After a good night's sleep, Avan got up and stretched with pleasure while looking around at his new apartment. It wasn't something luxurious but more than enough for his down-to-earth needs. As a boy scout, back then as a youth, he slept on the ground and under tarpaulins with minimal requirements. He slightly smiled while remembering the self-made furniture like tables, chairs, and more they had made out of wood. If he could get his hands on an ax, he would gladly drag wooden logs down here to make his private little camp. With a lovely table, some basic chairs made out of wood, and maybe even some dishes and cutlery.

Back to the roots, baby! Avan fist-bumped into the air.

But first, he had to learn this particular healing class by somewhat mastering these stances and infusing his body with mana. Thinking about the other books in the library he still needed to read, he stood up and munched on another [Golden Meaple] as a morning snack.

With the fruit in one hand and the water flask in another, he walked out of his temporary apartment room and threw a glance at the different intact books left and right. Finishing his meal and drinking a good portion of his freshwater, he stood in front of the shelf with the most books in better conditions. Thinking about how and in which order he should read and sort all of these books, he decided to pile the books on the stone table first. Stacking all the readable books, he observed the foreign language on the covers for the first time.

Hmmm... I am sure I don't know any of these letters, but somehow, I still understand what's written and what it means. Strange, maybe some universal language or something magical happened with my brain when I was transferred into this world. At least I don't need to get a translator. Can I still write in English? Maybe something to test out. It would be neat to have my native language as a ciphering so no one else can read it at first glance.

Reading the covers and sorting the history books from the more exciting textbooks, he soon overlooked a remarkable huge stack of history-related books. In contrast, the manuals with technical information were only contained out of three books. He actually found an empty diary, too, which he would gladly use for his private notes. Setting aside his own future journal book, he starts reading through the historical books first.

The world, which was named Aorus, was split into multiple, mostly unexplored continents. Avan seemingly woke up on Eos, which somewhat resembled a heart-shaped continent with your typical fantasy inhabitants like elves, dwarfs, humans, and various beast-kins. Dwarfs were only known to live in the farthest northeast under the Dragonpeak mountains, while the elves lived in the dense Everforest in the east of Eos, which they deemed holy and killed trespassers on sight. Both races were secretive and not friendly attuned to outsiders. While the humans mainly were evenly scattered on the other two-third of the land, the beast-kin could only be found on the south side of the continent, near the desert they called Voidesands with unpredictable sandstorms and smothering heat which could cook an average person alive. Meanwhile, in the southern kingdom of Thalia near the Voidsands lived a mixed population of beast-kin and humans together. The western kingdom of Haipu was mainly known to enslave beast-kin and was a land of humans, and their land consisted of plains and meadows.

Eos itself was split into three evenly parts with the river of Talamar that flowed from the middle-north down into the center of Eos, to fork toward the southwest and southeast until it circulates back into the ocean. At the west of the Voidsands could be found a thousand kilometers long beach-like climate.

Avan had to remind himself that all of this history was already over five hundred years old, probably out of date by now, and he couldn't be sure about the land as it was today.

If he understood the included map correctly, Cyntha was built on the west side of the Everforest but still on the east side of the uppermost Talamar river. Thoughtful, he just now recognized the danger of the surrounding forest because he wasn't sure where the Everforest began and where it ended. It could have been a short visit on Eos if he had the bad luck to stumble over some elves who would have surely attacked him on sight. Pewww, lucky me. Again.

Setting the historical lessons aside, Avan took one of the three other books and started to read eagerly. The book described the system of the world, as the inhabitants called it. The overlays he already had seen, how to access them, and the things he already found out himself. Like resizing the windows and re-aligning them, concentrating on specific words to get more and deeper information about it, the possibility to ignore messages to read them at a later time, and how he could access his character interface mentally or vocally. All these things he knew already from his private testing the days before.

New were the descriptions about all the elements you could gain and their compositions.

There were four basic elements of fire, water, air, and earth.

And the advanced aspects like lightning, lava, plant, and storm.

In the middle, and combined by all elements, were the dimensional and celestial aspects. If Avan understood it accurately, the dimensional or celestial person could learn skills from all other aspects, even from the opposing core element. A person had to infuse their own body with the respective elemental mana to obtain the element, as Avan had done with the [Golden Meaple] to gain the celestial aspect.

So if he would like to obtain more elements as dimensional or lightning, for example, he had to infuse these mana types into his body. Someone could literally bath in lightning strikes or lava to get these elements. But to gain celestial or dimensional, as described in the book, it would be nearly impossible because these were not originated in the physical realm of mortals. Very rarely could someone find a dimensional or celestial dungeon. And even then, the person had to reach the dungeon core, which was very hard, to begin with. The ambient mana should be enough to infuse the body with these elements.

Avan smirked while reading these requirements.

Satisfied and with more knowledge and a new goal set, he closed the book and skimmed through the last two books. One described how to meditate supernaturally and listed different philosophies about the spirit realm and existential questions the monks had scrutinized.

The last and third one was by far the most exciting book he had found in this room. A collection of descriptions for the different layers and levels of the dungeon with ten in total. It seems the first level would be a few-kilometer-wide forest with monsters called [Hound] s. [Hound] s were portrayed as dogs, which mostly hunted solo while stalking their prey to attack at the best moment. [Hound] s were known for their excellent sight and good hearing but otherwise lacked the organ to smell their game.

At the second level lived [Kobold] s, described as small but vicious little beasts mostly fighting with sticks and wooden spears. The third to fifth layers were littered with traps, pits, hidden tunnels, and different bats and snakes as their residents.

The final exam for acolytes was to reach the fifth layer, where a tutor would be waiting for them.

Levels after the fifth level were constantly changing and marked as too hard to reach for any practical benefit.

Happy to gain some information about the dungeon he was itching to dive in, Avan rubbed his hands together with a grin plastered over the entire face.

New levels, new skills, more stat points. Here I come! First things first, I need to gain the healer class. Then I will try to fight these [Hound] s and hopefully achieve some more levels. And... hmmm... oh shit, I totally forgot about the notifications from yesterday! He scolds himself.

*Chime*

You have gained another level in Pain Resistance!

Pain Resistance: 3

*Chime*

You have defeated a [Goblin Brute] !

*Chime*

Your group has defeated a [Fodder Goblin] !

*Chime*

Your group has defeated a [Fodder Goblin] !

*Chime*

Your group has defeated a [Fodder Goblin] !

*Chime*

Your group has defeated a [Goblin Brute] !

*Chime*

Congratulations on reaching Level 15!

For leveling up, you gain 5 free stat points.

Please look into your Status to distribute your free stat points.

Avan Leaf

Level: 15

Free Stat Points: 20

Element: Celestial

Class: Dungeonheart (Human)

Subclass:

Stats

Strength: 15

Dexterity: 30

Vitality: 15

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 5

Spirit: 5

Active Skills

-

Passive Skills

Pain Resistance: 3

Steady: 3

Potential: ?

Celestial Affinity: 5

Identify: 8

Dungeon sphere: ?

Tracking: 3

Primary Resources

Health: 125

Stamina: 200

Ambient Mana: 75

Okay, ten in strength and another ten in vitality for the upcoming dog brawl. Probably, more damage and, of course, more life and a little bit more physical resilience.

Avan Leaf

Level: 15

‎ Free Stat Points: 0

‎ Element: Celestial

‎ Class: Dungeonheart (Human)

‎ Subclass:

Stats

Strength: 25

‎ Dexterity: 30

‎ Vitality: 25

‎ Intelligence: 10

‎ Wisdom: 5

‎ Spirit: 5

Primary Resources

Health: 175

‎ Stamina: 200

‎ Ambient Mana: 75

Yeah, I feel a lot better. Avan mused. He could feel the increased muscle density and toughness and his whole body tightening while more energized than before. Looking around, Avan realized he had entirely forgotten his rabbit companion until now. He had felt the connection at all times in the back of his head with his sphere of influence skill but suddenly felt very bad about his little friend. Walking back into the room with the moss bed and knowing where to look, he found the little bugger sleeping in front of the bed. "Ha-ha, and here I felt terrible about forgetting him." He scoffed. "Don't you need something to eat or drink, Horny?"

Avan was suddenly watched by a single opened eye with a lazy head movement, almost as if the fluffball asked him if he was serious about the question. Does he even need to eat or drink anymore? I mean, he is a dungeon monster now and no ordinary rabbit. He asked himself with one hand scratching the back of his head.

Shrugging satisfied for now, he picked up the white rabbit and left the room with it in his arms. "Maybe he can live off ambient mana. I mean, my whole sphere is full of ambient mana that seemingly is under my domain, even if it's only around ten meters in diameter."

Grabbing his spear from his dropped backpack with one hand while still holding Horny in his other arm, he moves to the front door to leave for the first dungeon dive.

Cautiously moving forward through the tunnel, Avan could actually soon hear birds tweeting and couldn't even see anything down the slope yet. After a few more steps, he stood on top of a way down and lastly had an excellent view of a forest that spread in all directions so far as his eyes could manage to see. The humid air smelled nice, the lively sounds of hundreds of small bugs and different animals a stark contrast to the quiet halls he was just coming down from. It. Was. Awesome.

The woods felt more alive than the forest above ground. The ceiling was covered with thousands of thousands of tiny shining crystals resembling a beautiful night sky. Amazed, Avan relished this very moment, here and now. Breathing in the fresh, humid air, he was just happy to be here on Eos and Aorus. He never felt more alive and more beware of being a tiny human in the vast world that presented itself before him. Even just in this, in comparison small dungeon layer, he felt ultimately refreshed.

Sitting down for some time, he let his thoughts wander while his fluffball sat beside him.

Will my parents miss me? I mean, they were both divorced for so many years and had new partners for some time. I had not much contact with them, mostly anyway, but I wonder if they will miss me soon or not that much after all. And my friends? The few I had... Mostly online nowadays... And maybe more bros than real friends. Will they even notice me missing? My job was shitty anyways for a few months or years until now. Really don't miss that, that's for sure. I always had dreams to do other things, to make my own game, to travel and marvel at the wonders of our earth. I'm asking myself... will it be possible to travel back at some point? Will I lose the magic I gained here? Is there a way to travel back again to Aorus?

... So many questions buzzing through my mind. And I hope Yue is fine up in Cyntha. I like the girl. Beautiful young woman, but maybe not in a sexual way, naaaah. Not interested right now anyway, with so much to explore and so much left to achieve. I want to grow stronger, see everything with my own eyes, feel it, smell it, taste so much food, and see what's available, and I want to meet the people of this world and make friends. Avan daydreams while starring at the green landscape that lies before his eyes.

Satisfied, he stands up and walks down the earthen path into the forest, Horny immediately behind him. Upon entering the dense vegetation, his fellow friend started rubbing his fur against one of the tree trunks. Strange habit, more like a cat. Hehe. He smiled. Moving forward and giving his furry friend some tree time alone, he stops here and there to bend down, gathering some of the greens that grew everywhere. Some edible mushrooms with unknown properties, fern, and strange purple flowers. Still holding his spear tightly in his right hand, he carefully walks in between the trees in the direction of a flowing stream he had heard earlier. Near rivers, he was likely to encounter other animals and predators who also needed to drink sometimes, he guessed. A lot of cautious steps, and a few minutes later, he finally stood beside a tree line, watching the stream shooting by and over a cliff into a waterfall. The air was damp and the loud water falling down over the edge on the left side was kind of soothing his mind.

Suddenly, and nearly missing it, Avan saw something black moving on the other side of the river between the trees. Hastily crouching down, spear ready, he stares stiffly into the direction he just saw the movement. It was something undefined and not identifiable with the short glimpse he had seen. A few seconds later, a black wolf-like creature with brown dots on his fur stepped out of the forest next to the river and started drinking out of it. Calmly breathing, Avan watches the wolf-dog thing, most likely the described [Hound] he had read about, without moving. The [Hound] had a similarity with some of the hunting dogs bred back on earth. It was a meter long and half a meter tall, with two fangs protruding from the side of its mouth.

With a stupid idea coming to his mind, Avan grabbed a small stone he saw nearby on the forest floor, took aim, and threw the rock to the right on his side of the river. With a nearly not discernible thump, the rock impacts the ground. Perking up, the [Hound] abruptly looked at the location where the sound came from. Standing up, it walks slowly and cautiously in the direction, jumped over the small river in one leap, and turns the head to the side around the impact site to listen for any unfamiliar noises.

Sneaking, Avan crouches forward, spear ready to thrust. Suddenly, very likely a small rock he had stepped on, the [Hound] turned around and bared his teeth at the intruder. Remembering his first encounter against the much bigger black wolf, Avan remains calm and holds the spear with both hands. Ready to either thrust forward or wedge the pole into the ground at a moment's notice to pierce the dog if it should dare to jump at him. Growling at this puny human who ventured into its territory, the [Hound] moves forward menacingly. Calculating the distance with a spear thrust in his mind, Avan swiftly steps forth and stabs with a quick movement, aiming at its head. With added strength for a more powerful thrust and all the speed he could muster, the spear struck true and pierced the [Hound] where the nose would usually be. Yowling loudly, the dog jumped backward, with blood flowing down his head and visibly irritated. Avan dashed at the enemy without waiting for another strike. He took a small jump forward and pulled all his weight into a spear thrust from above directly into the ribcage. No time to react, the [Hound] gets penetrated until the spear tip barely stops at a rib bone on the other side of its chest.

With the last wail, the animal stopped moving and dropped sideways to the ground. With a strong, quick pull, Avan gets his spear back out of the dog's corpse.

*Chime*

‎ You defeated a [Hound] !

*Chime*

‎ Congratulations on reaching Level 16!

‎ For leveling up, you gain 5 free stat points.

‎ Please look into your character interface to distribute your free stat points.

Cleaning the spear quickly in the river, he decides to drag the dead [Hound] back to the forest entrance to skin it later. Before he could try his luck at skinning, he required a sharp weapon or tool after giving away his two daggers to Yue. Thinking back at his first day here and the dead adventurers at the camp, he knew exactly where he could start his search.

Dropping the corpse back down at the slope, where it ended into the forest level, he waved at Horny with a mental command, both trotted back up the path. Avan immediately got his backpack out of the room after reaching the dungeon hallway and marched out into the surface area in front of the cave and further in the direction he originally came from. Looking around while marching, he started to watch the sun to figure out the cardinal points. If he figured it out correctly, he first came from the west on his first day, so he was walking east right now.

Soon, they reached the temple ruins again. Walking by, Avan took a look around and saw nothing unusual out of the way. After another hour, he found himself back up at the top of the cliff he first fell down in his attempt to escape the wolf. Moving down the slope on the side, he was back at the first camp. Ewe, that smell! Fuck! He puked sideways. Wiping his mouth with his backhand, he immediately started rummaging through the former possessions from these people. Picking up the sword he had denied at first, he stowed it into his backpack, where the spear peeked out already on top. Browsing through everything he could use back at his lodging, Avan stashed some more clothes, blankets, and another bedroll. Searching more profoundly, he found two more water flasks and, at the bottom of one of the backpacks, an ax. Happy with his newfound treasure, he shouldered all of the backpacks in wise foresight.

Never know when some of the things I fight will destroy my backpack, and I am much stronger now anyway. The strength boost is more than noticeable as I am now, so why shouldn´t I use more bags to stash all the items.

Loaded like a mule and a short whistle to Horny, he turned around and walked west, back to his new home for the while.