Estezol had been correct when he had said that joining an exploration mission would be very different from what Dallion had expected. To make matters worse, the bearded man couldn’t even fathom the depth of Dallion’s actual expectations. In truth, he hadn’t even come close.

In his mind, Dallion was ready for adventures in deep and mysterious caves, fighting off monsters, gathering loot—or at least monster components—as well as a rare mineral or two. He was well aware that ordinary objects found in a realm couldn’t be taken out of it, but he had hoped ancient artefacts to be an exception to the rule, allowing him to obtain one of the rare materials that went into making awakened weapons and gear. Reality had a different opinion.

After the rest of the party arrived—two guild members, both younger than Dallion—all three were taken to a room on the second floor. There had been four beds in the room, arranged so as to form the letter X. Two of the beds were covered in weapons, shields, and other items, allowing them to be in contact with the skin of the person who lay on top. A small table with a strangely shaped metallic device was placed between the beds, at arm’s length.

The two guild members had laid down on the weapon beds, while Dallion took one of the remaining two, his harpsisword within reach. Once settled in, he was asked to reach behind him with his free hand and touch the item they were going to explore. The next thing he knew, Dallion was inside the sphere item, along with two very overburdened party members. Alas for him, they didn’t remain overburdened for long. Immediately, he was given all excess weapons and items, making him feel like an over glorified caddy.

So this is what it’s like to be a packrat, Dallion thought. The name was definitely suiting.

The KALEIDEVRISCO is Level 0 of 3

You are at the START of the KALEIDEVRISCO’s first level.

Unseal all levels to fulfill the KALEIDEVRISCO’s destiny.

The rectangles kept floating in the air.

“What’s a kaleidevrisco?” Dallion asked, attempting to adjust the load he was carrying. Right now he deeply regretted taking the harpsisword along.

“No idea,” Janna replied. She was the most senior of the group and adept in all four types of combat skills. Back on Earth she could pass as a Valkyrie, if Valkyries could be geeky, cheerful and five foot two. She had the most raven black hair Dallion had seen in his life, as well as enough armor and weapons to pull off the look. “We just need to clear the levels and.”

“So, you’re March’s chosen?” Kallan asked. He was barely taller than Janna, with just as black hair. All in all, it was normal, since from what Dallion had learned the two were siblings born a year apart. Apparently, their parents were also part of the guild which made it almost obligatory for them to join since their awakening. That also means that they heard a lot of inside gossip, much to Dallion’s dismay.

“That’s what they say.” Dallion grunted.

Do we really need all this? Dallion wondered, although he would never dare say the question out loud. Being a pack rat to a bunch of children.

“Rough choice on the exam, though they say you handled yourself well in a party. Most newbies don’t.”

“Thanks.” I guess…

“Just remember that you’re the packrat here,” Janna reminded. “We’ll take care of the critters, you just stay back.”

“Right.”

There was no chance Dallion would learn anything on this mission. Then again, at least it was going to pay well. From what Estezol had said, the payment of this item was a flat fee plus a bonus based on the actual value of the item once fully awakened.

The starting point of the item was pitch black, just like the fourth level of the dagger. The only light came from the three lanterns strapped to Dallion’s back and belt. By the way the Valkyrie siblings had positioned themselves in relation to Dallion, he could tell they had done this sort of job before many times. Each walked to the side, almost against the wall of the dark tunnel.

So, I’m a packrat and a lure, Dallion thought. From a tactical point of view, he had to admire their cheekiness. Any creature that popped up was more likely to charge at him and be skewered by the siblings as it passed by.

It was also interesting to note that none of them spoke as they walked, very much unlike Dallion’s previous party. Maybe there was a thing or two he could learn from them after all.

About half a minute in, Kallan stopped, making a sign for the rest to do as well. Dallion looked forward, trying to see any sign of a creature. He couldn’t. The weight of his baggage diminished as two sets of swords disappeared, emerging in the siblings’ hands.

COMBAT INITIATED

Red markers appeared, starting from the sword and moving forward like Tron lines. This was the first time Dallion had seen attack markers function in this way. Not only weren’t they in a straight line, but they changed size as well. It was like the solution to a maze labyrinth taken out of context. Moments later the duo rushed darted forward into the darkness.

Uncertain what to do, Dallion ran forward as well. As he tried to catch up, the sound of growls and sword swooshes filled the air. It was apparent that a fight had started, the only issue was that Dallion still couldn’t see what his team was fighting. Another thirty steps later, the light from the lanterns finally helped him witness the scene.

Janna and Kallan were in a crowd of goblin-like creatures with sharp claws and scaly skin. They were outnumbered at least twenty to one, but that didn’t hinder them in the least. If anything, it made their fighting far more impressive. Up till now, Dallion had thought of fighting as a simple slashing, jabbing, or piercing. Nothing in the behavior of all the people he’d fought had made him think otherwise. How wrong he had been. Blades slid through the air, moving in zigzag fashion without stopping. When they cut through an enemy, they’d continue to the next, forming a line of slaughter.

Species: Cave Goblin

Class: Earth

Statistics: 100% HP

Skills:

- Claw slash

- Shard bite

Weak Spots: Base of neck

Whatever the species was, it wasn’t presenting any challenge whatsoever. Observing the fight from a safe distance, like a pack mule, Dallion decided to use his music skills to see the state of the creatures. The blue hue that filled them was unmistakable—fear. It stood to reason—Dallion wouldn’t feel confident if he had to face these two, either. Still, after a while he began to see the pattern to their actions. While difficult to spot initially, there was a rhythm to their strikes. With a bit of luck, he could probably block against a few of their attacks, although he was smart to know that the end result would likely be the same. Not only was their speed vastly superior, they were combining attacks with athletic and acrobatic skills.

Less than a minute from the start of combat, it was all over. Whatever goblins there were had been poofed out of existence, leaving only the party behind.

“That’s all of them,” Kallan said as he walked up to Dallion and handed him his weapons. “A bit stronger than expected. Usually doesn’t take us that long.”

Dallion nodded, even if it was obvious that the boy was exaggerating.

“So, what did you think?”

“What can I say?” Dallion shrugged, tucking in the blades among the rest of the equipment he was carrying. “First time I see that wave attack. Attack and athletics?” He tested.

“And acrobatics,” Kallan corrected with a smug expression. “You have to be a double digit to pull it off.”

“I’m sure. So that was it? Now we go on and face the guardian?”

“It’s not that simple.” Janna approached and handed her blades as well. “We have to find it first.”

“Find the guardian?” Dallion looked forward. It was only now that he noticed something that the darkness had obscured—the tunnel split into three, each continuing in a different direction.

“This isn’t a testing dagger,” Kallan smirked. “There’s more than a single tunnel. That’s why they call it an exploration mission. No one knows where the guardian chamber is, even among similar artefacts. The testing daggers are the only exception.”

Fascinating. It actually was like a dungeon quest, only without the minimap. However, Dallion felt that there was still one thing that didn’t quite fit.

“Is there anything else in the rest of the level?” Dallion asked.

“What do you mean?” Janna looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“If the level is like a small maze with the guardian room hidden somewhere, what about the rest of the level? Is there anything else interesting there?”

The siblings looked at each other.

“We’re only supposed to clear the levels,” Janna said in a slightly hesitant voice. “There’s no requirement to clean everything.”

“But what if there’s something to be discovered? Maybe this is a sort of mending labyrinth? If you kill all the creatures something might happen.”

“Maybe, but that’s for someone else to do. We only need to clear the levels so they light up.”

There it was again, that inexplicable lack of curiosity. Maybe Dallion thought differently because this was his first mission, but he couldn’t imagine being in a dungeon and not killing every threat, let along not exploring every inch of the level. Janna and Kallan seemed to treat all this like a nine-to-five job: do the absolute minimum to get things done and move on.

“Has anyone tried killing all creatures on a level before facing the guardian? Since it’s only three levels, it can’t be too much work.” Come on, agree with me. You know you want to. “It’s not like we’ll waste any time,” he added with a smile.

Janna looked at her brother.

“I think it’s stupid,” Kallan replied. “We’ve never done it differently. And I don’t think it’ll be any different if we kill all the creatures on the level or not.”

“Maybe not, but at least you’ll know for sure. Also, you’ll know that you’ve completed the level at a hundred percent.”

The argument was weak, especially for someone who wasn’t a gamer. Even so, against all odds, Kallan agreed.

“Alright. We’ll try it. But if the level is too big we stop!”

Dallion nodded. He had no intention of arguing, even if he could have pointed out that they needed to find the guardian chamber anyway, so clearing the entire level was a good idea, nonetheless. A few minutes later and they were off again, walking at a faster pace.

As the exploration went on there were several more encounters, mostly against goblins of one type or another, but now and again there would be another creature present—one that Dallion had grown to know well: cracklings.

“You can sense more, can’t you, Nox?” Dallion whispered. In his awakening room, he felt the crackling cub mew affirmatively. “Good work. Let me know if you feel anything close.”

“This is starting to get boring,” Kallan complained a short distance ahead.

“We still haven’t found the guardian chamber,” Janna reminded.

“When we find it, I say we kill it directly. Let someone else worry about the creatures.”

Although he said that, Dallion noticed that the boy deliberately avoided certain paths, as if conveniently knowing which direction to go so as not to find the chamber.

With each tunnel they followed, Dallion filled up his mental map of the level. Thanks to his mind increase, this activity was a thousand times easier than it had been before. If he closed his eyes, he could almost visualize the layout before his very eyes. That is why when reached another dead end, he knew that the exploration of the level had pretty much ended. Only two unexplored spots remained, both surrounded by the explored area. One spot inevitably held the guardian’s chamber, as for the other… Dallion’s theory was that it was the home to a cracks’ nest.