Joe took one deep breath before he collapsed. A loud thud resonated with the Forest of Nightmares as his pointy knee collided with the hard surface of the Dungeon. The aura surrounding him faded, and the black blade slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor. The sharp clang it produced was agony for Joe's ears. But that was the least of his problems.
His legs had gone limp and useless. His arms and fingers were numb as they hung by his sides. Joe's eyes weren't doing much better either, he had lost his vision on his left eye and the remaining one was a fuzzy mess that couldn't make out anything more than 3m away. Joe's chest heaved, each breath shorter and more agonizing than the previous. He had defeated the Big Oak but at what cost? It would be all for nothing if he died without seeing his family.
Joe's consciousness slowly slipped away. Everything turned black as his mind was sucked into a dark abyss. Death by poison, what a shitty way to go out.
Just as Joe thought he was done for, he felt something wrap around his body. It was warm, soothing and comforting. It only seemed to grow stronger as the seconds went by. It pulled, dragging Joe back to his senses.
Joe's fingers twitched, he could feel this foreign energy running along his arm. His legs followed, the paralysis that suffocated them was slowly washed away. Joe's breathing stabilized, his congested chest was cleared and his burning lungs finally got the reprieve they desperately needed. His heart beat settled to a healthy rhythm and he was able to take effortless inhales and exhale.
Both of Joe's eyes fluttered open not long after that. His vision was hazy and unclear for the first few seconds, but with time it cleared, allowing him to fully regain his sight. Joe's eyes fell to his body, he noticed a yellow aura pulsating around every part of his figure. In that moment everything clicked for Joe, this had to be Shelly's doing. This was confirmed a second later.
[The Skill (Cleansing) Has Removed All The Poison From Your System]
The notification didn't linger for long because others followed.
[Your Tolerance For Poison Has Increased]
[You Have Unlocked A New Skill]
[Passive Skill: Posion Resistance (Lvl 1) (Beginner)]
?? Description: An Outsider Overcomes All To Achieve Their Objective Even The Most Potent Of Toxins.
?? Effect: Increases Your Resistance To Poison, Allowing Your Body To Flush It Out Quicker Should It Invade Your System.
?? Boost: +30 To Your Defense Attributes When Combating The Effects Of Poison.
?? Mana Cost: 0
Joe focused on the latest notification. It was a skill notification, and upon reading the contents, a smile formed on his face. A skill like this was going to be vital if he went up against other poison based skills in the future.
Joe's eyes drifted to his side, he found the black blade laying beside him. He reached out and firmly clutched the handle. He lifted the blade and stabbed it to the surface, the plan was to use it as a makeshift cane to help him reclaim his footing. But before Joe could execute his strategy, he was rudely interrupted.
[You Have Defeated The Dungeon Bosss: The Big Oak]
[Main Quest Complete]
[You Have Earned: +35,000 Gold Pieces]
[Total Gold Pieces Earned: 50,000 Gold Pieces]
[+1% Of The Gold Earned Has Already Been Deducted And Paid To The Guild As Tax]
[You Have Cleared The Dungeon – Forest Of Nightmares]
[Total Official Cleared Dungeons: 1]
Stolen story; please report.
[Updated Guild Ranking: #12,000]
[You Have Leveled Up]
[Level Increase: 42 → 47]
[The Black Blade Has Leveled Up]
[Level Increase: 22 → 25]
[The Black Blade Has Unlocked +1 Additional Seal]
[Total Black Blade Seals: 2 / 5]
[The Skill (Outsider's Enhancement) Has Leveled Up]
[Level Increase: 20 → 23]
[The Skill (Outsider's Perspective) Has Leveled Up]
[Level Increase: 5 → 7]
[The Passive Skill: (Weaponry) Has Leveled Up]
[Level Increase: 4 → 6]
[Updated Attributes]
?? Mana Pool: 2,130/5,240
? Skill: 93 → 103 (+2 Class Boost Attribute Points)
? Strength: 88 → 98 ( +10 Black Gloves Passive Boost Points)
? Speed: 88 → 98 (+10 Black Boots Passive Boost Points)
? Defense: 74 → 79 (+18 Black Sheep Passive Boost Points)
? Mental Strength: 64 → 69
?? Additional Attribute Points: 5
Another barrage of messages befell Joe, and this was even bigger than the previous one. He skimmed through them first, not reading anything too deeply, he just wanted to get the general feeling of what the notifications were about. After doing so, he chose to settle on his Attribute Window.
Joe found out that one of his attributes had reached triple figures. His heart warmed at his accomplishment, this was proof that he was on the right track. If he kept going at this pace, it wouldn't be long before he achieved the strength he so desperately desired.
Joe had two other attributes that were close to achieving the same mile stone. After he saw that, Joe knew exactly how to distribute his additional attribute points. “Syr give two points each to my speed and defense. Then give the remaining point to my mental stenghth.”
[Updated Attributes]
?? Spped: 98 → 100
?? Strength: 98 → 100
?? Mental Strength: 69 → 70
Now Joe had three attributes on triple digits, all that was left was to ensure that the other remaining attributes all reached triple digits. Not a simple task considering their growth rate was abysmally slow, but Joe was determined to make it happen.
With his attributes sorted, he went through his other messages carefully. His signature skill [Outsider’s Enhancement] leveled up again, Joe wondered how long it would take before it reached another stage. He knew he was rushing things considering [Outsider’s Enhancement] reached a new stage just recently. But Joe couldn't help but be curious.
The Black Blade gaining a new seal was a plus, an additional boost was always a welcomed sight. Joe was also pleased by his overall level, it wouldn't be long till he reached lvl 50.
Besides his Attribute Window, the notification that piqued Joe's curiosity the most was his Guild Ranking. He had jumped 3,000 spots after completing the Dungeon. It wasn't a major jump in the grand scheme of things considering he didn't crack the top ten thousand. Still, Joe was satisfied with his progress.
His financial situation was also looking up, he had over eighty thousand gold pieces. But in his heart, Joe knew that number was going to plummet—fast. Most of if not all the gold he earned, would soon go to Shelly's pocket. That was one of the major downsides of being man drowning in debt.
To add to his misery, Joe found out the Guild already snatched one percent of his earnings as tax. A low blow, but Joe got over it quickly. He already owed the Guild money for destroying the entrance. So that one percent was his payment to them. At least that's how Joe chose to view it.
But was this going to be a reoccurring thing? Was he going to lose one percent of his earnings everytime he conquered a Dungeon? One percent was a small amount but Joe didn't like having leaking pockets. But if this was how adventuring worked, he was willing to accept it. Even if it was with a heavy heart.
Joe sighed after going through all the notifications. He had made progress but there was still a lot to be done. He pulled himself up, steadying himself with the black blade.
Joe's eyes zoomed in on something interesting. There was a faint white glow in the distance, the exact spot the Dungeon Boss occupied. Joe trudged towards the source. He sheathed his blade before reaching his destination. As he glanced down through the ashes of the Dungeon Boss, he found something buried underneath.
Joe crouched and dug through the ash with his right hand. The ash still contained some of its heat and it stung Joe's fingers. But with his gloves, he withstood it just fine. He grabbed what he was looking for and pulled it out as he straightned.
Holding it with his palm, Joe blew and wiped away the ash around it. And when he took a closer look, Joe recognized it immediately. This was the exact fruit or flower that he found hanging from one of the Big Oak's branches. It was bigger up close, about the size of a small Wolfin's mana beast core.
[You Have Obtained A Dungeon Item]
A Dungeon Item? This was the second one he had received. Joe was about to ask Syr what it could do when something thudded to the ground a few meters behind him. Joe swung around and immediately his heart sank.
Shelly was on the floor.
Joe rushed towards her instantly, he found Franklin and Bella standing over her. They seemed to be just as shocked, evident by their widened eyes.
“What happened?” Joe shouted, as he knelt on knee next to her.
“I'm not sure, she was doing fine a moment ago, then she just collapsed.” Frankin replied.
When Joe examined her closer, purple marks were spreading from her skin. They were scattered, some started from her arms, others from her face. Shelly was drenched in sweat and her breathing was labored. It didn't take long for all of them to put the pieces together. Shelly was poisoned.
