Somewhere in Tutorial Block #108
William narrows his eyes as he listens to the report of one of the idiot nobles still trying to curry favor with him despite the kingdom no longer existing. Something that he can’t understand but won’t complain about since they make for good lackeys.
When the Reset was first announced, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Silvercrest felt broken. His entire identity, wiped away because of a simple change in the System. His childhood, his raising, all the work he put in playing up the damned nobles of the Kingdom, all gone.
He was left a shell.
But he couldn’t just stop. He couldn’t give up, especially not with other nobles with him at the time.
So William tasked himself with a new goal.
To become a King himself, just like his father had done all those years ago.
And when he first saw the Instructor’s daughter on the same island as him, he decided to leave her be, thinking the others in her group would likely die soon enough, with the exception of the other swordswoman amongst them. That after that, the two of them would head over and join his group, eventually finding him.
“You’re telling me my sister joined them?” William slowly asks the idiot in front of him while tapping his finger repeatedly on his sword’s hilt.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Rodrick Lancaster answers with haste. “And she was with her fiancé and Cassandra Dawn as well.” He pauses for a second to grin. “And the three of them also had rare classes!”
William frowns at that before turning around, still tapping his hilt.
They’re becoming a problem. I might have to deal with them myself if I want to rise the same way Father did.
He glances over his shoulder as he asks, not turning away from the jungle, “Their levels?”
“Most of them are currently in their low to mid level twenties, but the Instructor’s daughter and those three are all in their high twenties,” he answers, only to hesitate.
“And the other swordswoman?” William prods, knowing the man’s history with the girl and not caring about it. As long as it doesn’t get in the way of his plans.
“A-Astrid is the highest level amongst them, being the same level as Cassandra Dawn at level twenty-seven,” Rodrick answers with a short stutter.
William finally turns around at that, his frown growing as he asks, “And my sister?”
“Her Highness is level twenty-six,” Rodrick answers, only to continue after William narrows his eyes, “she is a warlock as well.”
So she got the class this time? She didn’t manage to get it when she became of age to get a class for the first time.
“And the other rare classes amongst the groups?” William asks while scratching his chin and looking across the small base they built on the other side of the island from the group in question as he finds Rodrick’s sister entering past the makeshift walls they’ve set up.
“A-Astrid has the Shadowblade class, the Instructor’s daughter is a Flame Dancer, and the Dawn girl an Arcane Hunter,” Rodrick says, once again stuttering on the girl’s name. “And the Princess’s fiancé is an Iceblade Knight.”
“An Iceblade Knight? And a Shadowblade?” William mutters, not recognizing either of the classes as he turns around and begins walking towards the fire.
This could throw a kink in the plan I had for going forward… but it shouldn’t be a problem. Not as long as I get the other two groups we’ve run into so far to join. And I’m sure my little brother would be perfectly happy attacking that goodie-two-shoes sister of ours, even if he doesn’t support me.
William stops at the fire.
But his support isn’t necessary. Not when I can eliminate him after the fight and blame it on a monster.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
After a few seconds of thinking, William turns to look at Rodrick as he says, “Please explain to me what you saw of their skills. I want to know more. Especially about the Shadowblade and Iceblade Knight classes.”
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Alexia Knight
After lying on the ground for about an hour, my wounds finally heal enough for me to climb to my feet and move over to the boss’s chest in only mild discomfort. Then I touch the chest, making it open on its own before a ring comes out. It is completely black in color with a light purple band going down the center of it.
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Basic Spatial Ring
Description: This spatial ring can hold ten cubic meters of non-living matter and it has been created to perfectly fit the original finder, Alexia Knight, on their index finger.
Stats Bonus: +5 MAG, +5 MEN
Requirements: Must have one elemental affinity beyond D Grade.
Item Tier: 1
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I can work with this. I can very much work with this.
Spatial Rings aren’t a very common thing if you aren’t able to explore dungeons. Although in dungeons themselves they are a rather common item drop in boss rooms like this one.
I quickly slip the thing onto my right index finger before looking around to see if there is an exit to this cavern somewhere. But the only possible exit I can find is another hole that used to be covered in webbing that I remember hearing fall apart after I killed the boss. As if the webbing was attached to the arachnid’s life or something.
Well, looks like I’m taking another nosedive. Even if I didn’t actually fall down headfirst the last time.
I walk over to the hole before pausing at the edge of it and then backing up a little to lie down on the ground.
After I finish healing.
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It takes me another five minutes to fully heal before I feel ready to jump into the hole, following which I do the same thing I did for the last two holes, digging my fingers into the wall as I fall. Something I’m very thankful that I’m actually able to do, because climbing down would take a while.
And I continue falling.
And falling.
And falling.
I frown as my fingers begin to grow tired of the constant jumping and digging them into the wall, but I continue doing it, hoping that the stupid hole won’t last forever.
Eventually I finally see a light from the bottom of the hole, making my frown turn into a smile.
Then I find a giant cavern beneath with sunlight somehow reaching it despite us being in a dungeon and underground. Because dungeon reality magic does what it wants. And what it wants are weird things.
I dig my hand into the wall, not pulling it out this time as I slow my fall to an eventual stop, just barely above the bottom of the tunnel where I look out over the massive cavern. A cavern filled with rocky land with some areas of trees and greenery, along with dozens of random caves scattered about everywhere.
Okay. I don’t think I like this place.
Also, the ground is very far away. Probably somewhere between seventy-five to a hundred meters away.
I continue looking down for a little bit, my grip remaining firm even if I’m growing tired until I eventually decide that I probably shouldn’t just hang around here.
Then I notice a shimmering beneath the tunnel opening, making me reach me feet out to the shimmering to find them landing on something solid.
There we go. A dungeon wouldn’t just make a giant deathtrap like this as the entryway to the next area.
I let myself drop down onto the platform, following which the previously transparent platform suddenly turns fully white. The platform I’m on though is only about two meters by two meters in size, so I don’t exactly feel very comfortable up here.
I kneel down before moving closer to the edge of the platform, finding nothing happening, so I move to a different edge. When I reach this edge, another platform begins to appear as if unhiding itself from sight.
This is going to be a pain.
And as if this isn’t already a pain, the sunlight suddenly vanishes in the cavern, following which I hear flapping wings, making me look down beneath the platforms to find bats flying out of the caves. Vampire bats.
To my relief, most of the bats don’t seem to notice me at all. In fact, none of them notice me except like two, both of which I hit with a couple quantum bolts that has the other bats near them flying away. Something that I learned happened through the few vampire bats in the early parts of this dungeon.
The things hate the light, and even if they hear a sound, if there’s light from the source of the sound like my quantum bolts, they will avoid it at all costs.
I think these things might even be more sensitive to the light than regular bats are.
Well, that’s good at least.
Actually, what level are these things?
I identify the closest one, which is still a couple dozen meters away from me.
{Lesser Vampire Bat – Level 48}
That’s a strong bat.
Considering how just two quantum bolts were enough to kill one, they aren’t too close to being a Class D species. So there’s that at least.
I frown at the creatures before sighing and dropping from my kneel into a crawl to give me a more stable grasp of the platform while still keeping an eye on the bats.
Then I slowly begin to crawl across the platform in order to find more platform.
This might take a while.