Shane, alone, walked the path that led him away from the dungeon and toward the city of Krooth. The warm sun of a late summer afternoon cast wonderfully dark shadows under the wooded path. It was a high-contrast scene that would have typically left him in a state of appreciative awe.

Right now, such beauty would just have to go unnoticed by the lone man who was deep in his own grief. If anyone had been nearby, they would have seen a disheveled, downtrodden man slowly shambling up the dirt lane. Those theoretical people wouldn’t have known that he had arrived with three companions.

Shane walked in a detached state of disbelief, with all his focus on replaying the memories of the painful events around the encounter with Cain Prime. He had to face the facts that he wasn’t strong enough to save Alabaster’s life. Nor could Shane have spared Sharlot and Liz from being stolen.

He opened the [Party] tab in the digital window he summoned, hoping against reality that it would list the three companions he entered the dungeon with. A shuddering sigh, thick with bitter regret, escaped his mouth as he closed the empty screen.

On the bright side, if he could call it that, there was still the quest completion he earned from defeating the dungeon’s boss.

“Yeah, right,” Shane scoffed, knowing full well he didn’t defeat squat. The boss basically walked out after Cain Prime’s attack killed him. Whatever, he thought with a frown. I’ll use everything I can to get ahead of that murderer and thief. This was a promise he made to himself before leaving the bowels of Krooth’s nearby dungeon.

Shane opened the quest reward window. The dopamine hit from the thought of seeing the random magical rewards was beginning to run through his mind, distracting him slightly. As it happened, one of the generated pieces of loot immediately caught his eye.

-Level 13 Dungeon Quest Complete!-

Dungeon Boss Vanquished!

You Have Earned The Following:

873 Experience 25 Gold Coins 68 Silver Coins 444 Bronze Coins

You May Pick Two of The Following:

(Rare) Chain Lightning Arrows

25 arrows that chain a basic lightning spell between themselves during combat

(Rare) Flowing War Hammer of Rain

A two-handed war hammer imbued with water magic that lets the wielder control the weather in a particular area

(Uncommon) Compact Sickle

Unremarkable sickle that turns into a bracelet when not in use for easy storage

(Rare) Wealthy Iron Ring

An ugly ring made of several multicolored melted pieces of Iron that grants the user extra currency

(Ascendant) Splitting Spear of Speed

A one-handed sharp spear forged of a blue Mithril. It lets the user clone themselves

His first choice was, unsurprisingly, the spear. Creating clones of myself during combat could fill the power vacuum that Shar—. Shane forced his train of thought to stop there. He didn’t want to relive that painful memory anymore today.

I wish I had a bow because those arrows would be suitable for farming multiple opponents and groups of weaker enemies. Shane deliberated for a while in the middle of the path shaded by the tall trees nearby. Damn, I guess I’ll get the ring. Mo’ money, mo’ chances to buy a cool, magical bow, and even better arrows.

He chuckled to himself for a moment and felt a little silly about it. There’s no one else left to laugh at my stupid jokes. That thought was like a dull needle he couldn’t help but let sink into the forefront of his mind.

“Maybe this clone-making spear will cheer me up,” Shane uttered with all the excitement of someone booting up Turbo-Tax.

Finding the new spear icon in his inventory only took a second. Selecting the item brought up a new window showcasing the pointy weapon’s visual and informative details.

-Splitting Spear of Speed-

(Ascendant)(1-handed)

+25 Damage

+5 Agility

+3 Luck

-Modifiers-

Splitting: Gives the ability to make a copy of the user and weapon

Speed: Attacks with this weapon are 25% faster

-Feat Gained-

-Auto Impale-

(Uncommon Passive Feat)

Every third attack causes the weapon to send a piercing shockwave through the opponent, making the attack a critical hit

“Splitting, eh? Okay, spear, you have my attention.”