"Normally, it would take five to six adventurers, with at least one Advanced Class holder, to deal with a Beginner Dungeon Boss." ~Shallies Mythernal, The Dungeon Conqueror
Grace ignored the volley of mana-beams heading her way, dashing straight to the source that was the tree made out of pure mana. She knew Arun'dul would take care of them. And as expected, the seraph deflected the beams before they even got close to her.
The moment she reached the tree, its trunk bubbled and erupted with tendrils that were completely unlike its plant-based structure. They formed into spikes which launched at her with blinding speed.
Her instincts kicked in, tapping into her Agility. She managed to dodge the first two, but the third grazed the top of her shoulder. Arun'dul arrived and deflected the rest.
Grace pressed on. Using Haste, she had accumulated enough charges for her Lightning Surge. She stopped by its roots and ignited the charges, causing a massive lightning explosion which stunned the monster. Not letting up, she struck with Mana Slash, slicing open a massive wound. Then she tapped into her Focus, made a quick step, and lunged with Flametongue in a swift flowing motion.
The Spell Sword's flurry of Skills proved to be effective. The tree made out of mana, whatever it was, made a great bellow. It sounded nothing like anything Grace had ever heard before. The roar of Arun'dul's cursed form, the screech of the noldzwjaks, they were intimidating, but neither of those had pierced her skull in an attempt to crush her brain. The high pitches threatened to shatter her ears, while the pulsing lows made her insides vibrate.
She barely registered the hint of surging mana from the monster before Arun'dul carried her away.
First was the explosion around the tree.
Bright was an understatement. It assaulted Grace in both vision and hearing, as the mana erupted with a teeth-crunching boom, like glass scratching on glass. The seraph slowly placed her on the ground near the edge of the crater when the detonated mana coalesced into concentrated pockets.
The half-orc was familiar with that one. Mana-Missiles. A similar trick used by drillbulls. The amount, however, was like constellations in the night sky.
"Get ready to strike," said Arun'dul, facing the tree and the twinkling pockets of mana. Chippy was on his shoulder, watching diligently. The phoenix chick had endured the same assaults on his senses, but he looked angry rather than afraid, squawking bird-insults at the tree. The seraph smiled. "Get ready, Grace. I'll make sure you're safe."
Got the order wrong… The half-orc concentrated on her task, placing her safety on the seraph so she could focus on killing the tree-creature. While she couldn't believe how easy it was to trust her life to someone else, there was something about Arun'dul that made her trust him more quickly. Perhaps it was the Curse. Perhaps because he didn't see her as some genius in the Academy. Or someone who should be treated differently because she was from the province.
Grace wrapped her fingers with mana and drew Flametongue throughout her Mana-Edge +3. She had done the sequence wrong last time, using Mana Slash first without the fire damage buff. She also renewed her Haste.
"Stachie, I still have 2 Skill Points, right?"
[3 actually. You're Level 37 now, Grace.]
"Oh, that's right. Let me learn Sharpen Blade, please."
[Learning a new Skill during an encounter isn't recommended. You're not used to it, and it can cause distraction.]
"It's fine. We'll be okay. Let me learn it. I'm giving you all the confirms in the world."
Stachie made a mechanical sigh. [Fine. You're now able to use Sharpen Blade. I've disabled the System from giving you detailed information about it for now. You can check it later when you're not busy. I'm sure you have some idea how to use it.]
"Thanks, I do."
[Good hunting, Grace, Arun'dul.]
"Here they come!" said the seraph. "Stay behind me."
"Got it. Just tell me when to go!"
The pockets of mana ignited, emitting hundreds upon hundreds of Mana-Missiles heading straight for them. Arun'dul crossed both arms in front of him, left over right, with his right forearm facing towards him, with the other facing towards the projectiles. His mana surged, different from before. It wasn't quite the same as Stellar Mana, but it was more potent, quality-wise, when compared to a normal one.
"Light Aegis."
A prismatic dome with circular runic patterns surrounded the both of them. Then the beams came. Each one that came into contact with the barrier bounced off, as if it was a mirror reflecting the rays of the sun. They went in random directions, some even bouncing back into the tree.
It was a constant shower. An indiscriminate display of power directed at them, but without proper control. Most of the beams missed them entirely. Grace observed as the crater they were standing in gradually changed shape. Some beams even reached the trees behind them, causing some to ignite and fall. Hidden creatures, whether they were simply observing or awaiting their chance, ran away, while some, more intelligent once, prevented the fires from spreading.
Arun'dul held on. His expression was far away from desperate nor pressured. His eyes were calm and calculating, keeping an eye on the Boss monster.
Grace prepared herself. Eventually, the barrage would relent, and she calmly waited for that window of opportunity. With her Mana-Edge +3 at the ready, she stalked from Arun'dul's side, ready to pounce at any moment.
Arun'dul's head lifted a bit. Grace tensed.
"Now!"
The Spell Sword didn't care if the barrage was still going on. She trusted Arun'dul enough. With Haste, Grace's first step made a burst that allowed her to close the distance within a second step. In that short moment, the Guardian Armorer kept pace, blocking every single beam that the half-orc would've otherwise collided with.
"Sharpen Blade," Grace invoked. And with a third step, she made a wide, horizontal arc, combining Mana Slash with Flametongue.
With all three Skills concentrated on this singular slash, the resulting arc of flame sliced into the tree made of mana cleanly. Flametongue ignited the monster at the same time. Grace chose to keep the flames rather than unleash it entirely.
The tree erupted with an ear-shattering roar, before lashing out blindly in front of it.
"Sharpen Blade!" Grace didn't even bother to dodge. "Mana Slash!"
Arun'dul blocked the Boss monster's desperate attacks.
"Sharpen Blade! Mana Slash!"
Grace was running out of mana, but she didn't relent. She poured everything she had. It was almost dead. They were almost done.
"Sharpen Blade! Mana Slash!"
"Sharpen Blade! Mana Slash!"
"Sharpen—!"
Something caught Grace's wrist. She blinked and saw Arun'dul stopping her. Her confusion almost made her assume something big was about to hit them, when she found the tree monster lying on the ground, dispersing into mana residue. It left behind a square Loot Source.
"Time to calm down, Grace," he said, finally letting go when he realized she had recovered from her frenzy. "You did good. But I don't think losing yourself that way is advisable for next time."
"Yeah… Sorry. I didn't mean to do that." Grace took deep breaths. Her heart was still pumping. Her limbs were burning. There was a great desire to use Mana Energy, but she was already low on mana as it was.
"You still have those potions, right?" Arun'dul asked, retrieving one of his own from his Class Inventory. He offered it to her. "If you don't have any more, you can have this. I still have two."
"No, I… Yes, I still have my own."
"Better drink it then. Should help you calm down."
Grace did just that. After activating Mana Energy, she quickly recovered. This time, despite not feeling exhausted anymore, she still felt a lingering discomfort. Like she was on the verge of getting a full recovery, but just not enough. The Skill wasn't taking mana anymore, and all things considered, she was already back at full stamina. Yet, she couldn't get rid of that nagging feeling.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
[It'll only get worse, unless you get some proper sleep,] Stachie said. [You'll need more practice if you want Mana Energy to work better at pushing back your accumulated fatigue. But that's not important for now.]
"Yeah," Grace agreed. "For now, let's take the Loot Source and get out of here."
"How?" the seraph asked. "We fell from the sky."
"There should be a door somewhere. The actual one from The Delve Gate," Grace said, looking around. "There should be a shortcut as well, since we defeated the Dungeon Boss. Unless, my studies are wrong again."
"Oh, it can't be all wrong," Arun'dul said, pointing towards a concentration of mana slowly forming an oval portal. "Is that it?"
"Yeah, that should be the shortcut."
Grace and Arun'dul approached the forming portal. At this point, Chippy left the seraph's shoulder and hopped onto hers. He made a chirp, and for some reason, it made the half-orc feel like he was giving her a warning.
"Wait a sec," she said, before Arun'dul could even reach out. Grace lifted a hand towards the portal. "Scan."
[Scan successful. This portal will send you to the main entrance of the Dungeon, not The Delve Gate. Should you wish to return to The Delve Gate instead, you must navigate towards it normally.]
"It's not trapped?" Grace asked. "No requirements or demands?"
[It is safe to use, yes.]
Despite this, the half-orc still cautiously reached out. The portal expanded, but other than that, it did nothing else. Grace turned to Arun'dul, who simply nodded towards her.
"Here goes nothing…" With a deep breath, she stepped through.
The next thing she saw was their campsite. Grace made a sigh of relief and showed her appreciation to her phoenix chick by lightly tapping his head.
"Thanks, Chippy."
The bird made some happy chirps.
As they approached the camp, they found Shallies lying in a hammock, reading something on her System Console. The Godkiller didn't even look at them, simply waving and beckoning them over.
"Good job with the leytree."
[Congratulations, Grace! You've received some Good Job Experience Points.]
"Thanks," Grace said to both mentor and System Assistant, before taking one of the stools. Chippy jumped on the table and sat, his eyes suddenly tired. "So that was a leytree. Never seen one before."
"They're usually pretty timid," Shallies said. "But this one's a Dungeon Boss, so it's a lot more aggressive."
"Is it stronger than the normal ones?" Arun'dul asked, taking another seat.
"Yep. More mana since the dungeon's anchored to it."
"I see."
"Also, Stachie. You should probably let her System Console appear now."
[Oh, right. I'm used to getting a command for that.]
"Oh, that's right!" Grace almost jumped, bothering her pet. "Oops, sorry, Chippy. Did I level up, Stachie?"
[You certainly did. Congratulations, Grace. You're now Level 42. You have 5 available Attribute Points, and a total of 4 available Skill Points.]
"That sounds like a lot," said the half-orc, frowning. "Even for a boss, I mean."
"It's not as strong as a six-horned noldzwjak," Shallies started. "But you're the only one who could earn any experience points when the leytree died. So all of it went to you. Arun'dul doesn't take any, I don't take any either."
"Wow! That's amazing!"
"Oh, I think Lady Phey'lan and Sir Valor'el did the same thing for me before," said Arun'dul. "It certainly helped me gain a lot of levels while I learned how to fight properly."
"I'm actually curious, Arun," Shallies began. She got out of her hammock to join them. "Did you start taking a Class late?"
"When I was 300," he replied.
"Ah, I see. By the way, I have some snacks for you, or you can sleep for now. Up to you two."
"Aren't we closing the Dungeon?" Grace asked.
She didn't really know the process of closing a dungeon. The professors at the Academy had been adamant that it was for people to learn during their adventures and quests. It was apparently a harmless process, so they had skipped teaching it, and she had been focused on her actual training during that time to even consider satiating her curiosity.
"It'll collapse once we leave," Shallies said. "While we're here, the mana around us will gradually destabilize. That's technically our time limit before the Dungeon Gate closes on us. It usually takes about three days."
"What happens if it closes on us?" Arun'dul asked.
"Haven't you dealt with dungeons before, Arun?" Shallies returned the question. She went to her portable oven and retrieved three Baked Potatoes. Grace and Arun'dul reactively helped prepare the table.
"We leave right after killing the Dungeon Boss," he replied.
"Oh, well, then. Two things can actually happen," Shallies started once they were eating. "Either you get lucky and are spat out by the dungeon, or you get stuck and have to live in this place until the Dungeon Gate opens again. You can actually witness the dungeon reforming while you're in it. But I don't recommend it regardless."
"Oh, I thought it was going to be something dangerous," Grace said. She was about to make a sigh of relief when she noticed Shallies narrowing her eyes towards her. "Sorry, was I wrong?"
"Can you handle this place on your own for weeks? Some Dungeon Gates don't reopen for years. Imagine getting stuck in an Abyss Dungeon."
"I mean it's bad," Grace admitted in defense. "I just thought we might instantly die when it closes."
"Oh, well… When you say it like that, it's not so bad."
"Are we sure we're okay to stay the night?" Arun'dul asked. "Not questioning your wisdom, Lady Shallies, but Grace said she doesn't want to be in this dungeon anymore."
"Wait! I didn't mean it like that!" the half-orc exclaimed, feeling heat rise up her neck. She raised both arms to deflect, embarrassed. "I just wanted to ensure we can close it. And we have that reward thing, remember? Defeat the Dungeon Boss before sunrise?"
Shallies looked to her System Console, and Grace did the same. It was still well before sunrise.
"I suppose a reward is in order," said the Godkiller. "I'll come up with something later. For now, did you check your Loot Source?"
"Not yet." Grace opened her Class Inventory and retrieved the Loot Source. Though she had not seen that many before, all of them taking a diamond shape, the Loot Source's square appearance already made her excited for what it contained. "I've never seen a square Loot Source before."
"Same here," Arun'dul said. "I've seen a spherical one, but not square."
"Square ones are only for Dungeon Bosses," Shallies explained. "You'll only really see one outside if an outbreak occurs." She gestured for Grace to proceed. "Open it."
The half-orc did as told. There were a lot, but her anticipation slowly dissipated. "It's a bunch of unidentified things."
"Scan them," Shallies said simply.
"Oh…"
[Leytree (Boss) Loot Source:] [1 Ring of Strength +4] [1 Necklace of Mana Reservation] [1 Gem of Improved Movement Speed] [1 Gem of Health Regeneration] [3 Lesser Equipment Enhancement Stones (+1 - +4)] [1 Lesser Weapon Enhancement Stone (+1 - +4)] [1,931 bits]
Grace relayed all the information to Shallies and Arun'dul. The Godkiller simply nodded, and even the seraph wasn't that impressed. But they were smiling at her.
"Great," Shallies started. "Keep those and figure out where you want to use them."
"I don't need the Ring of Strength," said the half-orc.
The Godkiller simply shrugged. "Sell it, give it to someone else, do whatever you want."
Grace offered the ring to Arun'dul. He shook his head.
"I don't need it either."
"Guess I'll sell it, then. Or maybe Ren can have it…"
The next morning, Shallies and the others went out of the dungeon. Just like she said, the Dungeon Gate shrunk until it completely vanished. Grace, as usual, was amused by such a simple thing. Arun'dul, who had seen it happen many times already, made a sigh of relief.
Despite the half-orc's complaints, the group took to the skies on their way back. It was faster that way. Shallies noticed, however, that Grace wasn't complaining or screaming anymore as she dangled while holding Arun'dul's arms. She blamed that on The Delve Gate that had thrown them in the air, and on her increasing trust on the seraph.
Not soon after, they arrived at her home. Inside, they found Phey'lan singing some lines from one of Apple's songs, while the teacup fairy herself played the tunes from her piano. Valor'el was nowhere to be found.
"Welcome home," said the female seraph as she began to brew some coffee. "How was it?"
"Done and closed," Shallies said. "They'll submit the quest complete to Robert later."
"Where's Sir Valor'el?" Arun'dul asked.
"He went to study the Rift," Phey'lan explained. "Someone from the Gaiamaxims might show up in a few days, so he went there now to avoid conflicting with their schedule."
"I see."
"Now that we're home," Shallies began, gesturing towards the younger seraph. "Can you take a look at his condition?"
"Hmm? What happened?" Phey'lan asked.
Arun'dul didn't even hesitate. "I used Light Aegis yesterday."
"Oh!" The female seraph quickly went to study the younger one, letting Shallies take her place on the mana-crafted coffee machine.
"So it was a Hero Skill!" Grace exclaimed. "I knew something was up, but I couldn't get a chance to ask."
"I was sure I could use one at least without provoking my Curse," Arun'dul said defensively. "You had nothing to worry about."
"That's true," Phey'lan said, her voice not exactly filled with her usual cheerfulness. "You look stable, but I thought we agreed that you won't use it at all? What did you fight anyway?"
"It was a Boss leytree," Shallies started, not looking at any of them. She was focused on the coffee machine, intent on making a good-looking latte. "It prepared a beam volley after making some distance. It has a long casting time, and one of the usual ways to deal with it is to reduce the number of pockets, so you can dodge the rest easily. But Arun'dul decided to just block them all instead."
"I sort of knew you were watching, Shallies," Grace said, scratching her head. "I don't know exactly how to feel about that."
"I wasn't going to let you die that easily, Grace," Shallies began. "Despite what I said before you integrated with the Mentor System, I wouldn't put any of you into extreme danger that early, especially when you're still just a Base Class."
"Thanks. I appreciate that." Grace smiled. "This is actually the first quest where nothing incredibly deadly happened to me."
"You fell from the skies," Shallies reminded her.
"Oh, right…" Grace sighed. "Apparently we could've Scanned The Delve Gate."
Phey'lan burst out laughing.
"It wasn't that funny," Grace grimaced.
"Sorry. I just did the same thing way, way back." Phey'lan did her best to stop laughing. "I didn't fall from the skies, though. I fell in acidic slime. Destroyed all my equip—"
She started blushing. "Actually, never mind."
Shallies lost concentration and messed up the art on the latte. She sighed. "Yeah, I remember that. Had to cover all the guys' eyes with mud, and Valor'el managed to block it somehow. Now look at you two."
"Shallies!" Phey'lan jumped at the Godkiller, attempting to cover her mouth. She couldn't catch her, however.
"Yeah, yeah, I won't say more," Shallies said, passing the first cup to Arun'dul, who was getting pretty red.
"Have you deleted it?" The female seraph asked, stopping her attempts to catch the Godkiller. "I know you had Stachie record it!"
"Can't," Shallies said simply, starting another brew. "I can't delete it without deleting the entire record."
"We know that's not true! Stachie can do many things, of course she can delete part of that record!"
"What's wrong with it, anyway? It's not like I haven't seen you fully bare. I was your mom's midwife, remember? And I was your nanny for about a century."
"Nanny? You kept leaving to go into dungeons! And that's not the point!" Exhausted, Phey'lan sighed. "Sometimes, I forget that you're older than my mother."
"Well, enough of that," Shallies said, giving the second cup to Grace. It looked much better this time. "Valor'el's coming home."
The female seraph sighed one more time. "I'll go freshen up."
She headed up the stairs, since their room had its own bathroom. Apple joined her.
Shallies smiled before turning to remaining two. They looked like they were about to burst with how red they were.
"You two okay?"
"I've never seen Lady Phey'lan so flustered," Arun'dul admitted. "Did you actually record her that time?"
"You're not watching it, perv," Shallies said straight up.
"I wasn't meaning to!"
"I was kidding. I also have you two recorded." Shallies opened her System Console, showing a recording of their fight with the leytree. "It's for review purposes. Say whatever you want, but Phey'lan never misses a chance to Scan any Delve Gate, or Dungeon Gate, or Tower Gate, or whatever anymore."
Grace covered her face. "I'm so glad we just fell from the skies instead."
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