The morning sun shone brightly over Silvermere as Alaric strode confidently into the adventurer's guild. His bag bulged with slime cores, mana crystals, and bottles of essence he had painstakingly collected from the Slimedepth Cavern over the past two weeks.
"Back again, Alaric?" the guild merchant, an older man named Garrick, greeted him with a toothy grin. Garrick had taken a liking to the boy after seeing his persistence. "Another haul of slimes, eh?"
"Yes, and I’m hoping for a decent payout," Alaric replied, hoisting his bag onto the counter with a heavy thud.
Garrick chuckled as he began sorting through the loot. "You’ve been at this nonstop for two weeks. Surprised you haven’t gotten bored of slime hunting yet."
Alaric smiled faintly. “Not bored, just... focused.”
As Garrick tallied the value of the items, Alaric’s thoughts turned to his goal. He needed 20 silvers—2,000 bronze—to buy the rune stones that would allow him to experiment with permanent buffs. Two weeks of raiding had netted him 1,400 bronze so far, and today’s haul would push him a bit closer.
"Here you go," Garrick said, sliding a small pouch of 50 bronze coins across the counter. "Good haul for slimes, but you’ll need to step it up if you’re aiming for better gear."
"Thanks," Alaric said, pocketing the coins. Garrick’s words rang true—slimes were a safe and reliable target, but they wouldn’t get him the silver he needed fast enough. It was time to move on to a more dangerous challenge.
Over the past two weeks, Alaric had grown significantly stronger. Constant dungeon runs had pushed him to Level 10, and he had carefully distributed his stat points to balance his strengths.
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Status Window
* Name: Alaric Thorne
* Class: Essence Sage
* Level: 10
* HP: 600/600
* MP: 500/500
* Strength: 20
* Agility: 16
* Intelligence: 25
* Defense: 14
Repeated use of Essence Extraction on hundreds of slimes had finally borne fruit: Alaric had gained one of their abilities.
Skill Acquired: Slime Regeneration
* Description: Slowly regenerates HP over time by mimicking the slime’s innate resilience.
The skill wasn’t flashy or powerful, but it was invaluable for long fights or drawn-out dungeon crawls.
The Slimedepth Cavern had served its purpose. Now, Alaric needed to venture into more dangerous territory. He chose the Arachne’s Hollow, an E-Rank Dungeon infamous for its spider monsters.
Unlike slimes, spiders were faster, more aggressive, and capable of coordinated attacks. Their webs made movement difficult, and their venom could debilitate unprepared adventurers. But the rewards were greater: silk strands, venom sacs, and spider cores fetched high prices at the guild.
The entrance to Arachne’s Hollow was a jagged cave mouth framed by thick, white strands of spider silk. Alaric stepped inside, his sword drawn and his senses on high alert. The air was damp and heavy, and the faint sound of scuttling echoed through the dark tunnels.
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He activated Essence Extraction on a mana crystal he had brought along, absorbing its energy to temporarily boost his agility.
“I can’t afford any mistakes,” he muttered.
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Alaric’s first enemy was a lone Spiderling, a small but deadly creature the size of a dog. Its black, chitinous body gleamed in the dim light as it skittered toward him.
The spider lunged, fangs bared, but Alaric sidestepped and brought his sword down in a quick arc. The blade struck its body, cracking its exoskeleton but not killing it.
The spider reared back, hissing angrily, and lunged again. This time, Alaric aimed for its head, driving his blade through its central eye cluster. The creature spasmed before collapsing.
As he ventured deeper into the dungeon, the spiders became more numerous and aggressive. At one point, Alaric found himself surrounded by a group of five Spiderlings, their bodies clicking ominously as they closed in.
Alaric activated Essence Infusion, using the essence of the first spider he had killed to enhance his agility further. With his boosted speed, he darted between the spiders, slashing at their legs and avoiding their venomous fangs.
One spider managed to land a hit, its fang scraping against his armor and injecting a small amount of venom. Alaric winced as his arm burned, but he gritted his teeth and focused on the fight.
Using his newfound Slime Regeneration, he mitigated the poison’s effects, his body slowly healing the damage. He pressed on, killing the spiders one by one until the last of them lay dead at his feet.
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The final chamber of the dungeon was dominated by the Broodmother, a massive spider nearly twice the size of a horse. Its body was covered in thick, black fur, and its eyes glowed with malevolent intelligence.
Alaric knew this fight would be his greatest challenge yet. The Broodmother hissed, releasing a swarm of smaller spiders that rushed toward him.
“I can’t fight them all at once,” he muttered, backing away.
He activated Essence Extraction, drawing the essence from the slain spiders around him. One essence provided a Strength Buff, while another increased his Agility. With both buffs active, he launched himself into the fray.
Alaric focused on the smaller spiders first, cutting through them with swift, precise strikes. Each kill made the Broodmother angrier, its hisses turning into enraged screeches.
When the last of the smaller spiders fell, Alaric turned his attention to the Broodmother. The massive creature lunged at him, its fangs dripping with venom. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack, and slashed at its legs.
The Broodmother reared back, swinging one of its legs like a club. The blow caught Alaric in the side, sending him crashing into the cave wall. Pain shot through his body, but he forced himself to stand.
“This is it,” he thought. “I have to end this now.”
He activated Essence Infusion one last time, using the strongest essence he had extracted to enhance his strength. With a roar, he charged at the Broodmother, dodging its strikes and aiming for its head.
His sword plunged into the creature’s central eye, and with a final, deafening screech, the Broodmother collapsed.
Alaric stood over the Broodmother’s corpse, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. Around him lay the remains of dozens of spiders, their bodies dissolving into faint wisps of essence.
He gathered the loot:
* Spider Silk Bundles
* Venom Sacs
* Spider Cores
The Broodmother itself yielded a rare item: a Broodmother’s Fang, which was said to be highly valuable to alchemists.
As Alaric left the dungeon, the weight of his spoils pressing against his back, he couldn’t help but smile. The fight had been brutal, but it had also been rewarding.
Status Window
* Name: Alaric Thorne
* Class: Essence Sage
* Level: 11
* HP: 700/700
* MP: 550/550
* Strength: 25
* Agility: 20
* Intelligence: 30
* Defense: 16
Alaric looked at the fang in his hand, a trophy of his hard-earned victory. “One step closer,” he murmured. “One step closer to becoming strong enough to change everything.”