The school day was uneventful until gym class. Usually, when I'm in gym class, I go to the weight room. The weight room is open to all students who are part of a sport. As I participate in Tae Kwon Do, I am included in this description. Usually, I can bench press around 70 kg if I exert myself. Today, I found it very easy. I could even go up to 90 kg, but I didn't want to try further. It seems the increase from leveling up in the dungeon affected me in school as well. Nothing else interesting happened during the school day, and I completed my practice as normal. As I was walking back to my house, I saw someone out of the corner of my eye running behind me. I turned around just in time, as I heard the system.

[Skill: Hostility Perception acquired.] At the same time, Derick comes at me with a sword. I jump backwards, narrowly avoiding his swing. I take out Blackmail from my inventory and prepare to fight. While he seems surprised at first, since my sword came out of nowhere, he soon got back to attacking me. His first slash caused a big gash in my stomach. As soon as it occurred, I heard two notifications from the system.

[pain resistance acquired]

[exsanguination resistance acquired]

My HP went down to 13/15, but the pain wasn't as bad as I thought it was. I then attempted to visualize my mana flowing into the sword, and, as I did, it once again took 15 mana and started lighting up blue.

"Is that a real sword or are you trying to beat me with some cheap toy? Even if that was a real sword, there's no way it could stand up to me!"

"Just you wait," I said

"Now, you see, I have time to wait. You, on the other hand, don't. you barely even have time to live. Theresa and Chris are scaring people away, so it's only you and me."

Remembering I had my level up tickets, I used one to increase critical strike to level three and the other to level up intimidate to level 2.

Once I thought about using >, Derick began to stagger a little, but he still charged at me. I used > to block his next strike, then > to strike him with three >s. The last one barely touched him, even with my powered-up speed. I then used elemental bestow with ice, which is my highest affinity. My next > went through his stomach and froze him completely.

[Freeze resistance acquired. Freeze resistance level increase]

An EXP shard and spell book were floating to my hands. I quickly put them and Blackmail into my inventory and ran away. I did not know it at the time, but my freezing was so powerful that, even when he went into autopsy the next day, they had to use specialized tools to even open his skin. Even his blood was completely frozen. When I arrived home, before going inside, I consumed the EXP shard and opened up the spell book. Once it became blank, I appraised my new spell.

Thought control

Rank C-

Mana use: 50/use, maintenance of control: 15/day, clairvoyance skill Lv 6 to change or update commands when not in presence of target

Requirements: dark affinity 20%, personal medium

Description: By using an important possession of target as the medium, control the thoughts of the target. As level increase, complexity of thoughts that can be injected increases and direct control may be possible. 25% to poison mind of caster if poison resistance is less than level 4.

While I could not use it yet due to only having level 3 poison resistance, I was still curious about why this spell dropped. It was then that I realized that my sword must have killed him. I tried acting normal at home, but all I could think about were my actions. I could not believe I had killed him. Soon after, I was finally able to calm myself down by rationalizing that it was kill-or-be-killed, and that, if I did not kill Derick, he would kill me. That night when I went to bed, I did not want to fight in the dungeon. I was, however, just like every night so far, transported back to the dungeon.

I was about to enter the cavern, even while reluctant, when I remembered I had "residence passes." It was in my inventory, but I did not know how to use it. I went to the room on the upper left where the projection occurred previously, to see if it returned and could tell me what these passes are. When I arrived, the hand-like device was still there; however, there was no a slot that looked like the ones on pay terminals to insert credit cards. This, however, was facing straight up. My residence pass fit perfectly in slot, but nothing happened. I was disappointed I did not figure it out, but I put my hand on the table to think if I was doing it wrong. At that moment, a flash of blue light erupted. I was still in the same place, but I realized my hand was on the hand-shaped device. It was then that I heard the system.

[adventurer has gained access to Residence Hall. Due to pass level, Residence Hall can be entered from dungeon and planets by thought. Physical pass has been consumed]

I still did not know what it meant, and I went to leave the room to continue on my adventure. As soon as I reached the door, the system went off again. It has impeccable timing.

[Configuration complete. Welcome to Earth's Residence Hall. As the first resident, you have been approved for Administrative Authority. Your pass has granted you the following buildings: Mansion, Guild Building, Blacksmith Forge, Potion Laboratory, training field: physical, training field: magic, training field: large colosseum, warehouse. Please choose location to transport to.]

I tried choosing guild, but it didn't work out.

[guild function will be enabled when level 5 of dungeon is cleared, along with other conditions.]

I then went to "mansion," which was a gigantic, five-story, ornate white building with a garden in front. It must have at least been a couple acres just for the mansion. In the back, I saw dirt patches surrounded by a forcefield and a building akin to the Roman Colosseum behind them. I could guess these are training fields. When I went in the house, I suddenly felt very familiar. I was able to immediately grasp that the house cleaned and took care of itself, including lighting and defense. Only I or those I approve could enter, and I could live longer in here than on Earth. I knew the location of the three different kitchens, the cafeteria and three dining rooms on the first floor. On the second, I saw the laboratories, study spaces, and other such rooms. The third floor was a couple small practice rooms and the library. The library would be auto populated based on Earth's history and my travels in the dungeons. All spells I learned would also be found here. Finally, the fourth floor was residences and the last was my private residence.

I did not visit the other locations because I wasn't interested; however, I did go outside of the garden. There was a building at least seven stories tall, covered in windows, across the barren street that said "Guild Building." There was also a building on either side of the mansion, which were labeled as the potion laboratory and blacksmith forge. Past the potion laboratory, there was darkness I could not pass. Past the blacksmith forge, there was a large metal structure. Entering, I saw that there was an underground floor with labels stating it was "auto-refilling," as well as a ground-level floor I somehow knew was infinite and connected to my inventory. Some miscellaneous items from my inventory, such as a book I wanted to read, my video game console, and snacks, were lined up on the first shelf.

I wasn't up to fighting in the dungeon, still, so I went up the steps of my mansion. I went up the elevator to my private residence, and, once there, I went to my extravagant bedroom. Laying down on my bed, I fell asleep.

When I awoke, I was surprised to still be in the dungeon. I began to panic, not knowing how to escape. I kept trying to think of what to do to go back. Suddenly, I returned to my bed at home. I was glad to be back, so I went about my normal routine during the day. In school, I learned that Tae Kwon Do was cancelled today, as Sa Buh Nim Richard was feeling unwell. I decided not to get on the bus. I wanted to see if I could go to the dungeon during the day through my mansion. Sure enough, it was possible. My bookbag and books even came along with me. I was ready, today, to enter the cavern in front of me. I immediately entered and saw two goblins, both with clubs.

I took out Blackmail, and I was ready to fight. I > at the first goblin, severing its hand holding the club. When the second goblin attempted to attack me, I used >, which ended up going partway into the club. I left my sword there and immediately rolled away. The now-one-armed goblin picked up its club and ran towards me.

"Great fire of the world, gather into the palm of my hand. I Roberto command you, extinguish thine enemy! Fireball!" I chanted.

A fireball left my hand and flew towards the first goblin. The second was still trying to remove Blackmail. The goblin looked dazed for a second from my fireball. I used the opportunity to use a jumping front kick to bridge the distance. I connected with the goblin's chest, and it stumbled a few feet back. I then used my > spell twice, once on each goblin. I chose the complex poison. The system gave me with a reply, as well.

[Level up! Poison eyes has leveled up.]

Poison eyes

Rank D-

level: 3

Mana use: 10/use

Requirements: dark affinity 20%, poison resistance Level 3

Description: poisons target. Potency of poison increases with proficiency. Increases in rank can allow different types of poison to be used current types:

Basic poison: gradually lowers target vitality through contact or air-borne transmission, requires poison resistance level 2 to protect caster

Paralysis poison: due to possessing paralysis eyes, can cause breathing paralysis when inhaled, as well as lower vitality requires paralysis resistance level 2 to protect caster

Complex poison: quickly lowers target's vitality through contact, air-borne, or fomite transmission. Requires poison resistance level 3 to protect caster.

Decomposition potion: causes body part to start decomposing on contact. Does not work on undead monsters. Requires dark affinity 40%

(locked) petrification poison: petrifies body part of target. Unlock requires paralysis eyes level 3. More petrification can be induced by higher synergistic levels

It seems that I got some new poisons to use and my mana went down, though the mana cost is less of a concern, now. The goblins seemed to be inhaling and exhaling a purple mist, which I guessed was the poison. The one goblin has also lost a lot of blood. At this time, I started running past them and out of the dungeon. [obtained skill elementary evasion techniques: techniques for evading]

[obtained elementary evasion technique: haste: increases speed by 1.5 times for one minute. Cool down three minutes.] I soon noticed my speed increase, but I did not need the increased speed, I was only trying to get them to follow me. The first goblin ended up disappearing. The first grabbed the club that was left behind and proceeded to attack me with it. I barely dodged the blow when the system notified me. [skill elementary evasion techniques level up!]

[obtained elementary evasion technique: dodge: increase success of dodging opponent's physical attacks by 10%, increases by 10% each level] The next strike, it felt a little easier to dodge, but I felt my pain in my left arm. It looked like a friction burn, and my HP went down by one. I then used paralysis eyes and ran, at normal speed, behind the goblin. I recalled Blackmail, and I used > > at the still-paralyzed goblin. Finally, it disappeared, and I was exhausted from the fight. It left behind the club and an EXP shard. I did not know what to do with the club, but once I touched it, the system prompted me.

[What would you like to do with item: goblin club? Options: store, sell, equip]

I chose sell, as I had no use for it. The club disappeared, and the system gave me a new message

[goblin club sold. Gained: 5BTP]

I guess this is one way to gain BTP. I retired to my bedroom in the mansion, then I remembered it was still the middle of the day. I returned home from the mansion, even though I was at school when I entered.

"Roberto, when did you get home?"

"Just now, mom. I just put my bookbag upstairs."

I saw my bookbag was now in my inventory, so I took it out and put it on my bed.

"Then, Roberto, what do you want for dinner?"

"I'm actually going out with my friends. Sorry, Mom. Maybe tomorrow night we can have hamburgers?"

"Well, at least it's only one day. But don't let me down tomorrow. I'll be waiting"

"I'll be back late, so you don't have to stay up for me."

"Remember! Tonight's a school night. Don't stay up so late you miss the alarm tomorrow!"

"I know!"

With that, I went back to the mansion. I then decided to check out the chat function.

I opened up "World Chat," and it was empty. I guess it made sense, since there were no other explorers currently from Earth. On the left-hand side of the projection in front of me, besides the general chat room I was in, I could see the option for private messages, as well as settings. Looking through the settings, I turned on the setting to notify me of any direct messages, and I turned on the same for general chat. I hoped this would allow me to know when another person came to the dungeon. At the bottom of the screen, I then saw a selector. IP was on the left and world was currently selected, on the right.

I switched the selector to IP, and a new "interplanetary chat" window displayed. I read through the current conversation, but I was unable to respond. They were discussing the magic training field and colosseum. The colosseum required an opponent, either a tamed monster or other explorer. I didn't read too much about it after that. I couldn't tame monsters, and there were no other explorers. The part about the training field was interesting, though.

Only a certain number could exist, and there were different sizes, with XL being the largest and XS being the smallest (XL, L, M, S, XS). I turned off the chat to check mine using > and saw:

Dungeon Training field

Type: magic

Size: XL (locked), M (current)

Energy: 10,000/10,000

Registered users: Roberto

I went back to the chat that was occurring. I learned that it is used to level up spells without using mana, but the energy was limited and needed to recharge overtime. I wanted to try it out, so I went over and practiced casting light for a couple hours, and my mana did not decrease.

[Light has reached maximum level. Due to the effect of skill progression, light has increased to G-].

[Light has reached maximum level. Due to the effect of skill progression, light has increased to G].

The system kept telling me messages until it reached

[Light has reached maximum level. Due to the effect of skill progression, light has increased to D-. Light has evolved into luminescence].

As it was similar to my other spells, I stopped there and began focusing on fireball. I tried using other spells, but paralysis eyes and poison eyes required a target, void energy summon wouldn't work, I did not have the mana, in the first place, for absolute frost, and I did not have the prerequisite resistances for thought control. Soon, though the energy of the training field was about to run out. I was happy, though, that the magic also ranked up.

[fireball has reached maximum level. Due to the effect of skill progression, fireball has increased to D].

I used > on fireball.

Fireball

Rank D

Level: 1

Mana use: 15/use

Requirements: fire affinity 20%

Description: creates a large fireball and launches it towards target, dealing damage to enemies in path. By using more mana, size, damage, or temperature can increase. 35% chance of burning target if burn resistance is less than level 2, chance increases if using more mana and requires burn resistance proportional to mana input.

I also checked my status, and I noticed by burn resistance also leveled up. Next, I checked to see what changed with light, especially since it got a new name.

Luminescence

Rank D-

Level: 1

Mana use: 5/minute (use one); 200/15 minutes (use 2)

Requirements:

Description: Use one: create a ball of light with controllable size and brightness. Use two: apply luminescence on a person, monster, or object. Target will emit a feint light and night vision may be increased. Current limit: 1 hour, available times: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour. Time limit increases with increase in level

The first use of the spell seemed to be just an upgraded version of light, but the second use was different. I thought this was why the name changed. It would be good for tracking a target or for seeing slightly better when a ball of light would not be practical. The spell, which used to be one of my weakest, seems to now have a pretty good use, and the mana expenditure was significantly decreased as well.

I wanted to check my status once more before going home.

Name: Roberto

Race: Human (Earth)

Level: 1 (1/30)

Class: Skill Lord; ???

MP: 203/265

HP: 14/15

Strength: 18

Endurance: 21

Speed: 15

Luck: 6

Wisdom: 17

Dexterity: 17

SP:10

BTP: $15

Titles: First Conqueror

Skills: Martial arts Lv 4, appraise everything Lv 1, intimidate Lv 2, critical strike Lv 3, skill progression, persuasion Lv 1, skill mutation, appraisal blocking Lv 1, hostility perception Lv 1,

elementary sword techniques Lv 6,

slash, stab, pierce, consecutive strike, sword block

elementary evasion techniques Lv 2

haste, dodge (1/10)

Magic: absolute frost (SS ice) Lv 1, paralysis eyes (D- electric) Lv 2, poison eyes (D- dark) Lv 3, luminescence (D- light) Lv 1, Fireball (D fire) Lv 2, void energy summon Lv 0, Thought control (C-) Lv 1

Resistances: paralysis Lv 3, poison Lv 4, death Lv 1, intimidation Lv 2, burn Lv 2, exsanguination Lv 1, pain Lv 1, freeze Lv 4

Magic affinity:

Ice: 85%

Fire 41%

Water 30%

Electricity 75%

Dark 25%

Void: -1

Before I could leave, though, I saw a spell book in the magic arena. I was sure it was not there before I began my training.