We stood outside the establishment staring at the brightly colored flashing lights of the night club. Just being here made Cyrus feel like a hoodlum, like some party crazed animal with nothing but mundane and basic thoughts.
“You realize we can’t just stand out here all-night Cyrus, we came here to have fun not stare at the entrance.” Trinity says impatiently, tapping her foot while looking at him.
It was nearly midnight with the sun having been put away behind the horizon. The only light coming from the flashy club in front us and the night stars shining across the sky. The mix of colors in the dark of night reflecting off her dress. She was the reason he was even here, having never been to any sort of dance event before.
“I can’t believe I even let you drag me here; you know I don’t like to dance Trinity!” Cyrus complains.
“Everything makes you uncomfortable or nervous Cyrus, besides you promised that you would try this at least once with me. Are you going to go back on that?”
“No, no of course not. I told you I’d come even against my better judgement. It’s not like I’d ever lie to you.”
“Good, because if you did, I’d lay you out and kick your ass.” Trinity laughs, grabbing him by the arm and practically dragging him inside the club. Loud music thumped all around them, drowning out most of the voices while everyone partied. The center floor was filled with people dancing like a sea of people clumped together.
“We’re going to the dance floor already. Trinity I really can’t dance, I’m not sure about doing this.” Cyrus says nervously, starting to get butterflies in his stomach.
Trinity turns towards him as the enter the dance floor and gently rubs his arm soothingly, giving him a patient that said everything was going to be okay. Strangely enough, it was helping him.
“It’s okay Cyrus, take your time. Don’t think about all these other people around you just focus on dancing. All it has to be is the two of us.”
Cyrus takes a deep breath, her close proximity making him feel conscious of the dress she’s wearing, and he heats up a bit. She lets go of him and starts moving to the rhythm of the song and before long he follows suit. Matching her movements with clumsy follow ups but she remains patient.
The whole crowd was no longer there, at least that’s what it felt like. Cyrus focuses entirely on her, every shake and spin she does become his entire purpose in that moment. It was perfect.
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This morning sucks he thought to himself. Every time he goes to sleep it becomes one dream after the other. Honestly, Cyrus wasn’t even sure he wanted to go to sleep anymore with how miserable it was making him. Sleep was something he couldn’t do without unfortunately.
Gathering his items, he made quick work of the morning with a big hearty meal before departing in the direction of the dungeon. It was only about an hour journey outside of the town. Just far enough so that if there were an outbreak of monsters from the dungeon, there would be time for the town to organize a raiding party to stop them.
Thankfully, the journey was without complications, and he arrived at the dungeon entrance. There was a massive stone wall with fortifications surrounding a circular hole in the ground. It could better be described as a pit going straight down into darkness. Torches lit up the side so that you could at least have some light into the depths. On the side against the wall a staircase went down around the edges of the pit, descending so far, he couldn’t even see the bottom.
Around the entrance there were many groups of adventurers geared up and looking to go down. Cyrus got an idea and tried identifying one of the humans on the other side with the System.
*Human – Level 45*
Much to his surprise, he was able to identify to some extent one of the humans readying for their descent. Cyrus was hoping for more information than that but at least it was a start. He was hopeful that the skill would become better, and he’d be able to glean more information as time went on. Just as he was about to move towards the stairs he was waved down by a pair of adventurers.
*Elf – Level 22*
*Dwarf – Level 25*
“Hey buddy, are you about to make your way into the dungeon?” The elf asks him.
“Yes, I was just about to head down, why?” Cyrus replies suspiciously of the two.
“My name is Serence, and this is my companion Billo.” He says gesturing to the dwarf, “we have a small group of 7 others and were looking for one more. We want to go deeper so we’re forming a party, want to join?”
Cyrus considered the novelty of going in with a party. It might be a better idea since he hadn’t been inside the dungeon before and the group with the other 5 behind them seemed relative relaxed. A quick identify with the System showed that they were all around his level, so it would be a telling experience about others. There were more pros than cons, so he decided to go with it.
“Sure I’m game, better safety in numbers I suppose.”
“Right on, we’re heading in now so make sure not to get left behind” Billo responds, his voice gruff and experienced.
Cyrus followed behind them as they rejoin the group and introduced him as the last member. A quick wave to the entrance guard and they begin their descent down into the depths of the dungeon. The darkness encompasses them, surrounding the party like a blanket. At his point there was no going back, hopefully this would be a two-way trip and he wouldn’t just end up dead in a hole somewhere. That would suck far more than having to find another shirt or something.
One of the members of the party, a beast woman cast light magic. Spores of light appeared all around the group and followed them while they descended and finally got to the level floor. They had descended deep enough that the surface couldn’t even be seen anymore except for a small faint light in the distance that looked like a single star in the night sky. If this was just the first level of a dungeon, then the lower floors must be unimaginably deep inside the crust of the planet. Cyrus couldn’t help but wonder if the temperature of the planet’s core would start to affect the temperature as they descended deeper but quickly wrote it off as magic would likely halt the issue. At the very least he just didn’t want to be boiling in weather that was several hundred degrees too hot.
Multiple paths surrounded them, each with signs indicating the direction it would take them. Each sign described the kinds of monsters that were in that direction, as well as the average level of them. In addition, it recommended a certain number of party members that adventurers should travel with in order to be safe. The leader of the party, the elf Serence, guided them into the area known as the Anthill.
According to him, the ants inside had undergone massive growth and in length were the size of humans on average. Some got even larger as they leveled up and became stronger; as such they needed to be culled. While the ants on their own were nothing special, as a group they would be able to overwhelm singular strong adventurers with ease, so it was best to be careful in that regard.
Anyone would be hard pressed to call the area we were in a cave; it was more like an underground world. Cyrus could see miles ahead with just the open space in front of them, the space itself was covered with large hills several hundred feet tall. These were clearly the anthills as the massive black hands covered the mounds going in and out of the top.
He grabbed the hilt of his sword and drew it out in preparation. This would be the first time he willingly went into battle against an enemy. His hand was shaking while looking at the massive ants, at the same time he was more than exhilarated.
Serence turned around to face the party from the front of the pack. “Alright, we’ll split up from here. There’s more than enough ants to go around but we’ll work in pairs and form a line moving forward. Spread out about 50 feet apart to maintain a safe fighting distance.”
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It was clear that the elf had been here before and was good with strategy. His order left no room for discussion or otherwise as the point he made was clear and simple. Split up and cull these bastards, then get some levels.
The party agreed and quickly dispersed; Cyrus though had not known anyone in the group. As the others paired off, he was left standing alongside the beast girl who used light magic earlier. She wore leather armor as well and held a nicely crafted ornamental staff with white drapes hanging off it. On her side she had two small daggers for what looked like a last resort protection. She had short, fluffy brown hair that was messy in a good but lazy sort of way. Basically the same style as his hair, messy and uncombed like all hair should be.
“I’ll be fighting with the sword at my side. What fighting style is yours? I’m Cyrus by the way.” He greets her.
“I’m a light mage, I use support attacks to work with someone and protect them. I can use shield spells and ability buffs. Nice to meet you Cyrus, I’m called Peluna.” She politely returns.
“I’m not familiar with supports, how will it work?”
“I don’t fight on the front lines but support you from behind. I can block attacks that you’re not prepared for or give you openings. I can also increase your speed or strength with buffs.”
“Sounds pretty useful, we should get started so we don’t get left behind.”
Peluna nods in return, allowing her and Cyrus to begin culling the ants. They walk down the width of the anthill where the rest of the party hasn’t gone yet, and Cyrus checks the status of the two ants in front of him.
*Black Worker Ant – Level 14*
*Black Worker Ant – Level 11*
The two ants quickly took notice of his presence and the closest one began charging at him, not nearly as fast as the boar was. The difference here was that the boar did not have mandibles, and those things looked pretty sharp. Obviously, Cyrus did not want to be on the receiving end of those.
Knowing better than to hesitate when in danger, Cyrus darted forward with his rapier in hand. He hadn’t really tried running since being integrated by the System, but he was clearly much faster. The initial shock of his superhuman like speed threw him off.
Cyrus meets the first worker ant halfway, swinging his sword down for a vertical slash. The impact is soft, his rapier slicing right through the ants left mandible, causing it to screech in pain and fury. Despite its pain, the ant lunges for his torso with its still existing mandible, looking to stab him. After the first slash he hadn’t expected the ant to attack right away and can’t move his body out of the way fast enough.
Lucky for him, a glass like golden shield appears just between the mandible and his torso, taking the brunt of the attack and giving him enough time to jump back. This was the work of Peluna, who had used her shield magic to protect him between attacks. He turns around slightly and nods at her in thanks.
Looking back forward, Cyrus notices the other worker ant making its way over to support its friend. Knowing he needs to finish this quickly before it arrives, Cyrus steps forward on his right foot and jabs the rapier forward several times in a stabbing motion. Each jab pierces the head of the ant, its screams last no more than a second before it collapses on the ground.
*Black Worker Ant – Level 14 Killed. Experience awarded*
*Level up to 16! – Free points awarded*
While the level up catches his attention for a moment, Cyrus refocuses on the second ant coming his way. His breath catches for a moment as his vision narrows. It almost felt like he was able to smell the blood on his sword from killing the ant. This must be the effects of [Life Burn] from Void magic.
The spell empowered him through spilling the blood of his enemies, the blood on his sword and the mushy head of the ant he slain must be causing him to go feral. If these were the effects of one kill, he could only wonder what several kills would do to his senses.
Pushing those thoughts to the side for now, the other ant was far more important than the effects of his passive ability. Wanting to experiment, he activated [Void Aura] and watches as his rapier became encompassed in a dark purple flame. It was as if the weapon was on fire but didn’t spread past the hilt. It didn’t feel hot, but the flames so close to his body weren’t exactly comforting either.
The worker ant was within several feet of him now. Cyrus stepped back and slashed just as the ant came within range of attack. The effects of the flame stunned him for a moment, the slash extending beyond the tip of his sword and pushing forward with an arc of dark light. While the swing should have only sliced into the head of the ant, the strength of the slash along with the aura extended to cutting down into the core of its body. The ant crumbled to the ground beside its compatriot in a bloody mush.
*Black Worker Ant – Level 11 Killed. Experience awarded*
He sighed in relief while looking at this work, the two ants having died quiet easily. It also helped that there were other party members splitting the number of enemies so no one team would be overwhelmed. Taking no time, Cyrus put his free points into Dexterity.
Cyrus was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard Peluna call out for him to look at the anthill. Coming down from the top towards their team was another ant, this one looked far larger, and its mandibles were much longer. Besides that, he could also feel the hint of an aura coming off the ant, as if it had trained.
*Black Warrior Ant – Level 21*
Well that would explain a lot, since level 20 was the first steppingstone when it came to levels the warrior was bound to feel much stronger than him. Despite that, the road to getting stronger was through combat. If he couldn’t kill one measly warrior, he was bound to die in the near future to something else.
Rather than just charging at him like the other ants had, the warrior stopped about 30 feet from Cyrus and a small white ball or aura formed between its mandibles. The energy coming from the ball was fairly intense, like the ant had condensed its aura into one spot. Without warning, the warrior shot the ball at Cyrus.
He had been practically waiting for the warrior to do so, the ball coming at him having been pretty slow compared to a charging creature and he weaved to the side. Cyrus would have been smug if the warrior wasn’t already readying its next attack. This time the energy in the ball is lessened, but the warrior is able to shoot it much faster than before in an attempt to catch him off guard.
The speed of the ball is faster this time, causing Cyrus to cry out in surprise. Normally someone would duck when they see something coming at their face, particularly a dangerous ball like this. Cyrus was not just anybody though, all common sense begone he chooses to do the limbo instead. Practically throwing himself down onto his back and hitting the ground. The warrior takes advantage of the situation and starts charging at its now downed enemy.
Lucky for Cyrus, his teammate came prepared to help him as he felt a speed boost overcome his body. Just as the warrior was about to reach him and stab his torso, the speed boost was just enough for a timely side roll. The warriors powerful mandibles stabbed the ground, small cracks forming where he had just lay prior. While he was sure his torso wouldn’t have been stabbed due to the chain mail and leather he was wearing, his ribs might have been collateral damage.
Pulling himself to his feet, the warrior was clearly not expecting the speed he had just displayed. It was about to turn to face him, but Cyrus wouldn’t give the warrior that chance. Keeping the rapier coated in aura, he brought the sword down on the head of the ant as hard as he could. The feeling was much like cutting into butter with a steaming hot knife, half of the ants head was off with a clean strike. The rest of the body fell with it, blood pouring from where half of its head had once been.
*Black Warrior Ant – Level 21 killed. Experience awarded*
*Level up to 17! – Free points awarded*
Sighing in relief, Cyrus finally let his body relax and like before he put two more points into dexterity. If Peluna hadn’t been here to speed him up, then an enemy just 5 levels over him would have probably killed him. That wasn’t a good thought, and all the more reason to get stronger as fast as possible.
Cyrus turned back to his support, “thanks for the help Peluna, you probably saved my skin back there with that boost and shield of yours.” He tells her gratefully.
“That is kind of my job as a support, that aura on your weapon was pretty strong too. We should link up with the rest of the party.” Peluna gestures to everyone else as they converge at the base of the hill, several individuals sporting injuries and panting after fighting the ants.
The pair makes their way over to the rest of their party; besides some minor injuries no one took much damage. The worst that could be said about anyone was a gash across one of the swordsman’s back. Cyrus did feel some pride from this, having taken down a warrior without injury to show for it while other more experienced adventurers had gotten hurt.
“Great work everyone, why don’t we take a break here and we’ll keep going deeper in about 15 minutes?” Serence suggested.
Everyone seemed to agree pretty quickly and many of the members dropped themselves straight to the ground. Cyrus thought about joining them but opted to instead walk off the side a bit and lay against the anthill. While he didn’t hold anything against the merry band of fighters, he didn’t feel inclined to hang out with them either.
Since there was some down time, he figured it would be alright to relax his eyes for a few minutes before the next bout with the ants. A couple more warriors and he might be able to reach level 20 pretty quickly. He had heard from the other party members that around level 30, classes become available. There are chances you might not get any choices until you meet certain conditions, but most people are able to select at least one or two common choices.
Class requirements are fairly simple; many common warrior classes require a person to meet a stat minimum before they can use it. Some of the higher ranked classes need a person to be a certain skill level or even stack up so many kills. This theory ran true for other classes as well. It was little use wondering what class he wanted right now, maybe once he saw his choices, he would figure out his path then.
Just as he was closing his eyes, Cyrus started to get an uneasy feeling in his chest. It was a feeling of danger, just like he had when the warrior ant made its appearance. He looked over to where the rest of the party was sitting and only counted 5 people. The party leaders who recruited them, Serence and Billo were nowhere to be seen. While they could be scouting or relaxing elsewhere like he was, something still didn’t sit right with him.