Ryou had forgotten just how much his mother gave him admonition mixed with moral lessons. In past life, her torrent of advice always left him feeling annoyed and frustrated, as her well-intentioned guidance seemed incapable of alleviating their challenging circumstances. However, this time, he chose to listen attentively, perceiving her words like gentle whispers from benevolent angels that caressed his ears even though it was against his ideas.
“Rem-kun, dear, spending wisely is crucial. While this game might be profitable now, we must consider the future. Gaming can be unpredictable; what if your earnings decrease or stop altogether? Your oka-san is just sharing practical advice. Remi, darling, share your thoughts with Ryou.” She turned to Remi who was eating sushi and glared as she nodded to say something to Ryou.
Remi unwittingly stopped eating and said, "Hey, Ryou-chan, chill out a bit. I'm good for now, and splurging on a fancy hospital isn't necessary. I'm rocking good health, and you've got plenty of time to stack up more cash. We'll upgrade to the deluxe hospital later, alright?. Mom's got a point. So, let's keep it light and let me enjoy this sushi for now, okay?" Remi flashed a smug smile, pleased with her words.
Ryou sighed. "Alright, you two win." However, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat signalling his reluctance.
After bringing his mother together for a meal, he had spent the first ten minutes persistently trying to argue his case, emphasizing how he had ample funds to provide a better hospital for his sister. But as he finally gave in, he begrudgingly picked up his chopsticks, shifting his focus to the food on his plate.
Ryou's gaze lingered on his sister, reminiscing about the successful shift from the ICU to a more comfortable private room, a battle he had won before. However, this time, He concede defeat in the debate about a grander hospital and decided to channel his funds elsewhere for now. As he continued to eat in thoughtful silence, his mind began to weave plans for securing something better in a different aspect of their lives.
...
As the cold January air nipped at their noses, Ryou escorted his mother to the waiting car after a satisfying meal and warm conversation. Once she was safely on her way, he stepped into the gliding path and entered a Gliding Cube, the rich marvel of transport.
Inside the spacious cube, Ryou couldn't help but chuckle, "She'd probably have a fit if she knew about this," he thought, gliding smoothly through the cityscape. However, maybe he was still poor like her mother said, as he couldn't afford a relatively cheapest 1 million yen gaming capsule yet as he still needed to go to a gaming cafe to play the game.
“...”
As Ryou logged into New World, he found himself in the familiar dark alley, a secluded spot he favored for logging out. Wandering through the Blue Burn Town, his first stop was the bustling flea market, where he eagerly purchased a couple of skill books to enhance his Npc's abilities.
Next, he reached the imposing Alchemy Association. The grandiose structure stood tall, adorned with intricate symbols befitting an alchemical haven. Standing outside the Alchemy Association's courtyard he patiently waited for Elsa who was currently making Stamina and Lesser heal potions on his instructions.
Hours had passed since the auction's orchestration concluded, and Ryou got himself 1.8 golds richer. However, the success of the Auction was somewhat overshadowed by a post-event inquiry with Elsa. In their conversation, Elsa divulged Sora's word, recounting how Sora had lied about Aoi being Ryou's estranged girlfriend.
Despite the deception, Ryou remained unfazed. Having known Sora's knack for weaving intricate lies from his past experiences, rather than anger, he praises Elsa for thinking about him. However, he did emphasize to be cautious of her in the future.
After a brief wait, Ryou spotted Elsa emerging from the Alchemy building, draped in a black hooded cloak. Despite the concealment, her presence turned heads from the crowds, a captivating allure even beneath the dark fabric. The hood served as a disguise, masking her face and also the symbol above anyone's head.
As Elsa approached, a faint aroma of lingering alchemical scents surrounded her. Without uttering a word, Ryou merely nodded, signaling for Elsa to follow. With a silent understanding, they strolled away from the town gates.
“...”
4 hours later.
As Ryou and Elsa traversed through the landscape, their journey took them through the Blue Burn Forest, gentle uphills, dark valleys, a vast lake that mirrored the blue sky and finally their path led them to the imposing Black Mountain. In front of the mountain, a cave yawned open, mysterious and foreboding.
“We are here,” Declared Ryou as he gulped down some water.
Elsa's gaze lingered on the ominous darkness within the cave, a furrow appearing on her brow. "Young master, is this a level 10 dungeon? Seems a bit high level, doesn't it? Are you sure we're prepared for what might be lurking inside?" Elsa voiced her concern, a hint of worry in her eyes as she contemplated the perilous danger in the dungeon.
Elsa was level 3, and Ryou was currently level 5. Challenging monsters two levels higher usually requires a 6-man party and this place seems extremely more dangerous, she can't fathom why they were here.
Relax, Miss Elsa. We won't delve deep into the dungeon to conquer it. We're just here to grind a few levels," Ryou reassured with a calm demeanor.
Seeing Ryou's relaxed smile, Elsa flashed a smile and nodded with an ‘ohh’ in understanding.
Ryou walked close to the dungeon and suddenly there was a system proclamation.
System: You are near the Black Mountain Dungeon. Do you wish to enter
[Y/N]
After clicking Yes there was also an option to choose the difficulty level which Ryou choose to normal, it was ludicrous to even go to this level 10 Dungeon so choosing the hard mode was blind madness.
Elsa and Ryou's forms dissolved into transparency, and got transported to a dark forest with haunting beauty, where skeletal trees stretched towards a desolate sky, their gnarled branches etched against a backdrop of ghostly moonlight.
“This place is stifling to breathe, young master” Elsa, sensitive to the subtle nuances of the surroundings, voiced her discomfort, her words a delicate echo amidst the stillness.
Ryou, however, remained stoic, his focus undeterred by the scent of decay that clung to the very fabric of the forest. Nymphs or half-nymphs like Elsa, beings of nature's vibrant embrace creatures, would find this wasteland a stark contrast to their natural inclinations
The terrain beneath their feet crunched, the ground scoured and barren, a testament to the desolation that gripped this dungeon enclave.
Ryou began, as he moved forward “Like we previously planned, Miss Elsa would stay behind me while supporting me with your buff skills”
"Forgive my interruption, young master Rem," Elsa calmly interjected Ryou’s words halfway. "May I remind you to pay the customary ransom owed to the system for my services as your maid?” She smile like she remembered something and said, “If I advance in levels, it would naturally necessitate an increase in compensation on your part, isn't it not?".
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Ahh, nearly forgot from excitement,” He nodded as he summon the golden contract from inside his body.
As he scrutinized the price, he rubbed his eyes with his index and thumb fingers. Yet, when he looked again, the figure remained the same, so he rubbed the scroll this time where it wrote "40 Silver” but it remained unyieldingly the same.
His eyes drooping, he turned to Elsa and said, “Miss Elsa, are you a Gold digger?”
A delicate flush graced Elsa's cheeks as she uttered, "Young master, you're being unkind. Maybe my status as a mere 3-star Beginner in Alchemy has led the system to perceive me as a more costly asset?" Abruptly, a soft whimper escaped her, and she vulnerably inquired, "Are you casting me aside, young master?”
Ryou's jaw twitched, in response to her antics, but also because achieving a three-star beginner alchemist within a week was deemed an impossible feat by many. Yet, she had accomplished it in a mere day.
He paid the fees before saying, “The monsters are here, be ready”.
In response to his words, many shadows danced eerily among the twisted forms of the petrified trees, as they came closer, they revealed as the form of many skeletons wielding clubs and swords.
White Bone Skeleton [Common-rank]
Level 8
HP 480
Ryou drew two of his swords from his waist and held both of them in his hand while readying a stance to fight.
Elsa exclaimed, “You look cool, young master,” Before she too, took out her staff, and prepared to cast a spell.
“Now, Elsa” He rushed towards the skeletons after saying that.
Elsa casted buff skills;
[Endow Less Agility]
[Endow Less Vitality]
[Endow Less Defense]
Druids like Elsa were better at buffing players so he had bought these skills earlier so she could channel her Druidic powers to support him.
As the skeletal horde comes nearer, Ryou uses his [Snowy Field]. A frigid aura enveloped the area, and the skeletons within the Aoe suffered a chilling blow, their bony frames taking -16 damages each second, each gust of cold air gnawing away at their spectral existence.
[Shadow Flash].
-12, -12, -13.
[Fast Step]
In a mesmerizing display, Ryou maneuvered with unparalleled swiftness, exploiting the advantage of his heightened agility. The clash of steel against bone echoed through the desolate forest as Ryou, bolstered by Elsa's support and his own strategic prowess, carved through the skeletal ranks with a dance of blades and shadows.
Normal skeletons were an all-rounder in combat, their average attributes posed little challenge to Ryou's with his honed skills and high Agility attributes, however, there were more than hundreds of them, and Ryou had hard time as he tried to dodge while being surrounded from all sides.
Executing a swift backflip, Ryou evaded the encircling skeletal grasp, creating a momentary gap in their relentless advance. Seizing the opportunity, he unleashed a potent [Chop], dealing -21 damage to a converging skeleton and thinning the skeletal rank, although just a one which was a drop in an ocean.
Leveling the field with his diverse skill set, Ryou seamlessly transitioned between techniques. [Chop] and [Shadow Flash], both at level 3, displayed his offensive maneuvers. Meanwhile, the mystical chill of [Snowy Field] at level 2 continued to impede the skeletal horde's advance, creating pockets of advantage within the battlefield.
In a display of nimbleness, Ryou incorporated the recently acquired skills, [Fast Steps] and [Jump], each at level 1. Employing these newfound abilities, he deftly sidestepped incoming skeletons, their attacks mere echoes in the cold air. With a well-timed jump, he gracefully moved from the densely populated area to a more manageable cluster of adversaries, strategically repositioning himself to gain control over the chaotic skirmish.
Ryou shouted, “Miss Elsa, I need some support here”
Responding to Ryou's urgent call, Elsa snapped out of her reverie of looking at the un surreal battle. With swift incantations, she conjured [Vine Marsh].
From the scorched earth, green tendrils of small vines erupted, attempting to ensnare the skeletons, however, the undead, displaying their robust strength, shattered the restraints effortlessly. Elsa's next move was [Wind Gust], but it was akin to a cool breeze brushing over the skeletal forms.
Elsa's skills were still low at the moment, the wind-induced damage was minimal and vines restrained the skeletons only for a mere fraction of a second, however, the slight delay caused by the lingering effects proved advantageous as Ryou, seizing this momentary distraction, skillfully executed another [Jump], leaping out of the densely packed area, offering Ryou the breathing room he desperately needed at the moment.
The multitude of skeletons continued to chase him all over, and Ryou struggled to maintain a sustained assault as he needed to jump again. The sheer number of undead were chipping away at his ability to focus on individual targets and that thwarted his efforts to kill them. Adding salt to the depleted stamina of Ryou was that every momentary respite was met with the frustrating realization that the skeletons' HP regenerated by 1% every 10 seconds.
"Miss Elsa, regenerate my endurance!" Ryou urgently called out, feeling the strain on his stamina from the relentless acrobatics and skill usage.
Responding swiftly to his plea, Elsa cast [Lesser Stamina Regeneration]. The rejuvenating effects of the spell coursed through Ryou, alleviating some fatigue that had accumulated during the intense battle. After using [Snowy Field], he finally found five skeletons that were low HP.
Seizing the opportunity presented by the skeletal adversaries weakened by [Snowy Field], Ryou altered his strategy. Instead of evading, he focused on the five skeletons with dwindling HP, opting to eliminate them directly. Employing [Lesser Heal] on himself, he endured the incoming barrage, determined to secure the advantage.
As the last of the low-HP skeletons crumbled, a fleeting sense of accomplishment gripped Ryou. However, the triumph was short-lived, as he noticed his own HP plummeting dangerously low. With the healing time elapsed and [Jump] on the verge of cooldown, Ryou faced the imminent threat of defeat.
[Lesser Nature Rejuvenate]
The healing spells from Elsa acted as a crucial lifeline, affording Ryou the precious moments needed to execute another evasive maneuver—[Jump].
When his buffs had worn down, Elsa promptly cast another set of buffs. The ethereal energies enveloped Ryou once more, enhancing his resilience against the skeletal onslaught.
Elsa was also equipped with some attack skills, but she had refrained from using them at Ryou's explicit instruction, Ryou wanted her to prioritized supporting him and raise the specific buffing skills' proficiency first and focus on attack skills later.
In a relentless ballet of attacks, jumps, and skillful dodges, the arduous battle against the skeletal horde lasted for over an hour. As the final three skeletons stood against him, Ryou unleashed [Shadow Flash], and they vanished into nothingness.
Exhausted, Ryou collapsed on the ground like a puppet that had its strings cut. But he continued scrolling the system panel as he watched the system messages.
_________
System: Level 8 White Skeleton. Level difference of 2. EXP obtained increased by 3 times. Obtained 75 EXP.
.
.
.
System: You level up to level 6. Rewarding 4 attributes.
He also looked at his skills section as well.
System: Skill level up
System: Skill Chop Level up
[Chop] (Rank 1 Basic Skill)
Deal extra 12 additional physical damage
Skill Level: 4 (Proficiency 9%)
Cooldown: 3 seconds
[Shadow Flash] (Rank 1 Basic Skill)
Send out 3 shadow lights. Each dark light causes 12 dark elemental damage to a maximum range of 4 meters. Use 3 mana.
Skill Level: 4 (Proficiency 2%)
Cooldown: 6 seconds
[Snowy Field] (Rank 2 Basic Spell)
In a 3-meter radius around the user, a wintry gust of snow is unleashed, inflicting 16 Ice elemental damage for 5 seconds. Use 8 mana.
Skill Level: 3 (Proficiency 14%)
Cooldown: 12 seconds.
[Jump] (Rank 2 Basic Skill)
Jump within a 8-meter radius with height of 2 metres.
Skill Level: 2 (Proficiency 73%)
Cooldown: 8 seconds.
[Fast step] (Rank 1 Basic Skill)
Increase speed by 14 for 30 seconds
Skill Level: 2 (Proficiency 26%)
Cooldown: 2 minutes.
_______
Skills upper limits were capped at 5, and Ryou understood the necessity of acquiring higher-ranked skills. The constraint of minimal uses for Rank 1 skills was apparent, and for that reason he refrained from purchasing numerous skills for both himself and Elsa, reserving his choices for those with elevated ranks.
Ryou then added all his free attributes on Vitality.
Departing from his usual allocation of free attributes solely to agility, Ryou decided to invest in Vitality this time, as he needed both the increase in HP and endurance for the imminent challenges in this dungeon.
Endurance could bolster stamina and alleviate mental strain from spell casting also, so he adviced Elsa who had reach level 5, to add points to Vitality to increase endurance, and to add some in Agility for swift casting, magical attack was not needed for her at this point but later.
Amidst the brief respite, Ryou and Elsa seized the opportunity to replenish their reserves, drinking potions to restore stamina, mana, and health. However, the tranquility was short-lived as, once again, the eerie sound of skeletal monsters emerging from the spectral depths echoed through the desolate forest. The relentless spawn of undead adversaries charged anew, their spectral forms converging on Ryou and Elsa with undying determination.
Ryou had strategically choose to venture into this dungeon, because it could perpetually spawn undead monsters, but the downside was that, the monsters would not drop any loots. Nevertheless, he didn't come for loots, his main aim was raising their skills and proficiencies and also to level up in the process.
Ryou curled the corner of his lips up while looking at the boney skeletons jogging at them. “Come to daddy” he said
“And Mommy,” added Elsa.