Jason tuned out the sound of Falisty berating Brand. He did catch snippets though, things along the lines of, ‘We shouldn’t have taken a rookie!’ or ‘You should have never let him go!’ Brand was unfortunately not standing up for himself – but Ilis was helping. The woman was calmly explaining their logic to the furious Wood Manipulator. Falan was standing a few paces away from him, keeping an eye out, while Jason sat on the grass.

He was still in his [Phantom State]. He had not come out of it since, all the… stuff happened. His energy was draining at a steady rate, and he knew he had to come out of it eventually. Glancing at the Cryomancer, he braced himself, and turned his ability off. He flinched at the sudden sensations; the grass brushing as he moved, the fresh air and earthy smell.

‘Ding’ [Fear Resistance Lv 8 – Lv 9]

He exhaled slowly, and saw Falan smile at him. “Well done.” Jason nodded to him, and stood up. He was feeling a bit better already. His thoughts actually going back to what happened, and instead of feeling a mind-numbing terror, he just felt agitated. Fear resistance?

He stood up and walked over to the discussion. Falisty’s tirade trailing off when she saw him just standing there. “Jason, do you have anything to add?”

He kept his breathing slow. “I do. I’m not sure if anyone except Ilis could have survived.” That startled them, and he hurried to explain.

“I fell into an instantaneously appearing pit. I have no idea how far I fell, but I do know that without my State, I wouldn’t have survived.” He waved a hand at her and then Falan. “Do you two have any way of surviving that fall? Brand is so physically tough, that he might be, but he’s like me when it comes to fighting regenerating monsters. We can only slice them apart, which didn’t work against the barnacles. Ilis is the only one who seems likely to survive the whole ordeal.”

Everyone stared at him in shock, and he shuffled. “What?”

“Are you… are you alright Jason?” Brand was the one who asked, his voice hopeful.

He blinked. “No, of course not. That was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced.” The man’s face fell again.

Ilis put a hand on his shoulder, peering into his eyes. “He means you seem very calm, logical. It’s weird.”

Jason shrugged. “I think it’s the Fear Resistance I got. Well, I bloody hope it’s that anyway.” He could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed. He glanced nervously at them. “What?”

“You got a General Resistance Ability!? Fear as well…?” Falisty was giving him a look full of wonder.

Falan noticed his confusion. “General Resistances that are from outside of your Class are incredibly rare Jason. You would need to go through… well, I’m sure you know better than anyone what you need to go through.”

The young man grimaced. “Oh. Yeah…So it’s rare? I’d imagine that there are lots of people who’d been in situations like that.”

The elf hummed. “Not necessarily. Most people would probably die. Ilis would survive. However, because she is so flexible, she wouldn’t be in nearly as much danger. So, she would probably fail to get it as well.”

“Huh”

The conversation trailed off after that, and they set up camp to eat some food. Brand came over at one point and sneaked him a flask. Don’t want to become dependent on this. He snuck a sip while Falisty was looking away, and handed it back to man – who then took a deep swig from it, before putting it back.

Jason asked the man what happened with them when he was gone, and listened as he explained. Ilis had run back, getting the others before blasting their way through the enemies. They had taken every opportunity to go downwards, when they heard clicking, and Jason’s shouting. They had then rushed over, spotting him with a tide of parasites behind him, which then swallowed him up. They had been relieved when they still found him inside. Jason quietly thanked him, and didn’t feel like eating anymore.

After about half an hour, they started to get ready to move on. They had asked him which way to go. He was confused until he realised there were only two possible routes: back up to the grass and statues, or back down… He hesitated for a long time, before quietly asking if they could go up. They promptly did so.

He had frozen when he fought a statue again. However, Fear Resistance levelled, and he was able to start fighting. He won without any further trouble.

‘Ding’ [Fear Resistance Lv 9 – Lv 10]

They continued their journey, the rooms becoming more vibrant. Actual trees had started to grow from the stone, but as they carried on, he noticed life starting to change. The grass became… sharper? He put his hand down and marvelled when he felt multiple points press against it. He looked around for more differences. The bushes’ berries were becoming as hard as the stone they grew from, and the tree’s bark had started to take a gravely texture. “Do you guys have any idea what this place was?”

Falan glanced at him. “There are often places where groups of people come together, in order to seek refuge. I believe this place may have been like that, a significant amount of dungeons are.”

Jason was listening attentively. “What about the other dungeons? Why do they form?”

The elf shrugged. “Many different reasons. There are an uncountable number of unfathomable creatures out there. A dungeon could simply be a family of drakes’ lair, or it could be some creature from beyond our reality, forging minions to do its will. It is often something completely natural though. If a town in the Wildlands is wiped out, and not washed with Light magic? It will soon be a town for the undead.”

“Wildlands? Sorry I’ve never looked… at a map in my life. What are the Wildlands?”

Falan snorted and nodded. “Ah, do not worry. I understand. The Wildlands are where we are. It is the whole world essentially. Areas where factions are free to set themselves up. There is no law out here. Only if you enter a faction’s land, can you expect to deal with that. The town of Danist is such a place, and is part of a council for many other settlements.”

“Wait, so the Wildlands is just free land? Why has no one claimed it?”

“They are free to do so, if they can hold it. Remember there are many high-levelled beings out there, or powerful Classes. It is exceedingly dangerous to simply grab territory.”

Jason mulled over what he had just heard. I guess it makes sense. In a world where there are creatures that could wipe out cities… how would people defend themselves? He couldn’t see how Danist could survive, so he asked Falan.

“Powerful Classes. When you go back to Danist, I’ll show you the woman who took a Class to keep the town safe. That isn’t the only reason however, some locations are simply safer than others.”

They fell back into silence after that, and resumed observing their surroundings. The constant fighting with statues had been good for him. He was feeling much more sure of himself, and was even beginning to feel excited about the dungeon again.

‘Ding’ You have levelled up. [Phantom Swordsman Lv 57 – Lv 61]

20 Stat points gained.

‘Ding’ You have levelled up. [Bone Manipulator Lv 23 – Lv 27]

12 Stat points gained.

‘Ding’ [Spacial Strike 2nd Tier Lv 11 – Lv 14]

‘Ding’ [Phantom State 2nd Tier Lv 11 – Lv 14]

‘Ding’ [Ghostly Swordsmanship Lv 12 – Lv 14]

‘Ding’ [Bone Manipulation Lv 8 – Lv 11]

‘Ding’ [Dense Bones Lv 6 – Lv 8]

Just like he had said he would, he put most of all the new points he’d gained into both Endurance and Wisdom. It was becoming obvious that he was only really surviving these situations because of it. The rest of his points went into Intelligence and Dexterity equally.

‘Ding’ Name: Jason Darting

First Class: [Phantom Swordsman Lv 61]

Second Class: [Bone Manipulator Lv 27]

Unspent stat points: None

Vitality: 205

Endurance: 165

Strength: 40

Dexterity: 90

Wisdom: 165

Intelligence: 153

General Skills: [Identify Lv 1] ; [Bretae Standard Language Lv 5] ; [Death Magic Resistance Lv 1] ; [Space Magic Resistance Lv 1] ; [Bone Resistance Lv 1] ; [Pain Resistance Lv 6] ; [Fear Resistance Lv 10]

Class Skills: [Spacial Strike 2nd Tier Lv 14] ; [Phantom State 2nd Tier Lv 14] ; [Ghostly Swordsmanship Lv 12] ; [Bone Manipulation Lv 11] ; [Dense Bones Lv 8]

Maybe I should put some into Vitality soon? He mentally shrugged; It didn’t matter right now.

Falisty was becoming increasingly interested in the stone-like trees, stopping whenever she could to inspect them. She started to collect some rocky fruits from the branches. Brand tried one, before moaning and speaking as if he’d lost his teeth. He would have absolutely been a Drama student back home. He chuckled, causing Ilis to glance and smile. She had been keeping her distance ever since he’d returned. He got the impression that she was at a loss on what to do, much like him.

After walking through the progressively flourishing forest rooms for so long, he was relieved when they finally came across something different. In front of them was a massive hole. Stone greenery sprouted around the top and travelled downwards in a carpet of colour. As his eyes travelled, the plant life became drier and droopy. He froze when he saw the barnacles. They coated their own section of the walls and passageways in the cavernous pit. Ilis put a hand on his shoulder. Brand actually hugged him, his armour digging into his waist. “Brand!” He tried pushing the man off.

The Bastion smiled at him and slapped him on the back, which without Ilis’ hand, would have sent him over the edge. He glared at Brand. “Way too much affection.” He returned his attention to the hole.

“It seems there is more to this dungeon than just barnacles and trees…” Falan murmured from the side. Jason’s gaze landed on the bottom of the pit. Plants he had never seen before grew; their shapes a range of concentric circles that formed from coral-like material. There were purple glowing fruit, pebbly bark, and… bug-crabs? Scuttling over everything. It all orbited a blur in the middle of the giant pit, maybe a creature?

“That looks interesting. Shall we take a look?” Falan arched an eyebrow.

Everyone turned to Jason. He swallowed. “Yeah, I’m up for it.” They nodded and began to trek down the passageway that went around the pit. As they went down, Jason felt an increasing sense of dread. He did his best to cope with the nearing clusters of parasites, but it unfortunately meant that he noticed the eyes glowering from a stone tree far too late. “Wha-” A gnarled grey hand reached out and grabbed him by the throat. He choked before using [Phantom State] to step out of its grasp, coughing. He glanced and saw the others fighting rock vines, which whipped and wrapped around them. Brand was smashing them with ease, as was Ilis, but Falan was having trouble. Luckily, he had Falisty, whose Classes were perfect for dealing with the enemies. Jason returned his attention back to the creature who was angrily swiping through him. It was a woman-like monster, except it had ropey rock vines instead of muscles, and delicately bejewelled branches for hair. He summoned his bone sword and cut its snarling face in half, finishing it instantly. He rushed over to help the others but didn’t even arrive before they’d finished. Falisty was already inspecting the bodies, while the others collected loot.

‘Ding’ You have defeated a [Gem Dryad Lv 100]

‘Ding’ [Spacial Strike 2nd Tier Lv 14 – Lv 15]

‘Ding’ [Bone Manipulation Lv 11 – Lv 12]

After checking up on each other, they carried on, only to be ambushed by more of the Gem Dryads. They dealt with them, and finally arrived at the barnacles. It went much more differently than the first time he encountered them, now that he had Falan with him. The man essentially just walked through them all, causing cracking pops left and right. It was deeply satisfying to watch it unfold. The little horrors didn’t stand a chance.

About halfway through the section, they heard voices. They stopped and looked around warily. Ilis was the one to point out the source. The team sank down to a crouch, and watched as a group of people emerged from a tunnel at the bottom. They looked like typical adventurers, dressed in steel, leather, or robes. They strolled towards the centre, occasionally nodding appreciatively at the life around them. What was truly strange was how the bug-crabs parted for them, providing a straight path to the blurry thing in the middle. When they eventually got close, the leading man spoke. “Greetings, Last of the Impassioned…

That was their name? Yikes, talk about a lack of creativity.

“… the greatest artists of the seventh age. We come to you for a humble plea.”

There was no indication that the thing had heard him, but the man didn’t stop. “Our organisation is deeply sympathetic to your cause. We too wish to have the right to express ourselves in our passions. However, we need power. We have persevered for years, fighting for our crafts to flourish, but we have many enemies. If you would give us the requirements for your Class, we shall leave you an offering, allowing you to revitalise your art.”

The silence stretched on, until the blurry lump raised a limb. An indistinct object moved through the air, and when it had gone far enough, it was revealed. It was a book that floated just out of reach from the group. They all bowed deeply, and the one dressed in flowing robes reached up her sleeve and pulled out… a corpse? Falan hissed, his eyes wide. The others seemed worried as well. I don’t get it, what could it want with a dead body? Nevertheless, the grove had stilled, tense. Slowly the book floated over and was dropped into the leader’s hands. The corpse started to float, and the man spoke again. “And so, let this be the rebirth of the Impassioned.” The group bowed one final time, before turning and walking through the tunnel, which was sealed behind them. Life began to wiggle and glowing roots grew from the ground and started to… enter the body.

“That is a high-level dead. The materials alone from it, would be priceless. If that thing gets it?” The elf shuddered, and regarded them all seriously. “We need to stop it.” There was no need to say anything, they all just agreed.

Heading down, they did their best to sneak by, but it was impossible, the barnacles knew they were there, so Falan had to blast them. He drank a Mana potion too, which, added with everything else, had Jason sweating; he did not like their chances. So, when he heard a high-pitched screech, he briefly thought they were doomed. Then, Falisty stood tall, her staff becoming a powerful whip. Brand smacked his sword and shield together, rolling his shoulders, while a comforting breeze ruffled everyone's clothes. Falan was holding his wand at the ready, icy mist emanating from it, and Ilis? her fists were on fire, her face set in a grin. He shook himself and straightened, gripping his bone sword tightly. They advanced, and the slaughter began. Falan was on barnacle popping duty, while Falisty grew her own stone vines to counter the ones coming for them. That’s new. Brand and Ilis were in the thick of it, blasting and cutting apart Barnacled Dryads. He made himself useful and sent a [Spacial Strike] again and again into the mob. Vines were cut apart, and barnacles were stomped on. He would lunge and spring at the horrible bug-crabs, trying his best to destroy them, while sometimes being distracted by the flashes of fire and ice in the corner of his eyes; Ilis and Falan were annihilating them. Whenever he seemed to get tired, or started to feel overwhelmed, a cool wind would blow, restoring his focus and energy. He would try to repay Brand by cutting him some room to breathe. He also fell into a pattern with Falisty; he would draw attention by throwing his distorted air around, while she would crush anything that was foolish enough to try and hurt him. All of this added up to make him lose all sense of time, his world just becoming slashing and screaming.

“Jason we aren’t going to make it!” The Cryomancer called, shaking his concentration.

“Why are you telling me?!”

“Use your brain! You can go down and stop it!”

He winced. It had occurred to him, but he’d hoped they’d be able to make it together. “You owe me a drink after this! And money for therapy!” The Swordsman stopped slashing, and peered over the edge of the passageway. Ignoring the vines that were furiously swiping through him, he took a deep breath, and muttered, “Here we go again, I guess,” and jumped. He deactivated [Phantom State] hoping that it would slow him down, but quickly activated it again when he was reminded just how terrifying falling was. He closed his eyes before he hit the ground, and silence enveloped him. He was in darkness, as expected. He began to solidify his front, pushing him out of the floor where he recoiled at the writhing bug-crabs. Rising to his feet he looked up to see that he had emerged between the coral trees. The low hanging purple fruits lighting up a path to his target. He set off quickly, stepping through the mounds of bug-crabs. As he drew near, the crustaceans buzzed at him, trying to bite. He ignored them, keeping his attention fixed on the high levelled dead that had now begun twitching. He began to sprint, and launched a [Spacial Strike] at the corpse. It raced across the ground and… splashed harmlessly. He gaped. There wasn’t even a scratch! But then he noticed that a part of the strike had continued and then hit the blurriness that surrounded the creature in the middle. His eyes widened as it parted briefly, revealing a round thing inside. Everything went quiet, and he had a terrible feeling that he knew why. A cacophony of noise rained down on him and he continued to run towards their only chance of beating this dungeon. He kept launching [Spacial Strike] while moving, parting the veil around the creature constantly. As he pounded up close to it he slowed, recognising the distortion around it, and then he snarled, flinging himself at the monster. Instantly, he was ripped apart. The space magic was too strong for him to make it through in one piece. So, it was with one eye, one arm and his sword that he used [Spacial Strike] to cut into the monster – leaving a deep gash. That was it, nothing else happened, and he despaired, flopping right in front of the bulbous shape. He had nothing left except his Mana and Stamina, but there was nothing he could do with that. He had used all of his abilities from the [Phantom Swordsman] Class… Eyes widening, he summoned the last of his strength to reach his arm up and sink it into the blubbery life form. Then, he pushed. The still blob started to shake, and he pushed harder. It was leaking, its roots whipping through the air. Then… everything stopped. There was no noise, and no movement. The blob suddenly started sloughing until it was just a bundle of stone-roots and pale meat, revealing a bone spike that slowly withdrew into Jason. His one eye watched as his ripped off body-parts became wisps and flowed to rejoin.

‘Ding’ You and your group have defeated [The Final Act Of Passion Lv 203]

Less experience is earned due to your group.

‘Ding’ You have Levelled up. [Phantom Swordsman Lv 61 – Lv 80]

95 Stat points gained

‘Ding’ You have Levelled up. [Bone Manipulator Lv 23 – 42]

57 Stat points gained

‘Ding’ [Spacial Strike 2nd Tier Lv 14 – Lv 17]

‘Ding’ [Phantom State 2nd Tier Lv 15 – Lv 20]

‘Ding’ [Ghostly Swordsmanship Lv 12 – Lv 14]

‘Ding’ [Bone Manipulation Lv 12 – Lv 17]

‘Ding’ [Dense Bones Lv 8 – Lv 14]

‘Ding’ [Space Resistance Lv 3 – Lv 5]

‘Ding’ [Fear Resistance Lv 10 – Lv 13]