What the hell?! Claire gasped, staring at the scene.
“Yes, it does look bad. That man really needs to work on controlling his summons.”
No, that’s not what I meant. That girl – she looks exactly like someone I used to know, but younger.
“Oh, a friend of yours?”
Not exactly, more like an acquaintance. She was a teacher at the same school as I.
The dog man roughly shoved the girl who was the spitting image of Lilah towards the centre of the group. She awkwardly stumbled forward, causing the dogs to snarl at her again.
“Dammit Stanley, get those dogs under control,” the man with the compass snapped.
“Sure, sorry boss,” Stanley replied, cringing slightly as the axe-woman snorted.
“And why are you dragging locals around? Now we have to take care of one more thing before we can get to our job.”
“No, he’s right,” the other man said to the guy holding the compass. “This part of the island is uninhabited, so what’s a girl doing over here all by herself and today?”
They all looked at the shivering girl.
Watching the scene with Rick, Claire remarked, Gosh, she looks like she’s going to cry. Despite not having a close relationship with Lilah back on earth, Claire still would’ve helped the younger teacher in any way she could. It was tough starting a teaching career, and Claire had always felt great gratitude to the senior teachers who helped her find her feet. Still, she was somewhat surprised at the protectiveness this Lilah look-alike triggered in her. Is there any way we could help her?
“Since we don’t have any dungeon spawn ready, there really isn’t that much you could do right now. Even if we did, it might not make a difference. Take a closer look at those people. Since they are technically on your territory you should be able to see their class descriptions.”
Claire focused and the information popped into view.
Bastian Elderberry
Swordsman Level 15
Hillah Broadtree
Warrior Level 9
Jairo Perez
Rogue Level 14
Stanley Alms
Summoner Level 5
Lily Hunter
Even Lily’s name resembled the Lilah Claire used to know, Claire thought to herself in wonder, before refocusing on her current conversation with Rick. They all have numbered classes – what does it mean?
“The numbers indicate what the general level of development for each of them is. To give you an idea, a starting dungeon like you at core level one MIGHT be able to defeat classed individuals between levels one to five. Here we’ve got multiple individuals with much higher classes. Even the lowest-ranked individual is right at the cusp of what you might be able to manage.”
So it’s highly unlikely that I would’ve been able to defeat them anyway, with my current status. Question, why can’t I see any class information for Lily?
“That just means she’s an unclassed individual. People aren’t born with classes, but gradually earn them as they build up certain skill sets through their lives. As soon as she gains a class you’ll be able to see both her class and level.”
<>
Quite unaware of the conversation underground, Lily hyperventilated and tried to focus on keeping her legs strong beneath her. They felt like jelly, and the band of outlaws were all staring at her. The man with the dogs stank something awful, but that was nothing compared to the scrutiny of the man with the compass. His eyes were emotionless as he silently regarded her. It felt like he could cut her to pieces right here and now on the beach, without batting an eyelid. And none of the other outlaws would stop him. Frantically she went over the story she had created while being dragged here by Stanley the dog man.
“Why are you here?” The words fell out of the compass man’s mouth like boulders crashing to the beach.
“Aae,” Lily tried to speak, but the words got lost in a squeak. She swallowed and then tried again, “I, I was just going for a walk and exploring the jungle a little bit. It’s my day off, you see, and …”
“Lie. Try again.”
Lily’s heart clenched in her chest, as she desperately tried to think.
“I, uh, my father has been injured and we need food, so I came to see if there was something to hunt …”
“Lie again.” He grabbed her by the arm and she watched in horror as he pulled her closer while sliding out a dagger from it’s sheath on his sword belt. He raised the tip, pressing it to the hollow of her throat. Desperately she reached for her father’s hunting knife with her other hand, only to abandon the motion as he said a single, dangerous word. “No.”
Lily felt the sensation of pins and needles starting to form in her dangling hand, so tight was his grip on her arm. How would she explain the bruise to her father? Vaguely she wondered how she could even care about that right now.
“Now, last chance. You either tell me the truth, or I’ll bury you alive in a komodo-warg nest and no one will ever see any piece of your body again.”
With her heart pounding in her ears, Lily opened her mouth to tell him the truth. But then some buried instinct kicked in, silently whispering to her. Maybe she could tell something so close to the truth that he’ll believe her.
“I stole a pendulum from our master’s house, so I could sell it for medicine for my father. I came out here to hide it so they won’t find it in our hut,” Lily blurted out.
A new notification also flashed in her vision, which she hastily dismissed. Of all the times for this!
<>
Down below Claire mentally blinked as a notification flashed in her vision as well.
New adventurer skill gained.
2 SSV received
Adventurer skill increase
1 SSV received
Level up Class 1 detected.
5 SSV received
“Oh nice, looks like Lily just got a class,” Rick spoke, looking at the notification.
What? How? She’s standing there doing nothing and I still can’t see a class in her description.
“All kinds of different skills can be gained in all kinds of different circumstances. She must have met some kind of skill requirement just now, initiating the class conversion. Since we can’t see the class, she probably hasn’t accepted it yet. Can’t say I blame her, she’s a little busy right now.”
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Indeed. I also want to know more about how SSV works, but let’s get back to that later.
On the viewing screen they could see Bastian, still staring at the girl.
“A pendulum you say. And where is it now, little girl?” he spoke, pulling her closer, the tip of his knife piercing the top of the skin by her throat. The slightest shade of red became visible, welling up around the knife point.
Oh no Rick, I can’t watch this. She’s going to get killed – we have to help her!
“I don’t see how. Besides, you must remember that you are a dungeon core now. People are going to die in your dungeon, through the challenges you design. Just let it be.”
But it’s not the same. She hasn’t come to my dungeon for the challenges. This band of outlaws brought her here against her will, and now they’re going to murder her. Maybe, maybe … Claire fell silent as her core worked on the problem.
She couldn’t create an attack, but maybe the girl could escape if there was a big enough distraction? Yes, a distraction would have to do. But what? How could she distract them? Her gaze fell on the distasteful man whose summoned dogs had been snapping at the girl. The dogs had disappeared at some point, but the man was still watching the situation with rapt attention. His gaze was almost lustful, like he relished the girl’s plight. Yes. She could use him. But will there be enough time?
Then, like a blessing from the heavens, yet another voice called out across the beach.
“Hey, you! Let that girl go this instant!”
<>
Claire and Rick watched the screens in fascination while Claire frantically excavated a small shaft extension from their main beach shaft towards Stanley’s feet. Her newfound ability to multitask was already paying off.
Meanwhile, Bastian had dropped his hand with the knife and pulled Lily up against him, while Perez, Hillah, and Stanley fanned out in a half circle. Approaching the gang was a young man – in his late twenties, Claire would guess – with a woman trailing a little further behind him. She analysed them and found the following information.
Layne Canewhold
Knight Level 14
Tamrin Highreach
Shield Maiden Level 12
The knight named Layne didn’t look much like the images of knights that Claire were familiar with. He had a rugged look, with short cropped dark hair. Both his clothes and his gear were of obvious quality. As he came walking up to the group on the beach, he had one hand resting lightly on the crested pommel of an arming sword, with a heater shield on his back. A shiver ran through Claire at the sight of him, which she quickly stamped down on. She had barely started her new life; she wasn’t about to develop another crush like a love-sick puppy just yet.
The woman called Tamrin kept her distance, idly fingering the throwing knives braced in her bandolier. Her luscious blonde hair flowed down around her shoulders, and she coquettishly flung back a few strands that had fallen into her face with a shake of her head. There was something else Claire could sense too. Some kind of invisible energy build-up around Tamrin, but Claire couldn’t quite tell what it was.
“I said, let go of the wench,” Layne repeated.
“Hey, did you just see that?” Rick asked. “Lily just pick-pocketed the compass Bastian was holding earlier.”
Oooh, I missed it, Claire replied. Her shaft had just reached the perfect position below the ground under Stanley’s feet, and she started working on excavating a hollow chamber directly beneath him.
“What are you talking about?” Bastian responded to Layne in the meantime. “We’re just travellers out exploring the island, and we stopped to ask this girl the quickest way back to High Plantation settlement.”
Lie, Claire thought.
“Is that so?” Layne enquired of Lily.
“Yes, yes young master Canewhold,” she replied. “I was out walking and ran into them, and then we were just talking about the island.”
“Really, ‘young master Canewhold’?” Bastian replied with a wicked glint in his eye, as he pushed the girl away from him.
“Yes, and who might you be?” Layne replied, tightening his grip on his sword as Bastian took a step closer.
Tamrin stopped showing off her hair and started sliding out one of her knives with one hand, while raising the other in a casting position as Bastian opened his mouth to reply.
Get ready, Rick, here we go! Claire said, and then absorbed all the supporting structures in the chamber ceiling and walls beneath Stanley. The chamber collapsed in underneath him with a woomph, and Stanley disappeared with a muffled scream.
<>
All heads whipped around at those sounds, just in time to see the beach sand collapsing inward onto Stanley in a hole.
Perez responded first, sprinting to the depression into which Stanley had just disappeared.
“Flaming hell!” Hillah exclaimed, as she and Bastian backed up and looked at the ground around them.
“Perez, get back here!” Bastian barked. Perez just kept frantically digging.
Layne too ran over to the depression in the ground and joined Perez in his digging effort. Tamrin kept back, watching the scene with wide eyes, her mouth forming a surprised oh.
In the chaos Bastian roughly grabbed Hillah and pushed her toward the spot, “Go get Perez and bring him here – we need to get off this beach,” he ordered in a measured tone, with only the slightest waver in his voice betraying his own fear.
Hillah opened her mouth to protest and then blanched at the look Bastian levelled at her. Wordless she too dashed over to the hole, roughly grabbing and hauling Perez back to where Bastian was already hastening off the beach.
“Wait, what about Stanley?” Perez asked, vainly struggling in Hillah’s grip. However, his own strength was no match for the warrior’s.
Both Bastian and Hillah firmly ignored him as they left as fast as they could, dragging him away with them.
<>
Seeing the band departing, Tamrin finally shook off her own surprise and ran over to where Layne was still digging.
“Tamrin, help me dig! Quick!” Layne ordered roughly. Seeing the damp sand and the way it was covering and sticking to Layne, she hesitated for a moment and then gingerly knelt down and also started scooping handfulls of sand out of the depression.
Finally they got deep enough for Layne to grab a hold of Stanley’s coat and drag him out of his living grave. The man’s face was ashen under the layer of sand stuck to him, and he varied coughing with gasping breaths.
Sitting back in relief Layne watched Stanley recover. Tamrin eyed her damp hands in distaste as she clapped them, attempting to dislodge the sticky wet sand.
“Dear Creator, what happened?” Layne asked, as soon as Stanley seemed recovered enough to speak.
“Crazy core,” Stanley coughed out.
“What crazy core?” Tamrin pitched in, then she herself paled with realisation. “Do you mean an anomalous core??”
Layne too looked sharply at Stanley, “Are you talking about an anomalous core? Were you guys here looking for the dungeon?”
“Crazy core dug a bunch of …” Stanley fell silent as he realised what he was about to say. And what Bastian’s reaction would be if he spoke too much. And then his eyes widened once more as he realised that they were still on the beach.
“We need to get outta here,” he roughly panted as he flew up and hastily bounded off the beach and into the land vegetation. Layne flew forward, trying to grab onto a fluttering coattail and missing.
“Wow, that guy is fast,” Tamrin remarked without making any sign of trying to grab or pursue Stanley.
<>
Down below Claire silently muttered, Why’s everyone so anomalous core obsessed. I’m not that anomalous. And why are you looking at me like that, Rick? You’re supposed to be on my side.
“Ah yes. Yes, of course I’m on your side.”
Besides, I did a pretty good job defusing the situation up top.
“That you did, but what happens now?”
Both of them returned their attention back to the scene above where Layne was thoughtfully looking around him and Tamrin at the deserted beach, and down to the hole they had just dug Stanley out of. At the bottom a little gap formed, as the sand around it ran down into the hole, providing a view into blackness.
“You think that’s where the dungeon is surfacing, Tamrin?”
Standing beside him Tamrin stopped fiddling with her hair and also gazed down at the hole.
“That would be pretty stupid. The dungeon would be under water every time the tide comes in. And what core opens up such a little hole. How does it expect adventurers to get down there?”
“Maybe it’s very, very new at this,” Layne replied. He knelt down, and then bent over even further to peer down the hole with one eye. There was nothing to see.
With a sigh he sat back and addressed the hole.
“Hey little baby dungeon. This is a really bad spot for an entrance. Can you maybe move over a bit further that way to solid ground? Good luck fixing things – we’ll come back again.”
Finished talking he got up and met Tamrin’s look.
“What? Maybe it just doesn’t know what it’s supposed to do.”
Tamrin lightly rested her arms on his shoulders, intertwining her fingers behind his head, then said “You are crazy, my sweetheart.”
<><><>
Character sheet summary at the end of Chapter 5
Claire
Type: Life-Mind
Level: 1
Integrity: 100%
Processing speed: 100%
Functional capacity: 80%
Progress to next level
-200/250 LF Performance provision
0/500 Dungeon Investment, consisting of:
0/≥125 LF
0/≥125 ME
16/250 Skill Share Value
Core defence enabled
Cutting thorn barrier
5 LF to initiate
Continuous drain of 10 LF per day
<>
Lily Hunter
Qualified for an unknown class.
Basic herbalism 1/20
Petty theft 1/20
New: Pick-pocketing 4/20
Sneaking +2 → 7/20
Spying 0/50
New skill gained – skill unknown at present time.