Class-A Threat (Disgardium Book #1) LitRPG Series

by Dan Sugralinov

  The four Dementors were standing on grass next to the city gates. They saw me and stood up. When I got near, Crawler nodded with his arms crossed. I could read concentration not only on his face, but all of theirs. Mentally they were already in the dungeon. Even the normally jovial Infect was in no mind to kid around.

  The boys squeezed my hand, Tissa smiled and gave a barely perceptible head-bob. And I understood why. Friday night didn't happen, act casual.

  "Ready?" she asked.

  "As far as I understand, I just need to raise whoever dies. That doesn't take any preparation..."

  "He's ready," Crawler reported. "Let's move out. We'll give you the Stone of Resurrection when we get there."

  I nodded. It was not a cheap artifact. Crawler was just playing it safe. I got added to the group, Tissa buffed us for speed and regeneration, and we jogged lightly off to the northwest toward the Olton Quarries. Hired workmen were transported there on special carts, but we had to hoof it.

  It was not a short path. Thankfully it was well-trodden though, so mobs generally avoided it with the exception of one brazen level-ten black bear. Anyway, two Nergal's Palms from Tissa and a fireball from Crawler were too much for him. Bomber, as the strongest player with the highest carrying capacity, looted the body and we moved on.

  The sun was sitting high and just frying my skin. We were all drenched in sweat and, even knowing this was just false realism, we were still constantly reaching for the canteens of water the Dementors had thankfully brought along. They already knew what they were getting into. As it turned out, beyond the several stacks of health and mana potions, they had also brought lots of food with impressive bonuses.

  "Spicy roast catfish in mango sauce, five gold a piece!" Bomber boasted, licking his lips. "And yeah it's tasty, but it’s also gonna make the group better. It gives plus five to all basic attributes!"

  "I should remember that and learn the recipe," I thought.

  "I don't think it’s tasty," Tissa didn't agree.

  "Well it's better than what we eat out there!" Infect exclaimed, not clarifying what exactly this was tastier than, or what he meant by "out there."

  Everyone already knew, and that tiny little thing finally made me realize just how drastically citizenship status can affect living standards. And that was a matter of just a few points on the test. They all had lower-status families than me. In mine, organic food was not considered a rarity.

  In two hours and change, we were at our destination next to the crevasse. Crawler stopped at a tall stone pillar covered in carved letters. The top was adorned with a three-dimensional double-cross, the symbol of respawn points.

  "Everyone set here if you haven't yet," said Ed. "Scyth?"

  "I don't need to, did you forget?" I answered. "The restless soul thing..."

  "You know best. Alright, let's go. I'm gonna toss a Feather on everyone!" he got out a scroll.

  There was a descending path carved into a steep stone wall and it was so narrow we couldn't get through two at a time. And it would have taken us half an hour at least, but with the air magic spell, it all went much faster. One after the next, the Dementors walked off the edge. I made sure the magic worked and jumped after them.

  Flying, what a feeling! I couldn't control my speed at all, though it was relatively low. In fact, it was slow enough that I managed to take a look around. Below me, there were miners scurrying around regardless of the fact it was technically a weekend. At the far end of the crevasse, there was a black tunnel entrance with a set of rails running into it. Miners hauled carts of ore out.

  We landed and walked up to the cave. Now I understood why the guys came to town so rarely, and came back loaded like mules. They had no mounts, there were no portals into town, and the idea of wasting a half a day getting there and back for nothing made my fist tighten. And the hamster was about to hang itself.

  Not paying any mind to the quarry workers, Ed led us past them into the mine shaft. I sensed someone staring at me, turned and saw Manny, Hank's brother. He raised a hand and I waved back. He made a donut with his fingers and rolled his eyes back, smacking his lips. I smiled, nodded and ran off to catch my group.

  In the gloom of the mine shaft, my night vision ability switched on and, when we turned down a side passage leading sharply downward, and the torch-light the miners worked by was left behind. Experience started pouring down like a river.

  Night Vision skill improved: +1.

  Vision radius in the dark increased by 60%.

  Current level: 6.

  Improve this skill by staring into the darkness, but take care. It might start staring back at you!

  After that up, we went to the portal, which completely covered the passage down the tunnel. Next to the portal, there was a short boy standing in the shadows. He took a step toward us and held a hand out in front.

  Arador, level-15 human

  Clan: Axiom.

  Real name: Mikha Pavlyuk.

  Real age: 15.

  Class: Tracker.

  "Dementors, stop!" he ordered sharply. "I can’t let you in there."

  "Arador, hi! Are your guys inside?" Ed asked in a business-like manner. "What's their progress?"

  "The ins is empty, but you can't go inside, Crawler. As the strongest clan in this sandbox Axiom is claiming this dungeon until we complete it and get First Kill. In the future, after we’re done, you may apply to enter, but it won’t be free of course."

  "What the heck?" Hung asked derisively. "You're alone, there are five of us. Try and stop us."

  "Wait Bomber," Crawler frowned and turned to Arador: "Since when does you being the strongest clan mean you get to just claim dungeons? The arena is the arena. You're number one there, no arguments. But since when does that affect PvE?"

  "Since yesterday. Big Po and Jay agreed. The Night Stalkers joined Axiom and now members of any sandbox clan that dares to defy us will be put on Axiom's KoS list. So Crawler, think well if it’s worth being a stubborn ox like your boy Hung," Arador spat underfoot. "For what it's worth, our guys are already on the way."

  "Son of a bitch!" I could hear Infect's voice distinctly. "We should have come yesterday..."

  "You should have," the tracker smiled. "But there would have been no point. We have a group: everyone is fifteen at least with max buffs and equip! And even still we keep going down on the last boss. We got him down to five percent on our last try, it was almost enough! But that was us! And who did you bring?" He nodded in my direction. "A level six in green gear! Crawler, I'm starting to think you might be a bit slow!"

  "Don't you dare," Ed said gloomily. "We're leaving. Say hi to Big Po for me. Let's go, guys."

  The Dementors turned, preparing to leave. I stood in place, feverishly thinking... Hm-hm-hm...

  "Crawler, I still don't understand about the noob," Arador shouted, glancing at me. "Is this a little side hustle? I remember you told us off for doing that, got indignant... But now you’re power leveling?"

  Ed's eyes flickered indignantly, but he didn't manage to open his mouth before I answered for him:

  "Something like that. What's in there anyway? Is that some kind of portal? Where does it go? I've only been playing for a week, I’m still learning..."

  "Are you joking?" the tracker asked in astonishment. "Definitely a noob, although... Hey, you're that Scyth, I remember you!"

  He guffawed. The Dementors stopped tensely and watched our dialogue. I weighed the consequences and came to a decision. With a mental command, I quickly sent a message to the group chat: "Don't kick me out of the group! I'll tell you more later."

  "Haha!" Arador kept laughing. "You must be kidding! And what, in a whole year you've never been in an ins?"

  "Yep, I admit, I haven't," I snorted stupidly. "Listen, Mikha, do you think I could just take a peek? Just to see what it's like and stuff..."

  "Ha, no problem! I hope you haven't left your respawn point in Tristad! I guess it wouldn't be so bad though, it would get you right back to town. Pleas
e," he bowed mockingly, extending his hands toward the ins. "Be my guest."

  "Guys!" I shouted foolishly to the Dementors. "Thanks for getting me to the mines, but I’ll take it from here!"

  And I dove into the portal.

  Chapter Thirty-Three. Evil from the Depths

  THE CAVE I FOUND myself in was lit by flickering crystal formations on the walls. The evil magic emanated a dead light, but that was still better than absolute darkness. It allowed me to see fifty feet of the downward-sloping tunnel ahead of me, which got wider as it got deeper.

  Water was dripping off the ceiling everywhere, and I could hear something rustling quickly in the darkness, but I made sure no one was coming to attack me. Then I sent a message in the group chat.

  [11:27] [Group] [Scyth]: Tell Arador a timer turned on asking me to leave the instance. They're going to kick me out and I'm heading for the exit. I'll explain later.

  [11:27] [Group] [Crawler]: I see. We'll have to come back later...

  [11:28] [Group] [Scyth]: Say I asked you to come back and meet me. There are nasty little millipedes in here...

  [11:28] [Group] [Bomber]: They're blind. They only aggro if you attack. Don't piss yourself.

  [11:29] [Group] [Crawler]: So are you really leaving? Should we wait at the portal?

  [11:30] [Group] [Scyth]: Just do as I said.

  [11:35] [Group] [Tissa]: Alex, we're here. Where are you? We can't see you.

  [11:35] [Group] [Scyth]: What did Arador say?

  [11:37] [Group] [Crawler]: He's in a great mood. He's yelling. The ins has been closed for maintenance. Where are you?

  [11:38] [Group] [Scyth]: Great. Now tell him I got sent to the Tristad Cemetery. And also tell me what exactly it says for dungeon status.

  [11:38] [Group] [Infect]: Uh... Just a sec, there's a lot.

  [11:38] [Group] [Infect]: The location Evil from the Depths is temporarily closed for maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Try again in: unknown.

  [11:38] [Group] [Infect]: Ugh... So where are you exactly?

  [11:38] [Group] [Crawler]: Yeah, Scyth. We lost you.

  [11:39] [Group] [Scyth]: Everything's fine. I'm in the ins, but the devs gave me a little trick because of Patrick's curse. If I'm in a dungeon, it says it’s out of order. That's so players don't aggro on me. Now we need to figure out how to get you guys in here.

  [11:41] [Group] [Scyth]: Hey, answer me!

  [11:41] [Group] [Tissa]: Alex, we're leaving the area. Crawler is talking with Axiom. Wait. We'll have to get rid of them before we can get to you.

  [11:42] [Group] [Scyth]: Ok, I'll wait.

  [11:58] [Group] [Crawler]: Sorry for taking so long, we were thinking. Axiom is gonna keep watch here until morning. After that, they're all gonna fly off to school. So we’d have to wait until tomorrow morning.

  [11:59] [Group] [Scyth]: And?

  [11:59] [Group] [Tissa]: Alex, we can't ask you to do that. But if you do...

  [12:00] [Group] [Bomber]: I'll kiss you, Scythy boy!

  [12:00] [Group] [Tissa]: Hilarious! Haha!

  [12:00] [Group] [Scyth]: Alright, I'm gonna leave the darkness.

  [12:01] [Group] [Infect]: Hung, are you cheating on me?!

  [12:01] [Group] [Bomber]: XD XD!

  [12:02] [Group] [Crawler]: Enough side-tracking! Well, Scyth. You don't have to. Hanging around an ins for almost a whole day is not the same as just running around Dis. It bites that we didn't have time to get you food or water. Anyway, we’ll understand if you just leave.

  [12:03] [Group] [Scyth]: Guys, do you only need the final boss for the achi?

  [12:03] [Group] [Crawler]: Yes.

  [12:03] [Group] [Tissa]: Yeah.

  [12:03] [Group] [Infect]: Yep.

  [12:04] [Group] [Bomber]: Uh... That's right.

  [12:04] [Group] [Scyth]: Great! Then I'll see you at seven AM. I'm gonna kick a couple mobs around and level skills.

  [12:05] [Group] [Tissa]: I told you!

  [12:05] [Group] [Crawler]: ...

  [12:06] [Group] [Crawler]: Scyth, it’s a real mess out here. Bomber is doing some weird dance with Infect. I’m not celebrating with them and Tissa yet, because for now it’s just words, but if you actually do this, I don't even know... Consider your rep with all of us up from neutral to respect.

  [12:06] [Group] [Tissa]: Alex, you're the best! I love you!

  [12:07] [Group] [Bomber]: Me too!

  [12:07] [Group] [Infect]: Hung, you cheater!

  I smiled. Big old Hung and tan Malik were always playing a couple, but they were just acting. In fact, half the upper-class girls would kill to be with Malik, and Hung used to play on the school football team and now was carrying on with a few ladies.

  [12:08] [Group] [Scyth]: Alright. Well then, seven AM it is. Don't sleep through it! I'm off to beat down a millipede. Leroooooy!

  [12:09] [Group] [Crawler]: Jenkins! Good luck, Scyth!

  I closed the chat window, kept the armor set I had on and bound it to a button. Now I could get dressed instantly. With all the damage from the mobs it would be a small miracle if it survived, but I hoped the gear would give me at least some protection. I was getting the impression that they turned the pain filters off for threats to the world, and the only thing keeping me sane was my Resilience cutting down on the pain.

  By the way, while I chatted, my Night Vision improved. That led me to the idea of levelling Stealth and, what was more, the first mob I came across had exactly what I needed.

  Spiny Flesh-Eating Millipede, level 18

  Eighteen! That meant the bosses would be at least twenty! And that would mean I could level my skills to sixty. What a good move I made coming in here. Now I would spend almost a whole day in the gloom of a dungeon, teeming with monsters. But that didn’t scare me. I had eaten a big breakfast, and my body could handle one day without food and water.

  I lay down on my stomach, slowly crawled over to the millipede and lied down when it raised its head, looking toward me. I spent ten minutes lying like that, but the time was completely wasted. Stealth didn't grow by even one percent. Clearly neutral mobs were not counted as enemies.

  And honestly, the millipede didn't try to attack. It ran past, tickling my leg with a clump of its long stiff hairs. I wasn't planning to go any further until Curse of the Undead tripped, so I attacked. It hissed and responded right away. We exchanged blows and bites, after which two of my skills dinged at once – Unarmed Combat and Resilience.

  Then I died. The poison from this monster's bite gave a very strong DoT, reducing my health points right before my eyes. As I lay there, I looked at the logs: my accuracy against a mob that surpassed me by twelve levels was cut by one hundred twenty percent. If I hadn't levelled Unarmed Combat to thirty-seven, giving me plus one hundred ninety percent accuracy, I would have been better off just puffing bamboo until the Dementors showed up tomorrow morning. You can't fight too well with a negative hit chance.

  With those thoughts in mind, I respawned, activated Ghastly Howl and Stoneskin, managed to smack the insect in its mandibles after the Fear ended and I died again.

  Pain spread from the place the acidic bite landed. When I stood back up the beast snapped me in two again. But now I was used to that.

  Twenty-nine deaths later, my Resilience was up to level forty, Ghastly Howl had levelled and the RNG worked its magic:

  You carry the mark of the Destroying Plague and have evaded fatal damage!

  You have been given Curse of the Undead: all damage taken reduced by 100%!

  This curse will remain active until you completely restore your health.

  Mark of the Destroying Plague improved: +1.

  Chance to receive Curse of the Undead: 6%.

  Current level: 6.

  First thing I noticed was that my plague energy reserves were still the same size, as was the percentage of damage I could convert into plague energy. The skill description said nothing about that, but if I considered it logically... I got plague energy
at skill-level five. That meant at level ten I'd either get a new ability, or an improvement to my plague damage. And hopefully it would be both.

  A thought flickered up that it was a good idea to try and level Mark of the Destroying Plague at least up to ten. But I set that very important thought aside until I was done with this ins. Six percent was less than ten. But if the Dementors saw me in this haggard, semi-decayed state, it might be too great a temptation. They’d either kill me themselves or sell my identity to well-heeled preventers. Imagine looking at this from an outside perspective...