Chapter 36

...

[Floor 6 – Day 1]

[Total Days in Trial: 119]

"Ping!"

[Floor 6 - Minimum Clear Condition:]

[Leave The Dungeon]

[Condition met! – No Perk] [Temporary Perk awarded!] [Lesser Analysis] - [Granted]

"Ping!"

Temporary Perk – Presently limited to the Sixth Floor. Allows the user to access additional information about the contents of a Trial floor.

[Status]

Name: John

Attributes

Class: Disciple – Skills: 4/7

Titles:

Perks:

Strength:

21

-

Lesser Analysis

Dexterity:

16

Archery 16

Constitution:

23

Resist Poison 23

Intelligence:

10

-

Wisdom:

16 [+2]

Meditation 13

Lesser Heal 12 - (Miracle)

Wise man of the Mountains

Charisma:

13 [+0]

-

Ambitious [INACTIVE]

Adventurer's Spirit

Free

3

- - -

"Ah, you bastard..." I muttered, as reality set back in. "Of course the [Trial] would do something like this."

I stood with my feet on the ground, turning my back to the darkness of the cave formation. The Dungeon waited in silence, a grand entrance of crumbling statues and faded runes. Deep they ran, sinking into the soil with a pale illumination brought by glowing stones and moss that dotted the cave walls, casting just enough light to see the tunnel winding out of sight and down into the hidden depths. Squinting, I could see this grand passageway, carved through bedrock and stone, was marked with a language I didn't recognize, and ominous statues continued down beyond where I stood, worked into the framework of the place.

But none of that was what had me confused.

Behind me, not even paces away, I could see the light of day. There, easily within my reach, green grass and blue skies waited under the light of a calm sun.

It seemed that the exit was easily within my reach.

[Floor 6 - Minimum Clear Condition:]

[Leave The Dungeon]

"So, I can skip this entire Floor?" I skimmed the Menu again, checking for any additional messages, but there were none that I could find. No Secondary Conditions were provided. No further treats were waiting in an effort to lure me deeper. No time limit, no prompts, no real scene to fill me in with more information.

I paused for a moment, looking back around to spot the "catch."

The things I had on me were of what might be considered the standard Adventuring "load-out." I'd once again been provided a few tools to help me along. My bow, a short sword, some cheap leather armor that seemed both well maintained, and well-used. Sparking to life in my mind's eye, some basic concepts filtered through with a general sense of familiarity, tied together with a roughly drawn map found in my belt pouch. Of some tunnels leading in, and some "previously explored" sections.

The paper map was signed by a name I couldn't read due to a lot of smudges on the page. Apart from that, I just had whatever I remembered learning from the 3rd Floor. Which wasn't much.

I knew that in my previous experience, Dungeons were places where monsters gathered and Mana grew denser. Magics and natural forces worked to manifest strange items or relics within them, making Dungeons a tempting location from an Adventurer to explore. They were highly dangerous, and generally filled with traps. Which also manifested... for some reason.

I hadn't gotten a clear answer to why that was the case. It simply was, and no one I'd spoken to at the Guild on the 3rd Floor had ever clarified. Steelbeard had told me something about a "Core" during one of our talks, but he'd been extremely drunk when I questioned him on the subject. My tin-foil hat suggestion, that the monsters knew how to set up traps, had been laughed at.

"The Dungeon Core does it." He'd said. "Cores are a mind, all of their own." He had elaborated, while not really elaborating.

I sat down, stretching from side to side as I pondered the choices this Floor seemed to offer.

I still had many questions, regardless of what was or wasn't clear to me: I knew for a fact the Dungeon would be deadly. And that was the most important take-away. This was going to be dangerous work, if I pursued it and went deeper inside. Walking into this place without being ready for everything, would mean a huge risk.

But leaving without gaining any attributes would be stupid, and likely leave me in a worse position for all the future Floors. Everything I could gain now, could mean the difference between life and death later.

I opened my traveling bag and set about the lengthy process of confirming that I wasn't missing something important. My inventory of the spacious leather compartments confirmed that all my normal adventure-related gear was in place. Apart from my bow and sword, my remaining gear was also in good condition. Ropes, spikes, chalk, food... It was packed to the brim with supplies. I'd come prepared for the scenario, it seemed.

Setting my bag down, I stood and carefully inched a little closer to the entrance, confirming my other remaining suspicions.

Right at the edge of the Dungeon, no hidden traps went off. The cave didn't collapse, or shoot arrows like an Indiana Jones movie. Looking up at the sun, I had to squint as the clouds parted, and the warmth touched my skin. There were no pressure plates or anything of the sort. It seemed that nothing was going to stop me if I wanted to leave.

So... there really wasn't a trick. I mulled this over, trying to decide if that meant there was a trick further in, instead. Like a cliche cave-in, or some other such nonsense.

"Huh." Clicking my tongue and pondered this for a bit long, then going back over to my supplies, didn't provide any illuminating discoveries. I had food for at least a few weeks, and all the normal travel gear I would want. "Is this a test of commitment... maybe?" I muttered to no one. "Stay or skip..."

Not that I had expected an answer, but the Menu didn't ping any further instructions.

Rolling out my bedroll on a patch of flat ground a few paces from the entrance, I folded it over twice and sat down. Breathing in deeply, I correcting my posture as best I could, I let things fall into the familiar pattern.

Meditation had more uses than just gathering Mana for a Miracle. It was a state of mind, as much as a useful tool, and I had found it was helpful for both the mystical, and the more mundane. In order to clear my thoughts and then really focus on something. In this case, I just wanted to rest for a few moments, settle myself and plan ahead.

After a few more minutes of consideration, I decided that this was probably a windfall. The [Trial]'s offer of a rest between sprints.

I had just rapidly progressed several Floors in a row, and was no being offered a chance for me to address some serious issues. As such, there was no timer rushing me along, apart from my own body. Without my own personal circumstances getting in the way, it seemed likely that there was probably a source of food and water further in which would let me stay for as long as I wanted.

Staying, meant I could grind away at my Attributes. Leaving, meant I could avoid risk and gain a free point for no effort. Right away, I'd be on to the 7th Floor. While going into the Dungeon and exploring, would be dangerous and might have some sort of "catch" to force me into life or death situation. Considering there were probably hidden conditions to make up for that... So, more points, but no clear path for me to obtain them.

Considering logistics, I'd need to find some water. That would run out in a day or two. I didn't have much on me, so I would need to locate a source. Which meant I would have to be willing to explore, at least a little bit, if I wanted to linger here and rest. The food I had on me would last for weeks, but then it would be gone.

I was no stranger to starving slowly, but that would still be a problem, eventually. Without some sort of chance to restock on supplies, chances were good that I couldn't last nearly as long as I had on the 3rd Floor. There were weeks available here, but not months. So "Naturally" grinding attribute points was going to be less effective no matter how hard I pushed myself...

From what I knew, I might be able to improve a few points across the board. Wisdom was passively improving so long as I kept Meditation breathing patterns in check. Constitution was holding its own based on my body's habit of destroying itself. The rest seemed to require active work or free Points to improve, but I was sure I could come up with something to improve Dexterity or Strength by training. Though to push myself I'd need to be eating and drinking regularly.

All of that combined would more than make up for avoiding whatever risks were waiting in the Dungeon, but the allure of what hidden gifts might be waiting was still nagging. The [Trial] could reward me in unexpected ways, after all...

I watched the sun set behind me, as night fell and the cool air drifted. The slow draft from inside the dungeon reversed, as the air outside flowed in. No creatures came to investigate, but bird songs shifted as the light faded. The call of wildlife from outside the dungeon remained stark in contrast to the eerie silence ahead.

I could also take on the Floor, as it was designed. I could go and explore the Dungeon a little, and maybe I could reap some additional rewards... I felt the nagging thought grow a little more powerful. Caution was well and good, but risks could be worth the reward...

I clamped down on the thought.

There was always a catch. This was the [Trial] and the [Trial] was cruel when it came to that sort of thing. Being paranoid kept me alive as much as overpreparing kept me alive. For all I knew I'd walk right into some stupid trap and die for nothing.

And saying that, if I did manage to find treasure or something... well, nothing I found was coming with me. Physical Objects were very hit or miss, and items didn't reliably travel between the Floors. If I stumbled upon something interesting, I doubted I'd have it with my on the next Floor. So short of completing the entire dungeon, I wasn't entirely sure what was going to reward me in the first place. Maybe killing a bunch of monsters and unlocking some hidden reward?

Unless, maybe that was the point?

Maybe the Dungeon had a bunch of rewards like that?

A wild and overly-optimistic possibility, I felt. I certainly didn't feel confident about how that might work out. One slip, and I felt there was a good chance I could wind up trapped in a dangerous cave, trying to escape on a timer before my supplies and health ran out.

The more I went over this in my head, the more I felt sure: This felt like exactly the kind of Floor most people would just skip. It was all risk, no certainty of rewards. No matter how hard I tried to puzzle out the best choice, I knew that taking this on was just plain old gambling. Maybe I'd win something, but the chances were not in my favor. And betting with my life, that really did not feel worth it.

Sitting there on the folded bedroll, I continued to let my senses reach out, as I did my best to feel about the area in a clumsy manner. I'd been becoming a bit more aware of how this worked, but I was still nowhere near talented enough for my liking. Letting my awareness of Mana become my focus, I knew that most of what I was searching for was completely outside of my scope, and I couldn't really tell with great detail. As a whole though, I could feel out some information.

My sense of Mana was a lot more like knowing is something was hot or cold. It was like seeing light with my eyes closed, or smelling if something was burning or not. I could use it, but I couldn't tell as much as I wanted, and it was far from being able to see a clear picture. Still, as I felt the presence of the place, I could recognize clearly enough that deeper into the Dungeon there seemed to be a heavier concentration of Mana. It was reaching out with the cool draft that spilled from the tunnels.

While that still wasn't comparable to the space between the Floors, I knew that it would make casting a Miracle easier on me, if I did decide to go farther in. Exactly how much easier, I wasn't sure, but it was certainly a benefit.

Tempting...

I had to admit it was tempting.

Repacking my bag once more I began to descend into the darkness of the entrance. Feeling my way through as the concentration of mana increased. It was a little stronger, I decided. Just a couple steps in, and I could feel it right away.

I would strike a balance, I decided. I wouldn't take huge risks, but finding some water would be something I needed to do in order to properly take advantage of this situation. The actual Dungeon itself, I would skip, but the options it presented I would take full advantage of.

Taking out a piece of chalk, I let out one long sigh as I stared at the glowing stones that would light my way. Listening carefully, I could hear the quiet "drip" of water in the distance of a cavern beyond my sight.

"Water, then back to the entrance." I said my plan aloud, calming my nerves. "Easy, low-risk."

I took my first steps deeper.

And then immediately almost died, yet again.