“If I hadn’t spent a good portion of last week watching you run this dungeon, I don’t think I would have ever let you bring me here,” stated Jen as they stood outside of the dungeon portal.
“Yeah, this dungeon has some really weird spawning patterns that make it hard for groups to grind efficiently,” Ian agreed.
“I’m more worried about the level of the monsters you want to fight, if I’m being perfectly honest,” Jen corrected, worry evident in her voice. “Even if I’m only a few levels lower than you at 321, my party rarely fights anything over level 225. Not only are some of the monsters going to be stronger, but we won’t be camping a spawn point for hours.”
Ian nodded. After speaking with her other party members, he knew they were fully committed to level in the safest way possible. It had become the norm, especially for those with spouses and children depending on them. Ian understood and even appreciated limiting risk and securing steady rewards by farming monsters just high enough to give you experience. It was the primary reason adventurers didn’t die every day anymore, though it still happened far too often.
“I’ll do everything I can to make sure you stay safe, Glade. Though, I’m extremely inexperienced working with a group, so we will start on the second floor until we get into the groove.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” she replied before giving him a smile. “With you being in the thick of it, I’ll be focused on picking off easier opponents and stragglers to limit the number you have to deal with. My inherent skill is Safety Shot, which greatly increases my aim and helps me predict my teammates’ movements when firing. I’ve never hit another adventurer, but I’ll end up waiting until I get used to you before I start shooting anything near you.”
“Nice. My inherent skills are…well, they are buffs in a sense. Let me see if I can put the first one on you.”
Ian mentally set Jen as the target for his Statistical Synchronization skill, and smiled under his conceal skill as he felt it settle into place.
“Holy shit!” Jen exclaimed.
Ian looked over and saw her staring into the space in front of her at something only she could see.
“Is this for real? It’s completely insane!” she exclaimed.
Ian just nodded. “Zero the buff machine, though I’m about to upgrade that skill since you are here to test it with me. I needed to see if it would work before I spent my SP on its upgrade.”
“Oh, this is so worth it!” Jen said as he opened up his menu.
A prompt reminded him that it was going to cost him 2000 SP to upgrade, but he knew he needed to get it maxed before he hit level 1000. Claire had explained that inherent skills could only evolve if they were already maxed out. With the vast majority of inherent skills being a single level, it wasn’t something most adventurers ever had to worry about.
Looking at his menu, he noticed he only had 540 SP left and felt a moment of buyer’s remorse. That feeling quickly dissipated when he viewed the updated skill.
Statistical Synchronization 2/3 (Inherent). Allows the user to boost dedicated party members’ statistics by 25% of the user’s statistics. Statistics remain on skill targets indefinitely until the user cancels the effect or the target loses their status as a dedicated party member. User may select 3 targets at the current skill level.
“I can’t even…” Jen mumbled before looking at him with wide eyes.
“Don’t say anything,” Ian quickly cut in. “Definitely don’t want this one getting out until I get the last level of the skill.”
“Shit. I wouldn’t tell anyone even after that,” she said before whistling at what Ian could only assume was her status screen. When she looked back at Ian, he saw that she wanted to say something but was holding back.
“We can discuss it in detail back at the AO later,” Ian said gently before asking, “Do you feel better going in there now?”
Jen giggled for a second before she caught herself, “Let's head in and get down to the second floor. Your skill is a game changer.”
“That one is crazy, but the other one is fully passive, so you won’t see anything but the results as we go. It doesn’t do anything for you while fighting, but we’ll know really fast if you are getting that one or not.”
She quirked an eyebrow at him, but she was a veteran adventurer. He knew she had a drone, so she was used to waiting until later to discuss important matters like skill capabilities.
The conversation switched to basic strategy as they entered the dungeon and descended to the second floor. Ian had been operating as an ambush predator in the dungeon, and they had decided to continue in a similar style. Without someone with taunting skills to force monsters to attack them, most enemies would focus on the closest target at this level. Goblins were considered an intelligent species, even if intelligent wasn’t a word usually used to describe them, so they were known to occasionally attack weaker members to cut down the enemies numbers.
Ian directed them down a familiar path and came across the normal group of five goblins he had dispatched countless times. The goblin brute was doing his due diligence to ensure the other goblins knew he was in charge. Ian was used to seeing the constant pushing and shoving that the higher-level goblins gave to the smaller ones. The distractions it caused allowed him to finish off many enemies before they could fight back.
He looked over at Jen as she crouched next to the wall a few steps away. She pointed to herself and held up two fingers before pointing at the two grunts that were watching the brute pick on one of the others. Ian nodded that he understood and began to slowly move towards the distracted creatures.
As soon as he was in range, he flung his spear at the larger brute. Just like many times before, the hit slammed into the creature’s back up to the wings and tipped the creature forward to crash on top of the smaller goblin it had been harassing. Ian’s sword materialized in his hand as both of the grunts sprouted arrows from their heads, less than a second apart.
As Ian reached the last standing goblin, it hadn’t even brought its knife up. He brought his sword across, causing its head to roll across the floor—its face still plastered with a look of confusion. Without skipping a beat, Ian stabbed the last goblin that was trying to crawl out from underneath the downed brute.
Ian looked around to ensure there were no additional enemies before standing up and stretching.
“Holy shit, Zero,” Jen’s giddily exclaimed as she ran up to Ian. “It was like the entire world slowed down when I aimed, even though I felt like I was moving normally. I had the second arrow off before the first had even reached the target! They weren’t moving, so I knew they would hit, but I never expected my arrows to go through a goblin skull.
“And you just mowed down the rest before I could even think about grabbing a new target. That entire fight must have taken less than ten seconds! Hell, it probably took less than five.”
Ian finished looting them as she seemed to be reeling from the fight.
“Yeah, it was quick and incredibly easy,” he said, standing back up. “Without having to worry about the two grunts, they didn’t have a chance to fight back. Which makes me think we should probably head down to the third floor and do a group to see if it is more beneficial to be down there.”
“I can’t believe I am agreeing with you. Some of the monsters are even higher level than we are, but I’m pretty sure we will alpha most of them before they even get a chance to retaliate.”
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Ian just nodded as they began walking back to the stairs to go down. He had been finishing off most of the enemies before they could fight back by himself the last time he was in here. He could only imagine how much easier it was going to be now that Jen could drop a few of them in the initial volley, or alpha them, as she called it.
Ian couldn’t help but smile at how giddy she was as they began to descend the stairs again. Her entire demeanor screamed kid in a candy store.
“If the ones on this level are safe for us, do you think we might get a few levels today? My party is usually lucky to get a level or two per dungeon run with the way we grind.”
“I know you can’t see my face right now, but I’m giving you a creepy and goofy grin,” Ian said playfully.
Jen snorted and rolled her eyes, “You would, too. I can even picture it.”
He chuckled as they traveled down the trail he had taken the last time he was there.
“The next two fights will let us know how fast you will be leveling,” Ian said quietly as they approached a branch in the tunnel—the sound of goblins coming from around the corner. “This time, pick off as many on the outskirts as you can. I’m going to go directly after the two or three thugs that will be in the middle.”
Ian looked over to receive Jen’s excited nod.
Seconds later, the battle began to unfold similarly to when he was there by himself. The group was only twenty yards away when his spear took the closest thug in the back, dropping it instantly. He was able to cut down another thug before it could begin to fight back, and he jumped back to ensure none of the enemies were closing in behind him.
It was at that moment that he realized most of the other enemies were already down. He moved to the right of the goblin thug that was left standing, and it began to move counter to him, ensuring it kept its distance. Before Ian could move forward, the goblin jolted as an arrow sprouted from the side of its chest. A look of surprise crossed its face as it looked back to see Ian’s sword coming at it.
Congratulations! You have achieved level 328. You have been awarded 20 skill points!
Jen ran up and hugged Ian, “I just got two levels from that group! The first prompt when your spear hit the first thug nearly caused me to miss my second shot.”
He chuckled as she squeezed him one more time before letting him go. They both surveyed the destruction they had brought upon the creatures. Besides the one with a spear jutting out of it and the one Ian had quickly dispatched with his sword, all of them had at least one arrow sticking out of them.
He quickly looted everything and handed her arrows back to her. They had agreed to let him collect the loot and to split it evenly at the end. Jen only had the smallest item box skill, since her party had two dedicated logistics support members.
“Let’s fully clear this loop,” Ian suggested, pointing further down the tunnel. “It eventually leads back to the central area with the staircases and will give us a couple dozen packs to practice with. If everything goes well, we could probably take a look at the final floor. It is obvious that my skills are transferring their full effects to you, so we should see if we can’t take advantage of it.”
Nodding, Jen smiled. “I have the feeling you would be on the fourth floor right now if I wasn’t with you.”
“Eh…I really wanted to hit level 340 or 350 before I went down there if I was solo. I am honestly a little worried about getting mobbed if the groups are larger and contain more thugs, along with a new creature type. I also haven’t gotten to fight the kobolds yet, and they are supposed to switch back and forth with the goblins down there, leading to two different styles of fights and bosses to learn.”
“I read up on the monster types and the boss fights. There are some decent recurring armor drops from each that cause some people to actually farm them repeatedly to get matching set items. Supposedly, they give additional bonuses over the basic enchantments if they are worn together. The more pieces, the more bonuses.”
“I have seen a few higher-level groups on the way in a few times, but I never see them run the dungeon on loop.”
Jen nodded, “If it takes two or three hours to get the boss down, it wouldn’t be worth it to kill it twice in a day because you would have to clear the dungeon three times to make it happen. The keep on the final floor switches ownership every time someone kills the boss.”
“Ah, gotcha. I hadn’t read that far into it. I don’t really expect to be here long enough to collect multiple pieces of any of the sets.”
“Well, we aren’t clearing the dungeon standing here, so let’s get down to business. If we end up doing well enough to clear the fourth floor…I’ve heard the salamander leather set from the kobold boss is supposed to be great for archers…”
“It’s all yours,” Ian promised before adding, “If we get there.”
*~*~*
Congratulations! You have achieved level 354. You have been awarded 20 skill points!
Ian smiled at the notification as the last kobold outside of the dungeon boss’s room slid off his sword. They had been inside the dungeon for nearly five hours, with the last three fighting through the enemies scattered around the fourth floor.
Unlike the first three floors, the final floor was a very dynamic affair. The goblins and the kobolds fought for control of a cavern with a broken keep built into the middle. All the pathways from the main room eventually lead to the cavern, but the monster packs were constantly fluctuating.
The Goblins had shamans that maxed out around level 380, who joined every single one of their groups. They had the ability to cast small balls of fire that would scorch anything they hit. With the kobold and goblin packs fighting, Ian and Jen had seen the devastating effects of the highly destructive magic.
Ian had originally worried about them before Jen showed him that they couldn’t cast with arrows sticking out of their heads. She had adjusted her primary targets to the shaman, and with her increased stats, she had immediately neutralized every one of them she had come across. Combined with all the experience of hunting the other goblins, it made for easy and safe fights.
The kobolds, on the other hand, had been a completely new experience for both of them. Unlike the goblins, their light gray scales provided them with additional armor, helping to deflect arrows that would have at least grazed a goblin. Ian had also noticed his strikes required more effort to pierce their hides than he had to use on the goblins.
They also came in similar flavors to the different tiers of goblins, though their equivalent of a shaman was a beast tamer with a minor salamander that would breathe small amounts of fire. The learning curve had been interesting when Ian nearly got his eyebrows burnt off when finishing off their first salamander.
“Level 350,” Jen said, looking at something in front of her that Ian couldn’t see. “The others are barely going to be able to believe it.”
“I bet they are going to make you give them a blow-by-blow recount of the entire dive,” Ian said with a chuckle.
“Ha! It wouldn’t surprise me if most of them are watching us right now.”
Ian was about to deny it before he stopped and nodded, “I tend to forget people spend time watching us in here.”
“It’s pretty obvious to be honest. Your streams are very much you at all times. There aren’t any hidden agendas, no scripted drama, and no fake personality being thrown in a viewer’s face. Some of the retired adventurers I know love watching you. One said that you were one of the only people in our generation who understood the wonders of exploring and learning the system. She said the rest of us are just lost in the sauce, trying to build a narrative while losing the joy of adventuring.
“My normal party focuses more on showcasing skills and tactics to newer adventurers through our streams, but we rarely have more than a few newbies tune in,” Jen sighed as she took a moment to look at a prompt only she could see. “Just being in here with you, I have more concurrent viewers at this very moment than my entire party has had total views since we began.”
“Eh?”
“I have over two million viewers right now—which is nothing compared to the nearly 70 million it says are currently watching our area,” Jen said, staring into the darkness of his hood. “It’s intimidating to think that I could make a mistake or look stupid with all these people watching. Hell, it’s embarrassing just saying it, and I’m not a ‘wet behind the ears’ adventurer.”
Ian looked at Jen and could see the tension in her shoulders and in her jaw. Intellectually, he understood why she was having a hard time adjusting to the information. She certainly knew that her current viewers were just a drop in the bucket compared to the 68 million who were currently watching him, but he knew he didn’t have the capacity to give them that type of power over him anymore.
“How do you handle it?” she asked.
“This might sound weird,” Ian started, “but I honestly have no idea what any of my viewers think or say about me. I think it’s honestly better that way.”
“What do you mean? There’s stuff about you everywhere right now.”
Ian chuckled. “I think the last time I even saw a news clip was when you showed me something on your phone long before I hit level 101 and started this journey. You know about my past and why I avoid any sort of social media like the plague. Hell, even Claire only gives me a few snippets here and there that she thinks I’ll find funny.
“I know she does a lot to protect me from the negativity that comes along with being in the public eye, even if she downplays her efforts. I know what it feels like to have hundreds, if not thousands, of people you’ve never met constantly barraging you with messages with things you never wanted to hear. Even when they are completely off base, it can really hurt. On social media, facts don’t matter, and I don’t plan on ever giving anyone that sort of power over me again.”
Ian reached over and gently patted Jen’s shoulder, “Besides, I have good friends who I can trust to give me real feedback. Take your party mate James for example, he said my swordsmanship sucks…and he’s right. I get by on brute force right now, but I know I can trust him to give me honest feedback.”
Jen gave him a smile before murmuring, “James would never say that your sword skills suck.”
“No, I believe the term he used was ‘in need of polishing,’ like the nice guy that he is. We just all know the truth of the matter.”
Jen laughed for a moment before shaking her arms loose. “Alright, alright. Enough with getting trapped in my head. I can do this, and to hell with what others think about my performance.”
“Hell yeah!” Ian said as he walked up to the door to the final room. “Ready to take on the boss?”
