“Would it be too much to ask ya to pay me back someday? I’m not exactly rich.”

“You will be repaid after I have accumulated a sizable reserve of funds to ensure sufficient protection against unknown circumstances.”

“If you need that much money you don’t have to pay me. It was just a few sets of shirts and pants.”

The farming village was a fair distance away from Bulwark and with the new money Perience had on hand he had relented and purchased a carriage. Walking to the farm after already waking up at the crack of dawn and walking around to collect herbs for hours did not do wonders for his legs.

“It is traditional for a person to repay the generosity of others with tangible benefits like cash, as it reinforces bonds with others encouraging future mutual cooperation.”

“The hell’s your INT stat? Anybody who talks like that has got to be a scholar or something.”

“What is the INT stat? I have no relevant information on this topic.”

“Please don’t tell me you dunno how to use the quantification page.”

“I do not know how to use the quantification page.”

Perience buried his head in his hands.

“How have you survived, what, 16 or 17 years?”

“16.”

“How have you lived for 16 years and never heard about the quantification page?”

“I believe our village was staunchly anti-quantification.”

He turned to the carriage driver to see if the other guy was also stupefied by the sheer idiocy of this traveller but the driver was too busy doing the driving to notice.

“Try praying or asking for the Quantifier, and it’ll come to you. It’s kind of different for everyone. Some people hear it, some people see it in the air in front of them, and I heard some people have it told to them by a doll. Pretty weird. Thing is, people nearby can sneak a peek or eavesdrop, so try not to do it in a public place so no one else sees.”

“Ah. I see how it works now.”

“What? I didn’t hear or see it happen. How’d you check it?”

“I expressed my desire to have the information directly uploaded into my mind.”

“Okay. Alright. That’s enough weirdness for one day, wake me up when we’re there.”

Perience laid down on the wooden floorboards in a vain attempt to get rest in a moving cart. Pion was much more interested with the info dump that had just occurred in her memory storage. Data had been injected directly into her harddrives by an unknown source. The information in question was very simple.

[Level 0 Classless]

[Skills: N/A]

Presumably Perience had a skill called [Charged Strike] which enabled him to perform that glowing sword attack. The idea of levels, classes, and skills matched closely with that of her world, though only in games. The presence of something so seemingly artificial suggested the pervasive influence of some higher power bestowing blessings upon the people in an easily comparable format. Higher levels means higher “power”, skills enable the user to perform feats normally considered difficult or impossible, and classes dictate what skills could be gained.

Utilised correctly, skills could considerably boost her combat, manufacturing, and information gathering ability significantly, a boon if she wanted to guarantee survival in this new world. A shame she couldn’t ask the guy in front of her, since disturbing someone trying to sleep was never a good idea.

When they did arrive at the farm, they found the whole area pockmarked with holes, leading into a spiralling expanse of tunnels underground. The moment the two got out of the carriage, one of the farmers confronted the pair.

“Perience! Are you two here to help exterminate the Giant Worms?”

“Yup. This is Pion, by the way. She was the one who picked this job. Almost didn’t notice the request, since there were so many today. How’s the crops been?”

“It’s been better. Ever since you left, the worms showed up. The crops grow better than ever but that doesn’t mean anything when the same worms destroy them and start attacking you.”

“Know any good methods for lurin’ them out? They can’t be attacking all the time if you can still get anythin’ planted.”

“They come out whenever really, but they start goin’ wild when you stomp the ground. Make a lotta noise or try to flood their tunnels and they’ll pop outta the ground like crazy.”

“Alright then, let’s get started!”

Perience reached into a pack he brought with him and retrieved a flaskglowing an uncomfortably bright shade of red. Pion’s scanners registered a high volume of mana particles on the verge of bursting out of the bottle.

“What is contained within the flask you are holding?”

“Us adventurers? We call it the Banger.”

He reeled his arm back as far as he could go, letting the potion in his hand glow even brighter due to the effects of [Charged Strike]. After a few moments, he chucked the “Banger” as far as he could. It arced through the air into the distance, before exploding violently upon impact. Dirt was flung everywhere.

“I understand why it is named Banger.”

At the site of the explosion, many different worms each a couple feet long writhed in the pit, disoriented from the explosion or searching for prey.

“That’s not an infestation, it’s a fuckin invasion if I’ve ever seen one. I wouldn’t even recommend silver ranks taking that on.”

To any living creature, the threat of being eaten alive by a swarm of omnivorous worms would be sufficient to discourage any reasonable person from attacking them. Obviously this did not reply to Pion, who leapt in unconcerned for her personal health.

“What the hell are you doin? They’ll eat you alive!”

A half-rate solid light barrier was more than enough to shield against enemies as weak as these. Worms were still worms after all. On the other hand, every time she struck back another worm was absolutely demolished. The weight of her body meant every strike carried enough force to smash any worm flat. She lashed out with kicks and punches, leaving many dead in her wake.

“This village of hers has got to be bullshit… wait up kiddo! Leave some for me at least!”

So Perience waded in after her at a much slower pace, bisecting worms in his path. Occasionally he would follow up with a [Charged Strike], felling whole groups of the monsters. The farmer took off his straw hat and squinted.

“When did silver adventurers get so strong?”

As the flood of worms began to die down now that many were dead or dying, the damage became clear. The ground looked like swiss cheese in many places, and in others had collapsed due to structural instability caused by the holes carved through the area.

While Pion had taken the time to cover her clothes with her solid light barrier, her cloak could not say the same. She tore the ragged cloak off and stuffed it into the pack, for later salvaging or repairs.

“Perience, I believe I have eliminated all of the worms. No more have appeared within the last 24 seconds.”

“Have you tried stomping around? There might be a few more hiding under the soil. If you kick the ground hard enough maybe they’ll come out.”

She kicked the ground very hard. So hard, in fact, that the ground began to rumble ominously.

“I do not recall this quest requiring battle with a foe large enough to disturb the surrounding area to this extent.”

There was no reply, as a whole football field of dirt slipped into a suddenly present chasm in the ground, along with her. It was a very regretful 2 seconds she spent wondering where she went wrong, before she landed at the bottom with a terrific CLANG. Despite landing on her legs, the heavy impact of the fall and her weight cracked the stone floor she was now standing upon.

The walls and floor were smooth stone, dusty from age and lack of use. Torch holders lining the walls were rusted, some on the verge of falling off. At the edge of the circular room was a stairway that led down to who knows where.

“Pion? Pion! Are you okay down there?”

The great volume of dirt that gave way earlier buried the whole room. Extra soil was still flowing into the great hole in the ground, some landing on her. She brushed off the grime and began attempting to climb the stone wall.

“I am fine. I have not sustained any damage from the fall, despite its considerable distance.”

“Are you- are you sure? Do you need any rope? Maybe a healing potion?”

“I can escape the hole by myself.”

Her testing yesterday had not gone to waste. Besides covering herself in a sturdy shield for extra protection, she could (to an extent) extend bits of the shield to imitate blades or spikes. For example, sharpening the tips of her fingers with this new technique enabled her to use her hands as climbing claws.

“You can climb walls? What? How? You can do all this without a class?”

“I believe, compared to the average person, that I am built different.”

“Well, what was down there? Sinkholes don’t jus’ show up outta nowhere.”

“It was a large, circular stone room with a stairway leading into the earth. I did not investigate further as there is no information as to what is down there.”

“Kind of sounds like a dungeon. Big ‘ol underground labyrinth with monsters sort of thing.”

“Who created the dungeon?”

“Old Empire nobles, probably. Maybe even countries before then, if they existed. Apparently it was a brutal sport and a way to hide their valuables. Keeping the traps took so much mana that monsters could start appearing inside too, so when all the owners died the dungeons became infested with the critters. Sucks, cause there’s probably good shit inside. Wouldn’t go in there without a [Rogue] and ample preparation, anyhow.”

“...Valuables?”

“Oh yeah, vaults aren’t the best way to hide your stuff since a good mage can blow the whole thing open, so people started hiding their crap in dungeons. Digging that deep is pretty hard even for an earth mage, and people back then were pretty good at making sure anyone who went in dies. You can find silver, gold, magical gems, tomes, weapons, and even rare metals. Find a stash of flux metal and you’re set for life, basically. Palladium is good too: you can find a good [Blacksmith] and have them make you palladium gear. Terrific stuff.”

Strange. Was the metal of this world stronger than her original world? Perhaps it had a myriad of unknown applications that only technology could exploit. It would definitely give her the advantage in such an unfamiliar situation. On top of that, establishing control over the dungeon would easily lead to a refurbish of the structure and conversion into a rudimentary base of operations. From here, she would be able to perform tests on “monsters” that spawned from its depths and protect any valuables she accrued during her time in this world.

“I guess we should report it to the guild so they can put up quests for this place…”

“Actually, I would like to attempt to loot the dungeon. If we inform the guild it is likely someone else will try to raid the area before I can exploit the structure.”

“Dungeons are dangerous. I wouldn’t explore one solo, much less without a class.”

Pion by now had reached the top of the pit, hauling herself over the edge.

“Although I guess that doesn’t really apply to you.”

“What kind of traps and monsters are present in dungeons?”

“Y’know. Poison spike pits. Arrows from the walls. Razor-sharp tripwires. Golems. Huge insects. Sometimes unique monsters too, always run away from those.”

“I believe I am capable of bypassing the majority of these obstacles. I am unaware of unique monsters.”

“It’s in the name. Unique monster. They look different from your average monster and act differently too. They also have unique abilities too. Pretty rare, but if you see ‘em, back up. No telling what they can do.”

“Then I will acquire a class and subjugate the dungeon. By what means is a class acquired?”

“Just do stuff and you’ll probably get a class related to it eventually. Farmers will get the [Farmer] class, Bowmen will get the [Ranger] class, and people like me get the [Warrior] class. Every so often your class may evolve to a more specialized and powerful class depending on what kind of person you are. A religious [Warrior] might become a [Paladin]. A shields expert might become a [Great Shielder]. You can have multiple classes if you really want to, but leveling multiple classes at once is a pain. Easier to just do one.”

Likely the act of taking over the dungeon would expedite her own growth in the Class and Skills sector as well as prove as better training for future combat.

“If you’re really committed to taking over the dungeon, I won’t stop you. Just be careful. If you stumble into a bad situation, you might find it difficult… to worm your way out.”

Intense overbearing silence.

“Get it? Cause we’re on a worm extermination request and you’re going adventuring undergr—okay. I’ll just go.”