Throughout the trip back to the surface I throw question after question at Toma before finally he stops me in exhaustion. I frown before acknowledging that I am going a wee bit to far and give him a few minutes to get re centered. Once he's calmed down he starts talking to me about what he needs my main goal to be.
{Basically put you need to become strong and also strive for something so unique that this world has never seen it before. Once that thing comes to fruition I can actually give you some power of my own which if I'm being honest isn't exactly the strongest but it is a skill from a deity so it could help you immensely depending on what you get. Also once you reach the surface I won't be able to speak like this to you any longer unless you can build me a temple. The only reason we can do this is due to the fact that you killed a Boss monster that was way stronger than you. It's leftover energy is permeating this cave allowing me to kind of hitch a ride on it, but once you hit the surface the world will acknowledge that you completed this "dungeon" and absorb the remaining energy since there is no longer a party within.}
'Wait there are actually dungeons? And are they like instanced or something?!' I think in surprise as I hear Toma giggle in amusement. y eye twitches as we finally reach the first dilapidated building we found and we decide to take a rest here.
{There are dungeons in the world but you're not ready for a real one yet so I won't go into anything until you enter one. But as for instancing no they are not, dungeons in this world are controlled by a powerful God with the big G. He set rules in the past that said that anyone who enters a dungeon is to be challenged and rewarded, if the boss is slain then the challengers can choose to loot the dungeons like you guys did or to take control and from there turn it into their own space. But the one rule states that the dungeon can't change anything inside it until all challengers are gone. To ensure all that survival and such that normal people care about.}
I nod thoughtfully at Toma's explanation realizing that what we entered was probably a dungeon that had barely even been created yet and that we weren't strong enough to control it so we didn't even get that option. As i bite into a crisp vegetable that looks vaguely like a dice I cringe spitting everything out at the pure flavor of salt invading my mouth.
{Ha! I gave you Inspect man you really should use it on everything until you get used to this world. You've barely been here four days and your already assuming everything's edible.}
I hear in my head as well as laughter while I inspect the veggie that's now lying smashed on the ground.
(Lucky Radou- Rare Cooking Ingredient)
The lucky Radou is a unique fruit as it was created by a mage who relied solely on luck to advance. This Vegetable grows in six different types that are impossible to see until eaten. Once bit into the sides will show a dot from 1 to 6 and the lower the number the more horrible it tastes.
Damn that is absolutely ridiculous as i glance to the side of the intact piece and notice two deep red dots. I shudder as i realize if this horribleness is what happens with a two I can't even imagine what would happen if i got the worst tasting one. After spitting everything out I realize i still haven't checked out Mog or Pearls stats yet so focus towards each of the quickly so they don't notice.
[Name-Pearl Level 5]
[Race-Albino Moonlit Skink]
HP-80
STR-7
CON-4
INT-7
AGI-10
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Combat Abilities
Insect Bane(Passive)-After intense struggles against the insect race you have learned to trust your instincts when fighting them. Do 20% more damage to all insectoid creatures.
[Name-Mog Level 2]
[Race-Myconid]
HP-40
STR-5
CON-2
AGI-2
INT-9
Combat Abilities
Minor Heal-Heals minor wounds of target. Amount healed dependent upon INT.
Regrowth-You summon your understanding of life to help regrow missing pieces of the target. Upon flesh had diminishing returns.
I smile in surprise as i see that i can actually see peoples health now as well as remembering that Mog happens to be a healer! After coming to that realization I notice his extremly low other stats and sigh after thinking how easy it must have been to catch him and that's probably why he was in the arena to start with. As I'm thinking about this it dawns on me that those rats had to get their victims from someplace and that there are probably more exits and entrances to the cave from within. Upon thinking that i glance at Wug and think about asking him to block the entrance to the deeper parts until we're ready to actually explore and as the thought leaves my mind Wug jolts into the air and looks at me in shock.
"Um...Noor...did you just ask me to block the cave once we're out...?" Wug asks in confusion as my eyes widen in shock as i check his stats for any new skills. The only thing I see though is that Wug hit level 4 and his HP which is a whopping 300 making him the bulkiest of our group. As i start rubbing my forehead in confusion i feel a coldness near my hand as i finally remember the ring i found on one of the gnolls and that it lets me talk to a person with just my mind.
"Yea its this ring it lets me talk to you from a distance I forgot sorry!" I quickly explain to Wug's look of relief. After that i start doing some math and realize that our CON most likely reflects our health and well being and that one point in it is equal to another 20 health. After that I inspect Sheer out of curiosity to see how much she grew from this.
[Name-Sheer Level 4]
[Race-Wyrmling(Bog)]
HP-100
STR-4
CON-5
INT-9
AGI-12
Combat Abilities
Pinpoint-After studying an enemy you are able to pinpoint its weak points as well as deal increased damage to those area's.
I'm a bit confused at the bog option next to Sheer's race but Toma explains that wyrmlings are fairly common and there are different types. It just so happens that Sheer is a bog wyrmling and that if she survives to get a lot stronger she could face evolution into something with poison. At the mention of evolving my eyes shine as I start pestering Toma until he laughs in joy and starts explaining.
{Yes in this world Monsters can evolve while the civilized races get Class's that get fancier as they grow stronger. The downside is that most monsters are to independent so even the strongest ones that evolve have no hope against an onslaught of high class adventurers.}
I frown at that but the cogs in my head start to turn as a few idea's pop up that i put away for later. At this point we've finally gotten to the almost surface and Toma says he has one more surprise for me that he can only do once.
{Surprise! Quest received-A Helping Hand!}
The god of Creativity and Inventiveness Toma has revealed that he chose you to help him grow in exchange for a new more exciting life. He can't tell you how but he thinks you have an idea of how to help! Rewards-Secret but definitely worth it!
{I only had enough juice to give you a body and this quest. Until you get strong enough or make me a temple I'll be stuck as just a tutorial from now on when you run into new things. Good luck Jayce I'm counting on ya!}
Toma's voice gets fainter and fainter until gradually disappearing altogether, leaving me with some confusion but overall at peace after having a lot of my worries taken care of. As i inspect my party once more Sheer looks at me in annoyance before snapping at me. I smile guiltily explaining that i was just inspecting her stats to see how she's grown. Once those words leave my mouth everybody stares at me in awe as Mog informs me that only elite lifeforms have any type of inspection skill. I smile bitterly before thinking that maybe Toma didn't explain everything as well as i thought after all.
After having the group gush excitedly at my good fortune we finally arrive back at our cave. Wug begins pulling small tree's out of the ground and breaking them into large logs before dragging them into the cave and making a giant pile towards to back to block it off. Sheer mentions something about hunting while unsheathing her daggers and making her way into the forest to a chorus of be carefuls. Pearl finds the grave of Wug's parents and decides its a perfect spot to sun herself while Mog looks at the mess of random fruits, veggies, and herbs that are just piled up in the corner, his milky eyes squinting in shame as he starts organizing everything. I just look at everything and it finally dawns on me that even though we all barely know each other there's a form of trust between us that I never had in my old life and although its not very much now I actually look forward to seeing what we can do.