“You’re proving your worth already, Hayward,” Greaves said, all smiles.
Lena and Joren, on the other hand, were still catching their breath. They had just finished off the second-floor boss—a giant walking mushroom—but that hadn’t been the real challenge.
The real challenge had been getting to the boss in the first place.
This dungeon floor didn’t seem particularly difficult at first, except for one major factor—Greaves had decided to take the short and deadly route instead of the long and safe one. By the time they had reached the boss, they had been fighting off hordes of thousands of tiny, poisonous mushroomlings.
Individually, the creatures were pathetically weak. Even the weakest attack could destroy them in one hit. The problem wasn’t their durability—it was their sheer numbers. The moment they entered the shortcut, they had run into more and more which gave them plenty of time to rethink their stratgey. Instead, they pressed forward and the monsters soon turned into a full-on swarm that had poured out of the cavern walls, rolling toward them in an unending tide. And worst of all, they were all poisonous.
One touch was enough to inflict poison, and they had been relentless, chasing them all the way to the final boss chamber.
They barely did any real damage, but the poison added up. A normal party without a way to cure poison would never have survived. Three antidote potions wouldn’t have even come close to healing the constant inflictions. Even another Bracer at their level would’ve been hard-pressed to keep up the constant casting of healing and curing abilities. It wasn’t too difficult for Kaiden though with his massive mana pool.
“Thank Oros for Kaiden,” Lena gasped, still trying to catch her breath.
Joren wiped sweat from his forehead, still catching his breath, and groaned. “No way! Screw Kaiden. If he didn’t have that ability, we would’ve taken the safe and easy path.” His tone was half-joking, half-serious—though definitely more joking—his smirk betraying any real complaint.
“Stop being such a baby,” Greaves said, shaking her head. “Did anyone here drop below fifty percent health?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Exactly,” Greaves said, folding her arms. “We were never in any serious trouble with Hayward here.”
Still, she turned back to Kaiden, giving him an appraising look. “But I gotta say, I’m amazed you kept up with that much casting. You must have an enormous mana pool.”
That was completely true, thanks to the Heart of Nyssalith. But Kaiden wasn’t about to reveal that. He needed to keep it quiet.
He played it off casually. “I had to use a mana potion, but I have a title that increases my mana and regen by some too.”
The first part, technically, was true. He had used one—not because he needed it, but because he needed to keep up the act. And the second part was also true about his title.
Greaves didn’t press further. “Anyway, very nice job,” she said.
Kaiden wasn’t sure if she fully bought his answer, but she let it drop. It was an unwritten rule that everyone had their own secrets—especially when it came to titles.
And speaking of titles…
Kaiden smirked inwardly. Not only had he leveled up Cure Poison, but he had earned another title. Now that they had a few moments to collect themselves and gather the loot, Kaiden could take a look at his gains.
Cure Poison increased to Level 2. Cleansing effect has increased.
Title Gained: Rapidfier
By rapidly purifying toxins in quick succession, you have earned the title of Rapidfier—a fusion of Rapid and Purifier. Your touch restores, your magic cleanses, and no venom lingers long in your presence.
All Purifying Abilities Increase Level at a Rapid Rate
+20 Mana Regeneration and +5% Mana Regeneration
Kaiden couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. He had expected this dungeon to be far too easy after how the first floor had gone, so earning a title on this floor was a welcome surprise—especially one that was actually useful.
He knew Cure Poison would never level as fast as Healing Touch since poison wasn’t a constant threat. This meant the new Rapidfier title was a game-changer. Anything that helped speed up its growth was a massive win. After all, he wouldn’t be able to level up his class until he leveled that ability.
Speaking of which…
He should be able to level up his class now, he thought. His eyes flicked to his notifications, but the Cure Poison title message was still up. He dismissed it, and immediately another notification popped up:
Class: Health Weaver (Common) has increased to Level 2.
+100 Mana and +10% Mana Regeneration
Kaiden exhaled, feeling the boost ripple through him. The increase wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was a step forward. And in a world where survival often hinged on small advantages stacking up, every little bit mattered.
He brought up his stats page to take a look at the increases:
Kaiden Hayward
Age: 26
Class: Health Weaver (Common) Level 2
Skills / Abilities
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Regeneration: Level 2 (Passive)
Mindforge: Level 2 (Passive)
Arcane Vision: Level 2 (Active)
Healing Touch: Level 2
Cure Poison: Level 2
Attributes
Strength: 30 {15%}
Dexterity: 40 {15%}
Constitution: 110 {45%}
Mana: 850 / 850 {15%}
Mana Regeneration: 50 {20%}
Kaiden noted that the increases from his class weren’t stacking from Level 1. It was just the new number replacing the old number which made sense. Before it only provided +50 Mana and +5% Mana Regeneration, so essentially he just gained an additional +50 Mana and +5% Mana Regeneration. It worked just like his innate ability levels. This was pretty much expected.
Next, he decided to bring up his Titles page, not having gleamed at it in awhile:
Titles:
Ultimate Survivor - Juggernaut Cockroach
You continue to face foes many times stronger than yourself and survive repeated near-death encounters in rapid succession. Where others would be crushed, you endure. No longer a simple bug, you are a juggernaut among cockroaches. Your resilience is unparalleled, and you live to crawl another day.
+40 Constitution and +20% Constitution
Four for One
You’ve bonded four different artifacts for each role according to the Art of Four. You’re a one-person dungeon party.
Class Cap Increased to 5
+10 Strength, Dexterity, Constitution and +5% Strength, Dexterity, Constitution
+100 mana and +5% mana
Rapidfier
By rapidly purifying toxins in quick succession, you have earned the title of Rapidfier—a fusion of Rapid and Purifier. Your touch restores, your magic cleanses, and no venom lingers long in your presence.
All Purifying Abilities Increase Level at a Rapid Rate
+20 Mana Regeneration and +5% Mana Regeneration
“Stupid cockroach title,” Kaiden muttered to himself as he marveled at his Titles page. He was also a little bit surprised that he didn’t receive any title for completing the Diamond-grade dungeon at his low rank, but he supposed if that were a title, then people could easily take advantage of that and hire people to power-level them.
During his Dungeoneer training, there was no way he would’ve guessed he’d be three titles deep already in his first official dungeon run with his first unit. It was mostly thanks to the Diamond-grade dungeon. Actually, all of it was, since he wouldn’t have been able to heal and cure everyone during that swarm without the Heart of Nyssalith.
Even if he had used every single mana potion, he wasn’t sure he could have kept up without that artifact. And if he couldn’t... A shudder ran down his spine at the thought. It was just another reminder of the deadliness of dungeons.
Shaking off the thought, Kaiden went back to marveling at his Titles page when he noticed the golden hand icon in the corner. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now he found himself wondering why this page had an icon when none of the others did.
“Everyone ready?” Greaves asked, snapping Kaiden out of his thoughts.
“Ready,” everyone responded.
“Great! The speedrun continues,” Greaves said with a chuckle as she stepped through the portal, the rest of the party following close behind.
Break
“Wonder what they got today,” Davick muttered to himself as he closed the door to his barracks room and headed toward the Quartermaster’s area.
Being the first day of the week, there was bound to be some new additions to the contribution store. He had been eyeing a few different shields before, but now that Kaiden had gifted him that amazing one earlier, he no longer felt the need to save up for one. That meant he could start focusing his points elsewhere.
Even if he didn’t end up buying anything, just seeing what was available always lifted his mood. A rough day of training could easily be washed away by admiring the quality of some dungeon gear. He’d stand there, inspecting different weapons and armor, trying to mentally reverse-engineer them—figuring out how he’d craft them himself if they hadn’t simply spawned from a dungeon.
Not everything in the contribution store was dungeon loot, though. Some gear was forged by actual blacksmiths, but most people couldn’t tell the difference.
Except Davick could.
He was a smith himself after all. And if he had his way, that was what he’d be doing instead of running dungeons. But he was still too new, and there were no open spots in the forges. So, for now, he had to play the faithful Dungeoneer, diving into dungeons and racking up contribution points until a spot opened up.
Davick walked into the Quartermaster warehouse and took in the familiar sight. A handful of people milled about, each inspecting the available gear for purchase.
The warehouse was divided into two sections. The left side housed all the gear available for purchase through contribution points. The right side held all the standard-issue items used for dungeon runs—gear that had to be returned after every mission.
Up at the counter for the contribution store, three figures stood behind it—two corporals and a sergeant. Behind them, displayed neatly on racks and shelves, were the highest-priced contribution items. The rarest, most powerful, or simply most unique pieces of gear available.
Davick wasn’t foolish enough to think he had a shot at any of those items. He had only been here for a few weeks and barely had enough contribution points to his name to buy even one lower priced item. But that didn’t stop him from looking.
He was a gear nut through and through, and the highest-priced items were always the most interesting.
An item immediately caught Davick’s eye, and he chuckled to himself. He strode up to the counter where the sergeant stood, arms crossed as he watched over the transactions. The two corporals to his left were handling the actual purchases, exchanging contribution points for gear, while the sergeant seemed more focused on keeping order.
The man was Sergeant Harkin, a broad-shouldered soldier in his late twenties, with sharp brown eyes and short, neatly trimmed dark hair. His uniform was well-kept, but his sleeves were rolled up, showing forearms thick with muscle.
Harkin’s gaze landed on Davick the moment he approached, and he let out a sigh, as if bracing himself.
“Ah, Forgewell. Figures you’d be here… again.”
Davick grinned. “Of course, Sergeant. First day of the week. How could I miss out?”
“Because you can’t afford anything you want yet,” Harkin said dismissively.
Davick wasn’t fazed. The sergeant’s tone made it clear he’d dealt with him often enough to consider him some kind of annoyance, but Davick didn’t take the hint.
For someone trying to get a spot in the forge, it made perfect sense to make himself known to the Quartermaster. And if that meant stopping by every other day and reminding Harkin he was still around, so be it. That was part of the plan.
Davick leaned against the counter, pointing at an item behind Harkin. “Is that a non-combat class tome?”
“That’s right,” Harkin said, his tone flat. “And don’t even think about it. You can’t afford it.”
Davick smirked. “I was only curious. I don’t need it anyway since it’d just give me Blacksmith, and I’m already a blacksmith without the class.”
Harkin raised a brow. “Confident, aren’t we?” he said dismissively. “You’d be surprised how many people think they’ll get one class and end up with something completely different when they touch the tome.”
Davick shook his head. “Nope. I tested it out recently, and I got the Blacksmith class.”
Harkin scoffed. “Ha! Yeah, right. There’s no way a private in the Dungeoneer Corps could afford to touch one.”
“It’s true,” Davick insisted before launching into the story about the old man in the tavern back in Camp Thorne’s Dungeon Town.
Harkin chuckled when he got to the part about the old man getting one over on the merchant. “Most people aren’t lucky enough to get a chance like that,” he admitted. Then his expression shifted slightly. “And what about your friend… Kaiden, you said his name was? What did he get? Although he won’t be able to afford this either.”
Davick stroked his chin, trying to recall the exact name. “It was something weird… like Spell Scribble or Spell Scratch or something?”
Harkin’s entire demeanor changed in an instant. His casual stance stiffened, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward slightly. “You mean Spell Scribe?”
“Yeah, that’s it!” Davick said, nodding. “Never heard of it before, though.”
Harkin’s expression turned unreadable. “You’re positive that your friend Kaiden has the ability to become a Spell Scribe?” His tone had shifted—no longer dismissive, no longer casual. He was looking at Davick like he’d just handed him the most important piece of information in the world.
Davick blinked at the sudden shift in atmosphere. “Yeah…” he said, drawing the word out slowly, suddenly feeling unsure.
Then he remembered a conversation with Harlan and Garin—one where they’d specifically talked about not spreading that news around.
Eh, should be fine, Davick thought. He’s a sergeant in the corps after all. Right?
