by Tao Wong
“Nooo!” the friendly gnome screams as he sees Beelzebub fall.
Blink Step takes me to the Boss, where I snatch and throw the falling body. Unfortunately, that puts me way too close to the Boss. Electricity arcs, jumping through my body and making my muscles twitch.
Too bad for the Boss that lightning is one of my highest resistances. It’s annoying but not painful. Not yet at least. Lips pull into a grin as I conjure my sword and thrust it into the monster’s head, cutting through armored skin with ease. The Boss throws itself from side to side as it attempts to dislodge me, but it’s too late. I trigger Blade Strike after Blade Strike with my sword embedded, my other hand gripping a convenient handhold to keep my balance.
The entire fight takes half a minute at most. Blade Strikes eat away at its internals, shutting off the electricity before the Boss mecha falls, lights dimming. A moment later, I have the monster looted while everyone gathers around to berate the experience-stealing idiot of a devil. The fact that Beelzebub managed to do more damage than the rest of the melee fighters means he received a large chunk of the experience. Especially since he risked his life.
“Well, that could have gone better,” I say.
“You okay?” Ali says, floating over to me.
“Just tired,” I say, waving away Ali’s concern.
There’s not much to be said. Beelzebub was stupid to take the risks, but the System rewards such behavior. So chances are he’ll probably do it again. And sooner or later, he’s going to die. Sometimes, I really wonder who built the damn System. Idiotic, stupid-ass counterintuitive rewards and benefits.
“All right, children, time to go. You can kick Red’s ass later,” Ali calls, waving the group to the newly created entrance.
I follow, the boss monster already fading into the ground. No convenient Boss monster corpse to loot this time.
As I walk out, I stretch and get ready to do it all over again.
Chapter 15
Hours later, our timeslots have been used up and everyone who could be run through has been. Thankfully, with the guild’s help, we managed to process a much larger than normal number, with many runs giving at least one if not two increases in Levels. Of course, with so many people going through, and some of the helpers being lower Leveled, there have been a few unfortunate accidents and one death. Unsurprisingly, the news of the loss was a blow but one that most took well. Our job, our lives as Combat Classers can only be described as dangerous.
“Are we done yet?” Hondo says, arms crossed grumpily.
For all his complaining, the group the Weaponmaster dragged out all went up by two to three Levels each. It seems some of the Weaponmaster’s passive abilities not only increase the stats of those in his party but also increase their Leveling speed by distributing some of the experience he would gain to them.
“Almost. Just waiting for them to get home.” I shut down the Portal after the last of the recruits step through. “And done.”
“Pretty sure when they gave you the clearance to use a Portal, they weren’t thinking about you using it for others,” Ali says.
“Then they should have specified their intentions,” I say, sniffing slightly. As if I would make people walk around in danger of being ambushed if I didn’t need to.
“Very well. Open one of your Portals to the prime dungeon,” Hondo commands.
“Sure… wait. No can do. Not been there,” I say.
“Closest point then.”
“Okay…” I pull up the map and look around. There are a few areas, though some of them are in high-traffic locations. Then it hits me that I have another option. “Or I could Scry it. One second…”
Hondo snorts and crosses his arms, waiting for me to cast the spell. It takes a little bit of adjusting, but eventually I not only locate the entrance to the giant hole in the ground that leads to the prime dungeon but also the location meant for those teleporting in. I mentally snort at seeing the location, realizing that once again, Galactic Society really has two sets of rules.
“Why are we going here?” I say as we walk through the blank oval and take in the relatively quiet dungeon.
In the distance, a score of Advanced Classers stand around, packs, floating gravity trains, and a pair of mechanoid animal drones beside them. A short distance away is a platoon of armed and armored soldiers, all of them clad in the same uniform and weaponry, listening to their officer detail their attack plan. As for dungeon parties, that’s it. Unlike so many other dungeons, the prime dungeon is sparsely populated at the top.
“Training,” Hondo says. “We need more Levels.”
Hondo’s words make me really look at the man, taking in his Status. Nearly five years since we’ve seen each other, give or take a few months, and in that time, Hondo must have trained like crazy to reach the Level he has.
Hondo Ehrish (Weaponmaster Level 48, Master of Blades and Guns, Slayer of Orcs, Goblins and Unika, Destroyer of Monsters, The Unbroken Warrior)
HP: 4,510/4,510
MP: 2,070/2,070
Conditions: Weapon of Choice, The Master’s Body, Battle Flow, Greater Regeneration, Greater Mana Regeneration
“Looking to Class up?” I say.
Ali giggles while Hondo and Mikito look at the Spirit flatly. Obviously he’s the only one who got the pun. I’ll take it, considering I’m punning in English but speaking in Galactic.
“As is your friend,” Hondo says, inclining his head toward Mikito.
I look at her Status Screen and find my mouth dropping in surprise.
Mikito Sato, Spear of Humanity, Blood Warden, Junior Arena Champion of Irvina (Middle Samurai Level 48)
HP: 2030/2030
MP: 1440/1440
Conditions: Isoide, Jin, Rei, Meiyo, Ishiki, Ryoyo
Galactic Reputation: 15
Galactic Fame: 6,323
“Wait. You went up two Levels?” I say as I find my voice. “And what’s this Champion title?”
Mikito rolls her eyes while Ali cuts in. “Took you long enough. She’s had that title for two weeks now. If you’d just been oblivious for another two, I’d have won the bet.”
“I earned it a while ago. While you were busy in your Questor library,” Mikito says. “The championship came with a very nice experience bonus.”
“Oh. Wow,” I say, scratching my head. Damn. Now I feel like a right slacker. “Congrats.”
“No need,” Mikito says, waving away my words. “It was only the Advanced Class portion of the junior level.”
“Still, that was well done.”
Hondo coughs, drawing my attention back to him. “We do have a deadline. We are on a limited access pass. In five hours, we’ll be teleported back here. I would prefer to actually make use of this pass.”
“Fine, lead the way, honcho.”
“It’s Hondo.”
“Right, right. Sorry,” I say, flashing a slight smile to Mikito.
She sniffs at me, and I flush guiltily. Okay, maybe I’m teasing the Weaponmaster a little too much. I kick myself mentally for being so juvenile and resolve to be better.
Hondo leads us to a group of freight elevators, where he flashes a pass at the console. A second later, we’re all speared by beams of light and a new Status Condition appears for us. It’s a limited access pass to the prime dungeon, along with a tracking and teleportation spell. Once the doors slide open, we enter the freight elevators and are lowered at ear-popping speed.
“So… details on the dungeon?” I say. It’s not as if I ever did any research on it. Beyond the fact that the dungeon was Irvina’s first, and thus most powerful, dungeon, I have little information on it.
“The prime dungeon is the first dungeon ever created in Irvina. It was initially located outside of the city, with the dungeon built as a classic dungeon format. As such, it extends deep underground,” Hondo says. “The hole you see is to allow airflow to the lowest parts of the dungeon. If you were cognizant of space manipulation, you would feel the way the space itself is manipula
ted around the dungeon, allowing it to continue growing without impacting the city. Understand that the dungeon itself is many times the size of Irvina.”
“It’s bigger than Irvina?” I say, my jaw dropping slightly. That’s kind of hard to imagine, considering Irvina is what we poor humans would consider a megacity.
“Yes,” Hondo says. “During the delve, if you are ever lost, make your way toward the air intakes. That will lead you to the exit and the way up. This will hold true in all locations but the labyrinth floors. We will not be visiting those floors.
“Like any good dungeon, it is more dangerous the deeper you delve. As such, we are entering a floor midway down. Floor sixty-seven. If we do well, we’ll enter floors sixty-eight and sixty-nine. Every ten levels or so, there is a major boss, but unlike static dungeons, these zone bosses wander. As such, care must be taken while engaging in battle.”
“Right, big nasty monsters wandering around. What kind of Levels are we looking at?” I say, stretching and layering buffs on myself. I eye the slowly ticking floor counter, amazed that we’re still going down. Each floor must be huge.
“Level 90 to 100. The Zone Boss is expected to be in the Level 110 region,” Hondo says.
“Expected?”
“They evolve,” Hondo answers. “It is why quests are regularly issued to clear the dungeon. Left alone too long, the prime dungeon becomes even more dangerous.”
“Interesting. I wonder if that happened in Vancouver.” Frustrating that I never had time to learn more about dungeons. I know about them in the most academic of senses, but details like their continued evolution have eluded my study. Most of the details about dungeons for the System quest were easy enough to locate, with many researchers already having drained the well dry. There are, basically, no easy research studies to be done for the System Quest. Dungeons might be an artifact of the System, but they are not, as far as we know, central to the mystery of the System itself.
“Monster types?” Mikito asks as the elevator jerks to a halt.
Hondo touches the side of his neck and a helmet forms around his face.
The doors slide open, revealing the most messed up thing I’d seen in a while. Take a horse, skin it, and meld a humanoid torso where a rider would normally be. Give said rider long arms with black-tipped claws that drip acid and can reach past the horse’s eyeless eyes, then add a stench that makes me gag. Mikito reflexively has her Ghost Armor formed, protecting her even while my eyes water.
As I put on my helmet to protect my sinuses, I scan the creature for details.
Nuckelavee (Level 87)
HP: 2140/2140
MP: 390/390
Condition: Odor of Disease, Aura of Decay, Body of the Grave
Aura of Decay
In the presence of an individual with an Aura of Decay, all will crumble and fall. In death, there is decay. In decay, there is peace. Rest, mortal, knowing your demise is part of the inventible.
Effect: -20% to all resistances. Negative resistances invoke damage over time effects
Hondo doesn’t even hesitate, obviously expecting the creature. He explodes into action, rushing the Nuckelavee as the polearm he uses appears in his hand. Mikito follows, the pair proceeding to cut and slice the monster apart. I hang back, looking at my sword then at the long weapons the pair wield, trying not to feel out of place. But…
“I’ll get the next one then,” I say, mostly to myself.
I catalogue Hondo’s Skills, eyeing the things he can do. Like Mikito, he has a Skill that extends the blade of his weapon, making it bigger and sharper. There’s definitely a penetration Skill or two in his repertoire, which explains the way he peeled apart my Shield and Sabre’s armor the last time we clashed. I don’t see the speed boost he used the last time, but it’s frightening how fast the damn Truinnar is naturally. But I see nothing of his greater Skills, none of the third- or fourth-tier sure-kill attacks.
“Pick up the corpse,” Hondo says, looking over his shoulder to me. “And stop hanging back. You need the Levels too.”
I grunt, sauntering forward and dumping the corpse in my Altered Space. Right or not, I’m not entirely sure I like being ordered around by the Weaponmaster. Still, I follow along until we hit the next bend in the earthen corridor, which expands into a full-sized cavern. There, a full half dozen of the monsters stand, waiting for us.
The next few seconds are filled with bright lights as we trigger our long-range attacks. Blade Strikes or the Class equivalents flash forward from our weapons, Mikito’s and mine moving in arcs of power while Hondo holds his polearm under his armpit and fires a concentrated beam directly from the head of his weapon.
Two of the Nuckelavee drop before they reach us. Then we get to experience a whole new slew of unpleasantness as the monsters’ overlapping auras actively work together. Along the way, the other carrion monsters make their presence known. Small, crawling insect-like figures nip at heels, bite the corpses, and glow with power.
“Thousand hells,” I snarl, Blink Stepping away from the group then throwing Blade Strikes.
I reappear too close to a mushroom-like object that explodes, coating me with some pollen substance that burrows into my Shield, draining its integrity. I yelp, jumping into the sky and triggering my new hoverboots. High above the fight, I attack the monsters, spamming my cutting attacks into the group’s backs and staying away from the overlapping decay domain.
Mikito and Hondo split apart slightly, giving each other enough space to wield their polearms effectively. Mikito’s Ghost Armor cracks and fades before rippling and refreshing in a constant battle against the auras. The Japanese lady ignores the byplay, her naginata dipping and cutting, lopping off legs and tearing off arms as she fights. Not surprisingly, Hitoshi doesn’t seem to be affected at all by the Aura of Decay.
Hondo ducks a blow, catches a second on the haft of his polearm, then twists, kicking one of the monsters in the chest. The Strength he wields is incredible. While leaving the ground Hondo stands on unmarred, he sends the monster flying all the way to the other side of the cavern to pancake against the wall. The man never stops moving, ducking and cutting, shrugging off glancing blows to land deadlier, critical wounds on the monsters. When his polearm breaks, he stabs the broken haft into a convenient leg and pulls another, the weapon glowing with the light sheen of power that covered his former weapon.
My eyes narrow slightly as I watch, Eyes of Insight hinting at something…
“He’s got a targeting Skill,” I send to Ali.
“Weakness Must Be Driven Out. It’s a first-tier Advanced Class Skill for a Weaponmaster. More powerful than the basic Trainer Skill of the same type. Allows a Weaponmaster to see the flow of battle and where their opponent is more vulnerable to attacks.”
A twitch of my hands and I send my knives flashing forward, lodging in a Nuckelavee horse skull. It thrashes, and long fingers dig into its own skull as it attempts to rip out the daggers. As the monster deals with my distraction, I continue my conversation.
“Old school training.”
“Just like toots.”
I wince at Ali’s reminder. Mikito grew up under the kind of strict tutelage that valued beating a weakness till the recipient learned to deal with the flaw in their defense. And since I’d spent uncountable hours training with the woman, she’d beaten me down too. One last slice of my Blade Skill and I send the Nuckelavee attacking me to join its dead comrades. A gesture sends a slew of Mana Darts to join Ali’s, ending the last of the spore trap. Once the floor is clear, I drop down and pick up the corpses.
“Why did you leave the line?” Hondo snarls at me.
“Stacked auras. Also, between the two of you, there’s not much space for me to fight,” I say. “And this way, I could contribute and not get attacked.”
“Cowardly.”
“Effective,” I retort.
Hondo glares at me and I shrug, waiting. Eventually, Hondo leads us down the corridor while Ali finishes putting away the corpses.
I chuckle but take the time to switch out my nice jumpsuit for one of my less-pricey versions. If it’s going to get destroyed, I might as well make sure it doesn’t cost me too much.
Over the next three hours, we tear through the dungeon at a good clip. Eventually, we fall into a routine of fighting and I even join the pair on the front line, dishing out damage. Since we’re all melee combat fighters, this only happens in the biggest rooms, where it’s possible for both polearm wielders and myself to stand in line. The stacked damage from the aura is bad enough, such that I find myself storing the hoverboots and anything not directly necessary for modesty. Even my soulbound sword slowly degrades over time, forcing me to resummon it occasionally.
As for the other two, they deal with it in their own ways. Mikito’s Ghost Armor Skill seems to be absorbing the majority of the effects of the aura, leaving her clothing in one piece. Her naginata, Hitoshi, is special of course. Hondo, on the other hand, tosses the broken weapon away each time it gives up the ghost, drawing a similar weapon from his inventory. As for his clothing, it seems to have a passive resistance ability that defies the aura.
We head down the moment we find the descending tunnel, content to leave for more difficult environs. Outside of the vermin monsters who Ali seems to have a hate-on for and the spore mushrooms, the Nuckelavee are the main opponents here. Fighting higher Level Nuckelavees and variants of the damn spores and vermin still hasn’t pushed us to our limits. I hate to admit it, but I’m getting bored.
That is, until we end up in a large, empty cavern that hosts a single pillar of crystal. There is a small ledge leading up to the pillar and a couple of stalactites on the floor, but for the most part, it’s just a giant cave. We cautiously enter the cavern, finding nothing extraordinary until we’re next to the column of crystal itself.