As we walked in one of the great caverns, a heavy silence had fallen over us. All of the applicants had split up without a word once we reached the first layer; some in groups and some alone.
Durreg watched as I quickly dispatched of any creatures that came near us without needing to use magic; staffs were just as powerful a blunt weapon as a mace or a hammer, if only a bit more unwieldy, and I was not going to waste my mana on weaklings I could kill as an Abyssal Drakeling.
“I know from what Lady Azoth said that you’ve spent a lot of time in the Unfathomable Abyss, but are you sure you know where we’re headed?” Durreg asked.
“I haven’t been to this specific area of the Abyss, but the first layer is all the same. A number of great caverns connected with innumerable smaller tunnels; with a few of these connecting to the surface and to the lower layers. Now stop whining and get a move on.” I fixed him with a glare.
Durreg raised his hands in appeasement and shook his head.
“Relax, Kiara. I am not trying to start another fight with you. It’s just that you obviously have a history with the Abyss, and that tension you’re carrying is worrying me about you.”
“Well, aren’t I lucky?! Lord Durreg himself has deigned to worry himself with the concerns of a mere-” I said, stopping right in my tracks.
Right ahead of us, I found a large spider web at the top of the cavern. On it was a [Black Hunter Spider], the first enemy I encountered. The first source of my trauma.
I slowly took in deep breaths, my hands shaking lightly. Durreg was about to say something but kept his mouth shut, which suited me just fine. I was preoccupied with keeping my breathing in check.
“Durreg, I am going to kill that spider. Stand back and watch without interfering.” I said with a tone brooking no argument, stepping forward towards the web.
I wanted – no, needed, to kill this foe on my own, and without any fancy tricks. I had to prove to myself that I’ve come far, and that I can meet the horrors of the Abyss head on.
The spider saw my approach but remained where it was, clearly not eager to attack an unknown creature without the element of surprise.
“That’s no good.” I thought to myself.
It’s problematic if it won’t come down to fight me yet killing it with magic from a distance will not grant me the total, crushing victory I wanted either. What to do…
“If it’s not going to come down to me, then I’ll go up to it myself.” I concluded grimly, laying my staff on the ground and walking over to the nearest wall to start climbing it.
As my hand touched the web covered rock, the sticky web refused to let my hands go.
“Hmm.”
I coated my hands, legs, knees, and elbows in Arcane mana, instantly eroding the adhesiveness of the webs on them and turning them into regular spider silk. Must’ve been its magic that made it so powerful; the pure mana of the arcane attribute could neutralize it. With a nod, I started to climb towards the spider. It turned towards me and hissed, but I ignored it and carried on.
As I reached the top of the wall and began to climb the hanging webs, I heard the sound of a crashing boulder, followed by the sounds of fighting.
“Looks like Durreg is having his own fun.” I chuckled, climbing towards the wary spider, which remained in place.
As I approached the spider, it hissed loudly and lunged towards me – fangs out, ready to sink into my flesh and let its venom corrode me from the inside out. As it was about to reach me, my free hand moved more quickly and treacherously than a titanoboa around the spider’s head, grabbing it in a vise. Instead of holding the beast back so I can drag it down with me, its head exploded in my hand, showering me in the remains of its brain and skull!
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“Urgh what the f-?!” I yelled, coughing and spitting as the spider’s body fell of the web into the ground.
Whatever Durreg was fighting must’ve been dead for a while since he had the time to call out to me.
“If you’re looking to shower in spider guts, cousin, then I am not going to judge you, but we have an exam to finish first!” He said with a smug grin on his face, struggling not to laugh.
“I don’t have the time or patience for your cheek, cousin! One more word and I am going to shove my boot in your rear!” I yelled at him.
This time he did laugh out loud. I sighed, climbing down from the web to the rocks on the wall.
***
“Urgh, getting rid of this muck is going to take ages…” I grumbled.
Durreg stifled a laugh as he walked but did not say anything.
“Oh, come on, you’ve been laughing about this for the last 15 minutes!”
“Kiara, my dear cousin, the sight of you valiantly covered in monster remains has been seared in my memories. It should come as no surprise that the impressions you left on me have a lasting effect.” He said, giggling once more.
“I hope you choke on your own spit and perish.” I said coldly, feeling my cheeks warm up again.
Durreg smiled and put his hands behind his head as we continued searching for an entrance to the second layer. Despite the banter and teasing, or rather because of them, the tension in my shoulders seems to have been gone. The stubborn boy can be thoughtful on occasion.
“…Thanks, Durreg.” I whispered.
“Was that so hard? I swear; what would the world do without me…”
“You…?! Urgggghhh!” I stared at him, my face beet red.
The great cavern continued to echo with colorful language as the rest of its inhabitants began to hide from us.
***
Eventually, Durreg and I stood before a tunnel with a downwards inclination.
“I guess this is it. Any idea what’s waiting for us down there?” Durreg asked.
“No, I don’t. I’ve only been to the first layer and the third layer. Not the second. But based on what I’ve seen in each, it should be filled with Rank C creatures.” I said, stepping forward into the tunnel.
“Well, might as well get this over with.” Durreg said with a sigh, following right behind me.
As the tunnel went down endlessly, I found the silence uncomfortable, so I decided to strike up a conversation.
“Even though I have more strength than any other human I’ve met, I still don’t have many skills. Even common adventurers have more skills than I do, and the only reliable tools I do have aside from my attributes are my racial traits and my titles. Why?”
Durreg tilted his head slightly, then answered.
“Well, they obviously have more skills than you do because they have a class, and you don’t. You have more powerful attributes because you have a more powerful and higher ranked race than they do. If your bottleneck is your attributes, you seek regular levels, and if your bottleneck is skills, you seek skill and class levels.”
“What do you mean? Aren’t humans and beast-men sapient beings? How much lower than my rank can they be?”
“Much lower, as a matter of fact. Humans start at Rank F, the very bottom, and a common race at that. They cannot be compared to a Rank C, blue species, which also happens to be a dragon.” Durreg smiled.
My jaw fell to the floor.
“But how can that be?! I’ve seen humans kill many creatures; why don’t they rank up?!”
“The crucial difference is that they kill using their class skills. When you kill using your class skills, your class gains levels; conversely, when you kill using your racial traits and your skills, your own level improves. Since humans do not get any particular offensive racial traits, and using weaponry without a related class against a monster is usually suicidal, most choose to focus on their class instead.” He explained.
“On top of that, class abilities tend to give more immediate rewards, since levels to a weapon skill are much more deadly than the increase in attributes you may gain from killing the same enemy. Humans are sapient creatures, so they can also make much better use out of skills than attributes, and the opposite is true for monsters, who don’t even have access to classes in the first place. That’s why monsters generally overpower sapient beings; they focus exclusively on attributes.”
“That makes sense. So, if I want more skills, I should pick a class soon.” I mumbled.
“Not necessarily; with your levels and rank so far ahead, leveling your class to match it should be quite easy. It’s best that you perform feats to unlock a class that you’re happy with first, just like with evolutions, then worry about leveling it later. A rock-solid foundation is always worth the time it takes to prepare.” Durreg concluded, then looked towards the light at the end of the tunnel.
It seemed like we were approaching the entrance to the second layer.