Crawling Caverns
Description: This is a basic dungeon located within Tutorial Block #108
Monsters: The Primary monster type in this dungeon are arachnid-type monsters, with the secondary type being insects and common cave dwelling monsters.
Requirements To Enter: Be a part of Tutorial Block #108.
Dungeon Tier: 1
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“He’s right!” Astrid shouts. “It’s a Tier 1 dungeon!”
Astrid hears the others running over to join them. And when they do, Alara mutters, “An unclaimed dungeon… this would be worth an entire life’s savings back in the Kingdom. But it’s probably a relatively common thing here, right?” She finishes this with a glance at Astrid, who nods in agreement.
Almost every single dungeon back before the Reset was already claimed by someone, so they were monopolized heavily. But with this new dimension, and the new dungeons with it…
Astrid shakes her head at the thought as she says, “We’re too low level to deal with it. We should come back when we’re stronger.”
“Or find a different one,” Shelly says with a shiver noticeable to the others. And when they look at her, she explains, “I really don’t like bugs.”
Astrid just continues staring at her, only to shake her head. But she hears Alara mutter, “I… don’t really like them either,” making her head spin around to the girl in shock.
Really? Her too? That’s… really unexpected. Considering how she carries herself.
“I love bugs!” Aidan shouts, but the girls ignore him with only Rob giving him the time of day.
Astrid rolls her eyes as she considers the dungeon.
Dungeons tend to scale in level rather quickly, starting at the bottom of the Tier they’re of and gradually climbing to the highest level of the Tier with a level 100 final boss.
“Well, I guess we could try to go in and see what’s up before leaving again,” Rob suddenly suggests, bringing the other’s attention to him and making him nervous all of the sudden. “I mean, it’s not like we’ll be locked inside, right?”
Astrid purses her lips as she considers his words before turning to look at Alara, only to find the girl shaking her head.
“No,” she eventually says. “Not until we all have classes at least. But I’m not entirely sure the dungeons will work the same here as they did on our old dimension.”
“Why not?” Astrid asks, raising a brow out of interest.
Alara turns to her and answers, “Because the memory suggested that they didn’t in a roundabout way when I asked.”
“Wait a second,” Aidan asks, turning serious again. “You could ask the System Creator’s memory questions?”
Alara nods. And when he turns to look at the others, they do as well.
The man then just groans without another word, proving that he didn’t think to ask him anything.
“If that’s the case, then I’d rather wait until we’re level thirty to even try the dungeon,” Astrid admits, and the others nod their heads before they all begin walking away from the dungeon. But when they reach the center of the path again, Astrid calls out, “Wait. I’m going to get my class now.”
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The others all nod and begin getting comfortable while they wait.
And so Astrid takes a deep breath before opening her status and focusing on the Select Class button.
[Class Selection Process Beginning…]
[Please choose your class from the following options.]
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Magic Knight
Description: You have learned to use various weapons and trained in the art of magic, growing powerful and able to use magic together with your weapons.
Stats Per Level: +1 VIT, +1 DEX, +1 STR, +2 MAG, +1 MEN
Requirements: Have a minimum of Class B in any one elemental affinity. Have the Mana Manipulation General Skill.
Confirm
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Knight
Description: You have learned to use various weapons and trained in the art of enhancement magic, growing powerful and able to use magic together with your weapons.
Stats Per Level: +1 VIT, +1 DEX, +1 STR, +1 MAG, +1 MEN
Requirements: Have a minimum of Class C in any one elemental affinity.
Confirm
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Shadow Assassin
Description: You have learned to use various weapons, have wrought control over shadows, and understand how to attack from the shadows.
Stats Per Level: +2 DEX, +1 STR, +1 MAG, +1 MEN
Requirements: Have a minimum affinity of Class B in the Shadow element.
Confirm
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Class after class after class shows up for Astrid, and right when she’s about to clear them all out and select the Magic Knight class, one last one appears, catching her attention.
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Shadowblade
Description: You have learned to use various weapons and have become one with the shadows.
Stats Per Level: +1 VIT, +1 DEX, +1 STR, +2 MAG, +1 MEN
Requirements: Have a minimum affinity of Class B in the Shadow element. Have the Mana Manipulation General Skill.
Confirm
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The same stats per level as a Magic Knight on a class I’d never heard of before… does that mean there are new classes with the Reset?
Astrid frowns as she looks at it.
Gramps always said that having a class solely for the highest Class affinity you have is better than having a general one… and I only have three affinities, one of which is Class D. So it’s not like I lose anything choosing this over Magic Knight… plus I’m not serving a nation anymore. So being a knight would be…
After a few more seconds of thought, Astrid goes ahead and selects confirm.
[Congratulations, your class is now the rare class, Shadowblade!]
Then she grins when she sees the first skill given to her by the class.
Yeah, I can work with this.
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Alexia Knight
“That’s it, I’m breaking a wall,” I grunt as I finish turning the corner again to find another dead end in the maze. Then I pull my fist back and strike at the wall.
Ow.
I turn around and walk away, letting my fist heal through my soul.
This maze is going to be the death of me.
Possibly literally.
I tried to climb the walls to the top of the maze, but there was some sort of invisible barrier above it that blocked me. And when I tried going to the outside of the maze to climb the walls there, the barrier was still there.
The only bright side of things is that the maze’s corridors are wide enough for me to fight with my glaive without any issues.
Doesn’t change the fact that I’ve run into more dead ends than I care to count already.
I think I’ve run into more dead ends than I’ve seen-
My thoughts cut off when a scuttling sound comes from down the corridor, marking another spider. So I tighten my grip a little on my glaive and raise my other hand to be ready to send off a bolt as I look around, searching for the creature. And soon enough, another two-meter-long spider crawls along the wall while turning a corner and letting out a hiss. But I send a Quantum Bolt at it right away, knocking it down from the wall, only for it to shoot out a sticky webbing from its spinneret to latch onto the wall, flinging it into the wall before grabbing it with its feet.
I’m already used to this by now though and have another bolt on its way to the wall, blasting the spider again and making it continue its fall. And as it falls, I send a third bolt, striking it midair and sending it flying several meters away.
Before it hits the ground, I run up, swinging my glaive in an upwards arc, cutting through the already badly hurt spider, and killing it in an instant.
Then I flick the blood that isn’t blood off and let out a short sigh.
[Level 22 Lesser Arachnid Defeated. User’s earned EXP has been increased a small amount due to killing a being whose level is higher than their own.]
[Four points have been earned for killing a creature three levels above you.]
And that makes ten arachnids slain.
At least the things don’t fight in groups, making them not actually much trouble to fight. Although they’d likely be more trouble if I didn’t have a ranged attack. Since I learned early on that they like trying to wrap their prey up in a cocoon of webbing from all the way up on the wall.
Something that I assume is rather unpleasant and not something I want happening to me. So I just blast them every time I see them.
I stretch a little as I continue retracing my steps a bit before finding the crossroads again and choosing one of the other two remaining paths.
And within five seconds end up finding myself at another dead end.
Fucking maze.