It took three days for Targe to find the Rank 0 dungeon. Arduous days of fighting monsters the entire day, only for Ethan to collapse into his comfortable bedroll under the stars. The monsters grew more difficult the closer they drew to the dungeon, providing an amazing grounds for the Caller to grind experience. He gained 3 levels and jammed all his points into the [Mind] attribute. Luca had likewise grown to level to 9 in their bond.
Standing outside of the dungeon, sweating in the midday heat, Ethan inspected his attributes screen.
[Ethan Stout]
Outworlder Human
Caller
Rank 0
Level 8
Health
54
Mana
175
Strength
1
Vigor
2
Agility
3
Mind
15
Affinity
5
Health Regen
5
Mana Regen
12.5
Ethan had no intentions to put any points elsewhere. Mana was his life’s blood still, and there was no sense in not taking advantage of his scaling [Mana Regen]. Each point put him closer to a free summon during combat, a thing he couldn’t wait for. More mana didn’t hurt matters, either. But his distraction faded when Twist poked him in the side.
“You going, or not?”
The entrance to the [Goblin Dungeon] was a stack of rocks in the forest. Not even a large stack of rocks, just one big enough for him to crouch before breaking through the shimmering ebony portal. On the other side, according to the two adventurers, time moved strangely. Once he entered, he had to clear the dungeon or give up. Giving up meant losing everything he’d gained, and locking him out for at least a week.
“Remember your strengths,” Targe said. “Might take a day or two to clear it for you. So remember to manage your rations. And don’t forget the purpose of the delve. You’re here for the seal.”
“Right. The seal.”
That thing he needed to rank up. To get to the next leg of his quest and purge the tainted dungeon near the lake. During their training in the forest, he’d almost forgotten about it. Perhaps a willful ignorance of the situation, but he still held the thought far from his mind. With the dip in the earth waiting to swallow him up, there were few topics that could distract him.
“Wish me luck,” Ethan said, ducking his head to enter the dungeon. His pack caught on the rocks. He shifted, shimmied, then fell through the portal as Targe shouted something.
A blur of scenery flashed by in an instant. Ethan tumbled through space, then performed a horribly executed roll when he landed on firm, mossy ground. Dizzy from the ordeal, he assessed his surroundings. Stone walls, slick with moss and unidentifiable goo, formed a tunnel that spanned far into the distance. The sound of chittering voices rang through the passage. Pale blue light filled the area, cast by toadstools nestled into the cracks of rocks.
Then a system message appeared.
[Ethan Stout] has entered a solo [Goblin Dungeon]!
[Rank 1 Trial] activated. Clear this dungeon to earn your [Rank Seal].
Time is moving at 1/16 rate within the dungeon.
Defeat the [Dungeon Boss] or touch the portal to retreat.
All rewards will be forfeit if you retreat.
Good luck!
Ethan took a deep breath and rose to his feet. The floor was slick underfoot, but no worse than the slippery ground he’d grown used to. But while the forest was filled with similar terrain, the dungeon seethed a kind of hate that made the atmosphere oppressive. The Caller moved along the tunnel until he came to a fork. Taking the left tunnel first, he quickly found a room with horrible green creatures talking to one another. But they didn’t move to attack him, staying where they were and respecting the boundary of the room.
Targe had already explained this mechanic. In most low-level dungeons, the monsters would stick to their rooms and wouldn’t pursue unless in combat.
The goblins were horrid. Knee-high green creatures with long ears and barely any clothes. Covered in warts, sores, and stuff that looked like poop, their smell was worse than their yellow-toothed smiles. The first room seemed designed to start him out slow, holding only two of the foul creatures. They were both equal-level to Ethan.
The training he’d received from Targe and Twist painted the leftmost goblin as the threat. Holding a splintered spear, topped with a copper spearhead, that one would have the most reach. The second had a gnarled bone dagger, and looked more frail than the first.
“Standard tactics,” Ethan told himself.
The Caller exploited his [Pact Upgrade 1] skill, summoning Lucantele then waiting for his mana to crawl to full. Once he was topped off, he was ready for combat.
“Standard tactics, right Luca?” Ethan asked. The Symbol didn’t speak back. “You grab their attention, and I’ll start bashing. Right?”
No response.
Luca padded across the mossy ground, gaining the attention of both goblins immediately. They shouted something with their strange language, the dove in with more speed than their little bodies should have had. The Symbol wasn’t surprised though, darting to the side of one strike, then tangling the dagger-wielding goblins up with a hopping strafe. The spear goblin came in hard, though, landing a glancing blow on the summoned creature.
Ethan wasn’t sitting idle, though. What little experience he had with humanoid monsters told him to aim for the head. He swung his staff like a bat, connecting with the back of the dagger goblin’s head, sending it tumbling forward in a heap. That gave Luca enough breathing room to dance around the strikes of the spear goblin, weaving around the searching weapon until an opening came. The Symbol flashed forward, jumping up to sink his teeth in the monster’s exposed neck.
A howl of pain filled the room, quickly joined by repeated grunts of anguish. Ethan bonked the dagger goblin as it was prone, chipping away at the monster’s health as Luca did the actual work. The spear goblin stumbled back when the Symbol jumped, butting his head against the monster’s. Then he went to work on the prone goblin, claws and fangs flashing to finish the job. The spear goblin found a similar fate moments later
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Ethan wiped his brow with the sleeve of his robe, falling to a seated position. The combat was brief, but intense. “How many more rooms, do you think? That took 5 minutes. Why did Targe think we’d be here for more than a few hours?”
Luca seemed to shrug.
Looting the goblins produced a few copper coins, but nothing else. The room they were stationed in was barren except for a pile of rotten wooden crates in the corner. Contained within were piles of rotten food. Nothing usable, and overall disappointing. But the experience the creatures gave was good. Even better than equal-level monsters outside the dungeon. At level 8, getting even 5% per kill was absurdly good.
Instead of heading forward, into the hall that snaked off the first room, Ethan made his way back to the fork. He found another, almost identical room. This time, the two goblins within held a spear, and a hammer. But the fight went the same way as last time. The one with the hammer was the weakest one, so the Caller beat it to death with his staff while Luca handled the dangerous spear-wielder. Once again, the goblins only dropped a few coins for his efforts.
With some experimentation, Ethan determined he could interact with everything in the dungeon. He could pry the boards from the rotting crates, cause those to interact with other objects, and even build a fire if he needed. He tested the fire by lighting shavings of the rotting wood, just to make sure he wouldn’t spend the night cold. A draft blew from deeper in the dungeon, washing over him with a foul stench and frigid touch.
While the first rooms were identical, those that connected with them weren’t. There were blobs of something in the right side of the dungeon’s path. Ethan edged to the threshold of the room and looked around, finding two of the fetid creatures within. With intent, he inspected them.
[Viscous Ichor]
Monster
Rank 0
Level 8
Description:
Blobs of living ichor. These creatures are horribly hard to kill with physical attacks, and will reform if not disposed of properly.
A grim reminder that he didn’t know everything about the world. At least the system was kind enough to give him warning signs before he left the right side of the dungeon, heading back to the first room he’d cleared. In the connecting room on that side were three goblins, instead. None held a spear in this room. They had a dagger, a hammer, and what looked like a gnarled tree branch. This room had more obstacles. It was circular like the others, but had a raised section on the left with a ramp and a sudden drop.
Ethan’s tactics were closely tied to the environment, so he appreciated the touch. But his strategy for this room was one of kiting, like with all of his encounters with multiple monsters. There was no better time to see how the monsters pursued him from room to room.
Instead of joining Luca in the fray, Ethan sent the Symbol in and retreated half-way down the hall. He had a sense of how far he could go before his connection with the spirit would end, allowing him to push it as far as he could go. Something of a mental connection remained between them, and he had a general sense of how the fight was going. Without a spear-user, the goblins had trouble pursuing the summoned spirit. He led them up the ramp, taking pot-shots at them before jumping down. They lacked the agility to pursue, but that didn’t stop them.
The idiot goblins got the better of Luca at some point, killing the summon. Ethan channeled [Summon Lucantele] the moment the Symbol fell, gaining a new silver squirrel in the narrow passage. Three goblins came trundling down the path, no longer adhering to their previous threshold. Luca was on them in moments, running up the wall to land on the face of the goblin holding the tree branch. The others stumbled, running into their companion to fall into a heap. Both Ethan and Luca took turns savaging the tangled mass of green flesh, defeating them all and gaining a few more coins.
In the room with the ramp, Ethan found nothing useful. He climbed up the rise, dangling his feet over the edge, and sat for some time. Without a companion to talk to within the dungeon, he realized how lonely this run was going to be. While his original intention was to clear every room, gaining an absurd amount of experience, he was now questioning that thought
Ethan had assigned north within the dungeon, marking it as the direction the tunnels seemed to go. The next room on the western side of the dungeon was larger than any he’d seen so far. It had rows of cupboards, tables, and other rotting junk piled on the side walls. Standing in the center was a larger-than-normal goblin holding a wooden club. It came up to the Caller’s chest, but otherwise just looked like a big goblin. He inspected the creature before forming a strategy.
[Big Goblin]
Sub-boss Monster
Rank 0
Level 9
Description:
Bigger than normal goblins, [Big Goblins] are big. Like… really big. They’re so big that other goblins sometimes think they’re not goblins, causing strife among monsterized goblins. Many a greenskin has lost his life to a case of mistaken identity.
“Yep,” Ethan said. “Big goblin.”
While it felt like cheating, Ethan’s current strategy was still the best one. Against a single, large enemy, the best thing would be to send Luca in and run. It was the core of his kit, though. Massive mana regen, and a disposable fighter. He waited for his mana to top off before sending Luca in for the initial salvo. Before he could shake his staff and stomp his feet, time froze as a system message appeared.
Sub-boss engaged!
[Ethan Stout] has engaged [Big Goblin Goblob] in combat!
Arena locked. All participants teleported inside.
3…
2…
1…
GO!
Ethan stumbled from the sudden shift in time and space, but Luca wasn’t disturbed. A barrier of shimmering green energy appeared at the entrance baring both entrance and exit.
“Crap.”
The Symbol jumped even before Ethan shook his staff, landing on the goblin’s face and tearing away. The Caller shook his staff, invoking [Spur] before doing a little jig to activate [Caller’s Sprint]. He ordered Luca to use [Claw], stunning the goblin for a moment. He counted the seconds, finding it to be lacking. There wasn’t enough time to call Luca again once he fell, rendering the strategy useless. Utilizing the effects of [Sprint], he darted toward the goblin, clawing at the squirrel on its face, and bonked it over the head.
Nothing happened.
Unlike the smaller goblins, the [Big Goblin] wasn’t vulnerable to swift smacks on the head. Instead, it fell to Luca to do all the damage. Ethan was left to look around the room, desperate for a solution to the fight. It was only a matter of time before the summon died. While the Caller could pop his [Rapid Summon] ability, that was a one-time deal for the fight. He split his attention between watching how the goblin fought, and searching the various cupboards and cabinets for a solution.
Like most of the junk in the goblin-themed rooms, they were filled with rotting material. Spoiled food, crumbling trinkets, and other garbage. The results of goblins going full goblin mode. Luca had little trouble avoiding the wild blows from the sub-boss. The club cut through the air in a lazy path, often only gaining a glancing blow for the effort. But those small chips of damage were all the monster needed. Small hits that brought Luca’s health down in 1 percent increments. Without a health bar over the sub-boss, there was no way to estimate how much time he had.
Perhaps despair was the correct response to the situation. Ethan felt none of those negative emotions as he dug his staff into the edge of a cabinet, prying it apart into smaller pieces. He kept swiveling his head between the growing pile of tinder and the Luca’s fight, estimating how much time he had left. By the time the summon was near-death there was a pile of wood large enough to make a bonfire.
“Plenty of time,” Ethan lied to himself, pulling out his fire-starting kit.
He suddenly wished he had that magic fire thing that Twist insisted on keeping. The kettle might not be useful, but as he slid two rods together, generating a pathetic spit of sparks, Luca’s health bar plummeted to 0.
“Crap,” Ethan said, activating his [Rapid Summon] ability.
The [Big Goblin] was already turning toward him, club raised with rotting teeth bared. Ethan cast his [Summon Lucantele] ability, sending the summon forward to intercept the attack. The club came down, narrowly missing the Caller and striking the pile of wood. Several boards shattered, sending splinters darting through the air. But the Symbol was shredding at the monster’s neck, biting with all his might and kicking with his back feet.
“This is fine,” Ethan said, staring up at the fight from a prone position. “Everything is fine.”
While the goblin’s attention was still on Ethan for the moment, he shuffled around the pile of wood. Eventually, Luca gained the creature’s attention. They took the fight to the room’s center, clearing the pile of wood. The Caller swept in, kneeling by the edge and striking his fire-started once again. He nursed a spark to life, blowing gently until the flames rose. Then the pile exploded into flames.
Ethan stumbled back, the heat of a sudden gust washing over him, singing his eyebrows. Half his health was missing, and there were still flames dancing over his robes.
Through gasping breath, he managed a laugh. “Treated… with something? That goblin lacquer really packs a punch.”
That was the easy part of his slipshod plan. With every step the [Big Goblin] took, it moved with sturdy feet. Heavily planted strides that made it impossible to topple. Impossible to push into the fire. Smoke billowed, gathering at the room’s ceiling to create a choking miasma. It didn’t affect Luca or the goblin, but Ethan held the sleeve of his robe over his mouth, coughing. His health dipped down to 20, an effect of the smoke.
The Caller stood, finding a spot outside of the battle to cast [Cure Minor Wounds]. His health immediately jumped to full, all 54 points of it. But his mana fell to 50. Barely enough to summon Lucantele again. Without the ability to talk, Ethan sent a series of mental commands to his summoned spirit. Luca understood them with ease, dancing over and under the swipes of the club, working the goblin into position.
Ethan found his spot near the flames, falling to the ground as the fire ticked his health lower. The inferno singed his skin, ate away at sections of his robes, and removed what little of his eyebrows remained.
“Do it!” Ethan managed to cough out.
Luca removed himself from the goblin’s throat, falling back and coiling on the spot. One last powerful push of his little squirrel legs sent him sailing into the monster’s chest. The goblin let out a squeal, stumbling back. The back of the creature’s legs ran up against Ethan’s form. The monster grunted, then tumbled backward over the Caller, who had been on all-fours. Screams of agony from the fire as the [Big Goblin] was engulfed by the inferno.
Ethan rolled away from the flames, slapping at his robes to put the fire out. He gasped for breath, both his health and mana ticking down to nothingness. Five health, then four… two, one. A system message appeared.
[Ethan Stout] has defeated the [Big Goblin]!
[Bonus Fight]!
[Giggling Goblin Rush]!
The room filled with the sound of a thousand giggling goblins.