Vinny

Location: Floor One Dungeon

Date: July 23rd, 304 PS (Post System)

Time: 1:50 PM

I sent a flurry of ice at the Widnoir. The gargantuan arachnid’s eight legs froze in place, giving Jason the opening to cut its legs off. Beka charged the bug and smashed its head in with one punch from her gauntlet equipped fist. A blue flash emitted from the gauntlet once it made contact with the wild creature, and the Widnoir evaporated into thousands of black dots.

Your party defeated a wild Widnoir!

Your party each gains 13 XP!

Beka acquired a ball of silk!

You acquire Widnoir Mandibles!

Jason acquired four spider legs!

Astrid acquired Widnoir poison!

“Our first kill!” Jason cheered as we put our weapons away.

“I’m so close to level two,” I told the group. “I’m still waiting to see your Bonded Monster Summon.” I looked at Astrid, who shrugged.

“I’m saving it until we get to the boss,” The blonde told me. “I would recommend you three do the same. I heard Taurite is one tough cookie.” We nodded. Astrid is our unspoken leader, and a great one — her clear directions make her easy to follow.

I check out our vitals:

Astrid Lord | Radiance | HP: 198/210 | SP: 40/260

Jason Jean | Duelist | HP: 105/270 | SP: 36/90

Beka Gaston | Barrier | HP: 98/495 | SP: 12/90

Vinny Hallow | Rune Scratcher | HP: 246/300 | SP: 100/100

Astrid used her Unified Light ability to heal us back to full health, and I handed out Toxifrog Elixirs — they restore SP. I gasped as Astrid’s light faded; its warmth was intoxicating. We muttered our thanks to Astrid and kept pushing forward through the cave.

At the moment, we are in a long, damp, narrow cavern. With the dampness in the air, Beka guesses there is a spring further down. Jason scouted for us; while he checked ahead, Beka stood in front of Astrid, and I anchored down the rear. Although Jason has the Duelist class, his agility is ridiculously high, and he has a Class A Sneak skill. He says the ability was a gifted Skill Book from his father.

Skills learned through Skill Books. There are six Skill Classes that a Skill Book could be, Class A through F. Class A is the strongest, and Class F is the weakest.

“How could that be the only monster we’ve encountered in almost half an hour?” Astrid asked aloud. Beka gave her signature shoulder shrug, and I pondered the question for a moment.

“I’m not complaining; it’s making our journey easier,” I replied to our commander.

On the wall to the right of me, a green gleam caught my eye. I stopped and stared at the wall, and a notification appeared before me.

You found a secret passage!

Because of Alondra’s Blessing, you and your party may enter this hidden entrance.

“Uh, Astrid,” I stammered out. The two girls stopped and looked at me. “I found a secret dungeon. Do you guys want to go in?” Astrid’s scowl turned into a look of wonder.

“I’ve heard of people finding hidden passageways, but I didn’t think we’d find one,” She said with excitement. “Let me message Jason; then we can head in there.” The blonde girl pressed in the air a few times. “He’s on his way.” Moments later, the Duelist rejoined our group.

“Alright, I’ll open the door,” I told my acquaintances. I didn’t know if this would work, but it’s worth a try. I pressed my palm against the door, and a prompt popped into my vision.

Would you like to enter Alondra’s Dungeon?

Yes | No

I pressed “Yes,” and the wall opened up to a massive room. A clear water spring sat in the middle of the cavern.

Jason ran in. I tried grabbing him, but his agility outranks mine. He bowed down on his knees and dipped his face into the spring. The Duelist drank mouthfuls of water as we slowly walked into the chamber — checking for traps.

“Ah!” Jason cried out, fleeing on his hands and knees. “There’s something in the water!” A tentacle emerged from the glistening water and wrapped itself around Jason’s right leg then began dragging him to the lake. Jason unsheathed his steel sword and, with vigor, hacked away at the limb. Before the creature pulled the screaming man into the water, he dealt the final blow to his attacker’s tentacle.

Jason stumbled to his feet and ran to us — hiding behind Beka. I turned around to leave the grotto, but the door vanished. I pressed my hand against where the entrance had been, but no announcement showed up in my vision.

“Guys, we have a problem,” I said unblinking and with fear in my voice. “The door is gone.” Jason let out a squeak, and Beka huffed in annoyance as the Duelist continued to cower behind her. “Looks like we’ll have to fight whatever is in the water. Don’t worry, team, I have an idea.” I withdrew my etching rod and drew a symbol into the air. Once I completed the emblem, I pushed every point of mana into it, then guided it toward the water. When the complex rune floated above the water, it activated. The explosion echoed throughout the cavern — I felt my eyebrows frying.

Vinny dealt 1,030 damage to wild Octorpa!

When the wind from the explosion faded, Beka wore a manic smile, Jason laid on the ground in the fetal position, and Astrid donned a look of terror. A crater now sits where the glorious water once sat.

“That spell is one I made,” I told the party in a whisper. “It can only be used around water. When the rune is near water, it triggers the water to turn into fire. I can only use it once since it requires all of my mana.” I pulled out an elixir and replenished my health. “I got inspiration from the hydrogen bomb, a weapon we used to have in the outside world.”

Your party defeated an Octorpa!

Your party gains 42 XP!

Vinny acquired the title Ocean Master

Vinny acquired two Octorpa Monster Shards!

“You just one shot a Dungeon Boss,” Astrid told us. “Octorpa is a creature my dad told me took six people to defeat when he was an Adventurer. Vinny, I’m hoping there’s some water in the Floor Boss’s lair.”

*****

A gateway that led back to the main dungeon stood behind the crater. When we exited the side-cavern, the portal vanished and turned back into a wall. We spent the next half hour following the path, defeating small monsters. I got a Monster Shard from Lunafly and a Pyromander, but, most importantly, I finally leveled up.

You leveled up to level 2!

You have 2 Unallocated Skill Points!

“Hold up, guys,” I told my team. “I just leveled up. I want to allocate some points. We stopped and took a break. Beka, who has her heavy shield out now, leaned against the massive piece of metal, Jason laid on the ground, using his backpack as a pillow, and Astrid sat, leaning against the wall. I pulled up my stat sheet.

Name: Vincenzo (Vinny) Hallow

Class: Aura/Rune Scratcher

Level: 2

Unallocated Stat Points: 2

HP: 300/300

SP: 100/100

XP: 4/300

Strength: 6

Intelligence: 13

Wisdom: 11

Constitution: 11

Agility: 12

Charisma: 12

Blessings:

Monka's Blessing — You have an increased chance of successfully enchanting an item.

Alondra's Blessing — You gain access to Alondra's secret tunnels in the dungeons.

Skills:

Rune Scratcher's Elements(Passive): You can imbue objects with any mana type you wish, except one cannot use those mana types for skills that aren't Rune Scratcher related.

Rune Scratcher Etching(TBD): You can scratch runes into the air to create spells. The complexity of those spells will determine how much SP is required.

Telekinesis(1 SP)[Spectral]: You can lift objects with your mind.

Astral Jump(250 SP)[Spectral]: You can leave your body and travel in the astral plane. You cannot take damage in your astral form, and if your body dies while in your astral form, you cannot leave the astral form.

I need more SP, so I added both points into that stat; each point increased my SP by ten, so now my SP stat is 120/120. I didn’t need any more skills, and I’m okay with where my other stats sit. I exited my status screen when the ground shook. A monster’s shriek resounded in the distance, and we knew what comes next — the Floor One Boss.