Adam woke up to heavy knocking on his door. He had requested to be woken up early so they could get to their meeting location with their soon to be new party members for sunrise. Hearing footsteps continuing down the hallway, he groaned at the early hour and stretched his sore muscles from all the sparring yesterday. He hated getting up early.

Adam and Lianna were dressed and ready to head out. Leaving the Inn, it was raining for the first time since they had come here. The rain coming down at a drizzle. From the puddles and wetness of everything, it had rained heavily that night. Stepping out into the rain, he felt the water droplets hitting his skin. The raindrops were oddly warmer than he expected, warmer than the air around them.

Their cart was brought to them from the stable by a young man. They loaded up their gear and set off after leaving a tip. The sun wasn’t above the horizon yet but it wasn't completely dark. Enough to make their way.

The sun was peeking over the horizon when they arrived. Parking the carriage in a large area designated for carts, they made their way to the meeting room. Opening the door, they saw that it was empty and they were the first ones there. They sat down on the benches to wait. Adam considered making something with his mana as it was full but decided to save his mana in case it was needed in the dungeon. It didn't have much combat ability, but never being in a dungeon before, he wasn't sure what to expect.

They didn't have to wait long as the three people entered five minutes later. Adam was surprised as he expected all of them to be human for some reason, however, only one was human. The woman was Elven with emerald coloured skin and deep blue hair and eyes. She easily stood over six feet tall. She held a simple wooden staff in her hand and wore an intricate blue robe with silver designs throughout. She must be the Fire mage.

A man holding a sword and shield was Dwarven, standing under five feet tall with deep brown skin and short black hair, excluding his beard which came down to his waist. He wore a metal chest plate, with simple leather armor for the rest.

The healer was human, wearing full leather armor. He was the same height as Adam, with long brown hair. He also held a wooden staff in his hand with a dagger at his waist. All three of them appeared around his age, give or take a few years.

“You guys must be our new party members.” The dwarven man said.

“Yes. My name is Adam. This is Lianna. We will be in your care.” He introduced them.

“I'm Felix, this is Gen and Diane. We were informed this will be your first dungeon. We aren't exactly experts ourselves but have completed a few successfully.” Felix told them.

“Nice to meet you,” Lianna spoke up.

“If you don’t mind, we don't know anything about your fighting capabilities so I would like to know what you can do. I use a sword and shield as you can see. Gen is our healer, and Diane is a fire mage.” Felix began.

“I use two daggers,” Lianna said, gesturing to the two daggers on her waist. “Adam here uses a spear and though he isn't wearing it yet, has a full set of plate armor. Neither of us have much experience fighting, but will do our best.”

“Good, then shall we get going. It will take some time to walk to the Obelisk. We can speak more on the way.” Gen said standing up again.

“We have a carriage we can take if no one has a problem with that.” Adam offered as he stood up as well.

“That’s great, lead the way,” Felix said stepping aside.

Adam and Lianna sat in the front with Felix beside them while Diane and Gen sat inside the carriage. After a couple of hours of traveling through the city, they exited through the northern gate. After another hour of traveling, they could see what Felix pointed out as the obelisk. It appeared to be very far away still but looked to raise high into the sky, far above the dark clouds in the sky.

Chatting with Felix along the way they learned that the dungeon they were doing contained the blue horned cat creatures Lianna had fought, which were called Kissa. Koira from what Adam could gather was similar to a dog or wolf. They were much slower than the Kissa but also much stronger. Kissa tended to prefer speed, while Koira preferred physical strength. As Adam knew the Kissa was too fast for him, he hoped the Kiora was an easier opponent for him.

After a few more hours of travel, they were getting close to the obelisk. Adam and Lianna were astonished at its size. It was larger and taller than any building they had seen on earth. The entire obelisk was an intense deep black.

“Now that we're getting close, we should party up,” Felix told them.

“What? I thought we were?” Adam said confused.

“Never been in a party before then. Here” Felix said with a small laugh.

Adam saw Felix tapping something in the air a few times, then a screen appeared in front of him.

You have been invited to a party by Felix

Do you accept?

[Yes][No]

“Oh,” he heard Lianna say quietly.

Tapping Yes, four new screens appeared in Adam's vision.

Felix

Health: 100%

Stamina: 100%

Mana: 100%

Diane

Health: 100%

Stamina: 100%

Mana: 100%

Gen

Health: 100%

Stamina: 100%

Mana: 100% Lianna

Health: 100%

Stamina: 100%

Mana: 100%

Each person was displayed on their screen. Adam moved each screen to the side of his vision where he could still see them if needed but wasn’t blocking his vision.

“That’s useful,” Lianna said after appearing to move her screens around.

“Very.” Felix agreed.

“What does being in a party do, besides allow us to see each other's health and stuff?” Adam asked curiously.

“Once we complete the dungeon, its completion will be credited to the party rather than just to who killed the boss. Which will split the rewards and experience equally as well instead of all going to whoever killed the boss. This is especially helpful to low level fighters, and people who have less combat oriented classes like Gen.” Felix explained.

“That makes sense,” Adam said.

Arriving at the base of the Obelisk, there were many carts, and carriages scattered about along with various beasts to pull them. The area was packed with all kinds of people, numbering in the thousands. There were even some races he had not seen before. Adam watched as people would touch the obelisk, then making gestures in the air, going through what he assumed was some kind of screen that appeared. Then after making a final tap, they would disappear along with people around them after they tapped something in front of them with a finger as well.

“Park there,” Felix said pointing to an empty area.

Looking away, He had Basil stop where Felix had pointed. Hopping down from the carriage, Adam made sure Basil had food and water, before putting on his armor.

“So now what?” Adam asked after he finished suiting up.

Felix walked towards the obelisk, with everyone following behind. He placed his hand on the obelisk and then began swiping and tapping on an invisible screen just as he had seen others do. After a few moments, Felix disappeared as a screen appeared in front of Adam.

Your party wishes to enter dungeon [Kissa Den]. Do you wish to follow?

[Yes][No]

Adam looked at Lianna and shrugged. It was what they were here to do, so he tapped yes. The moment he chose yes, his surroundings changed to darkness. He felt the ground change to a much harder surface.

A small flame flickered into existence to his right. He saw the source of light was a small flame hovering above Diane’s hand, emitting just enough light to see that they were in a small cave with only one way to go from there, a dark tunnel leading slightly downwards.

Adam wasn't normally afraid of the dark, but he also had never been in the dark in a cave system that had monsters lurking in the shadowy corners ready to kill him. He began to feel a little panicked, beginning to think this was a mistake. He knew he had to get stronger, but dying would not accomplish that.

“Keep quiet and let’s go,” Felix whispered, taking the lead.

After a few seconds and a deep breath, he forced his rising fears down and followed behind Lianna who had continued with the group.

Apart from learning that he wasn’t as brave as he thought, he also learned that being quiet while wearing a full suit of armor was very difficult. Impossible he would say. With all the clattering noise he was making, It didn't take long before they found their first enemy. A single Kissa quietly approached them in the dim light. The first thing Adam noticed was that once he spotted the blue feline, white text appeared above its head.

Kissa Level 2

“Huh.” He heard Lianna say.

Before the creature could pounce at Felix, Diane shot at it with a small fireball that lit up the cave more brightly for a second. The Kissa nimbly dodged out of the way of the fireball, hissing at them, then running away further down the tunnel.

“They’re smart and cautious,” Lianna spoke up quietly.

“You’ve fought them before?” Felix asked her.

“Yes. Many times. They are fast and smart. Fortunately, they are also impulsive. They like to study their opponents and wait for an opening to take advantage of. So If you bait them, they seem to always take the bait.” She told everyone.

“Good to know,” Felix said with a smile.

Walking down the tunnel further, they came to another small area. Upon entering the room, five of the Kissa’s waited for them. Text appearing above their heads once seen.

Kissa Level 2 Kissa Level 4 Kissa Level 3 Kissa Level 2 Kissa Level 5

Adam noticed the test was more yellow as the level of the Kissa increased above his. The five enemies watched them carefully, as Felix gestured for them to back up into the tunnel. Once inside, he blocked the tunnel with his body.

“Let's try to fight them one at a time,” Felix told them. “Adam you watch behind us.”

Adam was already at the back so he turned around and peered into the darkness. The little light from the fire wasn't enough to see very far, and if anything approached them from behind, there wouldn't be much warning. He waited to hear the sounds of them fighting, but nothing happened.

“They’re not approaching,” Lianna said. “Their too smart to fall for this. Felix, keep them from swarming me and I'll take them out.”

Adam turned to see Lianna entering the room beside Felix. The moment the two of them entered, all five cats charged at them. Felix put himself between Lianna and four of the Kissa, leaving one to go after her. Felix knocked them back with his shield as they jumped at him and swung his sword, barely missing them with each strike. Baited, the single Kissa jumped at Lianna to be met with a dagger in the side of its neck. Falling to the ground, it turned into a golden light and began to dissolve into the ground. Felix knocked one of the Felines towards Lianna who slashed her dagger through its neck before it could recover.

Adam saw Diane charging up a fireball that slowly grew in size. Once it was about the size of a baseball, it shot towards the group of three Kissas grouped in front of Felix. Just before the fireball hit, Felix braced himself and protected his face. The fireball exploded in a wave of heat that threw the three enemies away, burning their fur and doing damage. The closest one had died instantly as it dissolves into the ground. Felix and Lianna each finished off one of the other two that were on the ground struggling to stand.

Adam suddenly realized he wasn't watching behind them and turned around quickly. Luckily there didn't seem to be anything there.

“Is there any reason things have to be so dark?” Adam asked.

“Diane could create a brighter flame but it would burn through her mana too quickly. This is a sustainable level.” Felix told him.

“So there's no reason I shouldn't create a brighter light source?” he asked.

“You didn't tell us you had light magic,” Felix said questioningly.

“I don’t, but I can create a light source.” He said, drawing out five mana into the palm of his hand and materializing them into a single light source. He made sure to lower the intensity so it didn't blind them, but the small room was completely lit up.

“Well, that's much better,” Lianna said. “It was kinda difficult to fight in the dim lighting.”

“That’s clearly light magic,” Felix said.

“It’s the only thing I can do with light,” Adam said defensively.

“Alright well, it is useful,” Felix admitted after a few seconds. “Let's continue.”

Continuing further into the dungeon brought them to a larger cave room that had three paths to go. One to each side and one straight ahead of them. The tunnel that continued straight was larger and appeared to be more of an actual tunnel. The two tunnels to either side of them were smaller and more of an irregular opening.

“These two side paths are important to clear out before continuing on. The biggest reason people fail this dungeon is not doing so and having the enemies come up behind them. Even worse, the left one has the only Koira in the dungeon which can almost be considered a boss itself.” Gen spoke up.

Felix nodded and headed to the left tunnel first. A short tunnel connected to a small room. A single Wolf-like creature was curled up on the floor, appearing to be asleep. It had black fur with two horns on its head similar to the Kissa. It was much larger and more muscular though, with two tails adorned with a sharp spike at the end of each.

Koira Level 7

Its name and level appeared above its head in orange text. Felix motioned to Diane. She nodded and began charging up another fireball. After a few seconds, it launched at the Koira, Hitting it directly in the head with a small explosion of fire. The beast stood to its feet and roared at them, the fireball doning no more than burning some of its fur. It stared at them with an intense gaze.

Felix braced himself as the Koira charged at him, slamming into his shield and sending him stumbling backward. He barely managed to bring his shield up to block one of its tails that was aimed directly for his head, bouncing off and hitting the stone floor. Lianna circled to the side of it, managing to get a few quick hits on its side. Each strike causing a shallow cut. Before it could strike her with one of its tails, she backed off.

Adam shook himself out of his daze and tried to help as well. He stood beside Felix and waited for the beast to attack again. When it charged them, He used all his strength to thrust his spear into the beast. The Spear hit it directly in the chest, sinking in a few inches.

Damage Inflicted: 25

The Koira roared in pain and jumped backward, ripping the spear from his grip as it remained stuck in its chest. The spear was gripped by its two tails and pulled free. To his surprise, it used its two tails to throw the spear directly at Adam. Stepping in front of Adam, Felix managed to block the spear with his shield just in time. The force of the spear still caused Felix to get thrown into Adam, causing them both to get knocked backward.

HP - 2

Adam glanced at Felix's health.

Felix

Health: 75%

Stamina: 80%

Mana: 100%

Adam saw as Felix began to glow slightly and his health began to increase by about one percent every second. Adam looked over to Gen who was concentrating on using a healing spell.

Lianna jumped into the fight, taking the beast's attention away from Adam and Felix. quickly dodging all its attacks, and slashing at every opportunity. Each hit from her dagger causing small cuts in the tough hide.

Adam took the chance to get his spear back, running over to the wall where it had landed after bouncing off the shield. Adam looked back at the Koira just as Lianna jumped back as a much larger fireball than previously slammed into its side. The resulting explosion was much larger as well, throwing the beast against the back wall of the cave. The heat from the explosion could be felt by himself who was the furthest from it. He noticed that there was no smoke from the explosion, which he was glad for, as that would have made things difficult in such a small confined space.

The Koira stood back up with some difficulty this time, a huge area in its side had been burned through its flesh. Adam saw it stumble slightly and decided to take a chance, throwing his spear with his increased strength, somehow managing to hit it in the burned area. The spear sunk in deeply, causing significant damage this time.

Damage Inflicted: 67 You have killed Koira Level 7

Exp + 318

Wow, that was a lot of experience. Adam dropped to the floor, sitting down against the wall. Taking off his gauntlets, he looked at his hands. They were visibly shaking. He held his hands together, trying to stop the shaking and calm down. He saw Felix standing beside Gen, continuing to get healed.

“Nice throw,” Felix said when he saw Adam looking his way.

Adam didn’t respond but looked towards Lianna who had sat down beside him.

“You alright?” She asked him.

“Just a little shaken. That was fudging terrifying. Why do you seem ok?” he asked

“I've had more than a couple close calls already since coming to this world. I'm a little more used to it I guess. Not that I can say that wasn't scary.” She agreed with him.

“Everyone take time to recover, that was a difficult fight,” Felix announced to everyone.

Adam thought about it and realized that it wasn't exactly a close call for him, as he didn't take any significant damage. What frightened him was the lack of control they seemed to have over the situation. Things hadn't gone very well from the beginning, making him feel like they could all be killed in an instant. If it wasn't for Felix saving him he probably would be dead though.

“Thank you, Felix. For saving me. I owe you big time.” Adam told Felix once he had calmed down.

“Don’t worry about it. Keeping you all alive is my job.” He told Adam seriously.

“It is?” Adam questioned.

“Of course. I'm the highest level here and the one with the shield. Shields are meant to block attacks are they not?” He responded.

“True,” Adam said.

Adam opened up his menu. He had gotten a significant amount of experience and should use it.

Name: Adam Ward Level 2: Exp 38/172 Age: 21

Weight: 194.6 lbs Height: 5’ 10” Race: Human (Earthling) Attributes Health: 100/100

[Locked]: ? Stamina: 100/100 [Locked]: ? Mana: 100/100

[Locked]: ? Physical: Mental: Strength: 11 [Locked]: ? [Locked]: ? [Locked]: ? [Locked]: ? [Locked]: ? Attribute Points: 0 Skills

Mana Sense II: 0% Level Up: 400 Exp Mana Absorption: 5% Level Up: 200 Exp Mana Manipulation 100% Level Up: 200 Exp Mana Materialization 0% Level Up: 200 Exp Spells

Adam was confused. It said he got experience from the kill, but his experience hadn’t increased.

“Umm… Why didn't I get experience?” Adam asked out loud to no one specific.

“Experience received in a dungeon isn't usable until you leave the dungeon. Open the dungeon menu if you wish to see how much experience you have.” Felix informed him.

Another menu he didn't know about. He was going to need to get a list of menus he could access at some point. Once he knew about it, it was easy enough to open.

Kissa Den Level 1

Monsters Killed 1 Exp Earned 318 Bosses 1 Boss Status Alive Boss Health 100%

“Do we know what the boss is?” Adam asked.

“This boss is a Kissa, so strong yes, but physically weaker than the Koira we just fought. It is extremely fast thought.” Gen added. “It also has health on the lower side for a boss, so as long as we can do damage, we should be able to handle it.”

“I see,” Adam said.

He realized since Gen was a healer, and didn’t do any of the fighting, he seemed to also be knowledgeable about the dungeon. He could see how that would make him more desirable to a party.

“Then shall we continue?” Felix asked.

Adam felt a bit better and put his gauntlets back on and stood back up. Looking at the party member's information, he saw that everyone was at full health. They all had full stamina and mana as well, except for Diane whose mana was at eighty percent. She had used a significant amount of mana on that last fireball and hadn't had much time to fully recover.

Ready to continue, they headed towards the other sideroom.