Soul of the Warrior

Reivyn looked at the different gateways embedded in the rock. There were three separate entrances to the Dungeon, and each one was marked clearly by the predecessors who had initially discovered and explore the Dungeon.

"So each doorway leads to a room containing basically a boss monster?" Reivyn clarified once more. "And you can challenge each room once a month?"

Reivyn stood with his roommates, and Teilon and Kimberly stood next to Reivyn as well, looking at the different entrances. They were completely relaxed as they knew this was going to be the easiest Dungeon run experience they were likely to encounter.

"That's right," Tom answered. "Typically, Dungeons that hold a space to explore with lesser monsters and bosses on each floor have a one-week reset rate, and Dungeons that have a range of just boss encounters have a one-month reset rate. That's for the infinitely instanced Dungeons, though.

"You experienced the Cobbled Ruins Dungeon which is open air but doesn't have any kind of boss monster. There are supposedly variations of the open-air Dungeons that do have boss monsters and even some that have what is referred to as a Rare monster. Boss monsters and Rare monsters in open-air Dungeons both have a guaranteed loot drop enforced by the system, but our kingdom doesn't have any of those kinds of Dungeons."

"As we've told you before, there are three open-air Dungeons, including the Cobbled Ruins, and the other two are more advanced," Vane spoke up. "One has orcs, though there aren't as many spawns in that Dungeon as there are goblins in the Cobbled Ruins, and the third one contains a mix of both.

"There are two resource Dungeons, not including the new Revenant Dungeon, and one of those is a forest on the border of the Tier 2 Kingdom. There's basically a grove of trees that you can enter and pass through, and it leads to a large infinitely instanced forest with a smattering of Tier 2 mana-infused trees. The other resource Dungeon is a mine that contains metals and a few Tier 2 mana-infused variations, but the most prominent ore is copper."

"The Revenant Dungeon is an anomaly," Trick said. "From what I've heard, there's basically two types of each infinitely instanced Dungeon in each region, and the Revenant Dungeon breaks that precedent not only in its Tier but also in the fact that it exists at all. The number of open-air Dungeons is completely random, though there seems to be an upper limit based on the Tier of the Region."

"Wait, hold up," Reivyn held his hand up. "You said that one of the Dungeons was a grove of trees that you pass through and it leads to a forest? And that's the Dungeon? What happens if you pass through the grove of trees walking in the opposite direction?"

"It doesn't matter," Tom answered. "The grove in question is overgrown in such a way that it creates a corridor to walk through. You can walk through either side, but as long as you start at one end and pass through the other end, you end up in the Dungeon."

"What happens if someone cuts down the grove?" Teilon asked.

"You'll get your head cut off," Trick snickered. "It's a capital crime to destroy the surroundings of a Dungeon intentionally. That applies to any Dungeon, but especially a Resource Dungeon, as those are considered strategic resources by The Crown."

"I've heard a rumor that there was a fire that destroyed the corridor a long time ago, and the Dungeon was inaccessible until it regrew," Vane interjected. "However, according to the rumor, it grew back in less than a day. According to the theories, it wasn't so much that it naturally grew back so fast, but that the System simply pulled another identical entrance way from one of the infinite instances and plopped it down in place."

"If it's impossible to actually destroy the entrance, why is it a capital crime?" Reivyn asked.

"Intentions," Tom said. "If someone intentionally destroys a Dungeon entrance, they express their intention to do harm to the kingdom. The Crown and nobility are pretty easygoing in most situations, but if someone acts with intentions to cause harm, they come down with an iron fist. Also, it's not confirmed that the System will step in and fix the entranceway to a Dungeon. That's just a rumor, after all."

"Anyway, like I was saying," Vane said, "There's 1 more boss room Dungeon like this one and 2 more Dungeons that are considered loot Dungeons. They don't contain natural resources to harvest, but the boss monsters on each floor drop System loot and even the creatures inside sometimes have gear that can be used in the real world."

"One of those Dungeons is an ancient fort like the Cobbled Ruins, but it isn't in ruins," Trick said. "It contains shadow people, and the gear and loot from inside actually form the backbone of the gear the Royal Army uses. It's called The Shadow Fort."

"Shadow people?" Reivyn quirked an eyebrow at the term.

"It's filled with humans," Tom replied. "They're biologically exactly the same as humans in the real world, but they're actually considered monsters. They have no sentience or thoughts of their own, and they only act as you would expect of monsters. People have tried communicating with them in the past, but they're not even capable of speech other than some shadow people shouting orders to the others. It doesn't even work, and the words are just nonsense.

"They're shadows of people who really existed in the past, though, so they're called 'shadow people.'"

"That's very interesting," Reivyn stroked his chin in thought.

"Heh, imagine if one day some shadow people of us populated a low Tier Dungeon," Teilon said. "People would go in and be all, 'this isn't anything special,' and then BAM! They encounter the shadow of Reivyn. He would definitely be the Dungeon Boss." Teilon laughed.

"Reivyn alone would upgrade the Tier of the Dungeon," Kimberly remarked. "I wonder what kind of rewards the System would grant someone for defeating shadows of us?"

"I have no idea," Reivyn said. "That's a good question. Would it be based on our Levels alone, or would it factor in our Skill Levels? Would a shadow version of ourselves contain all of our Skills and Affinities or just a representation based on our Level?"

"Or would the System raise the 'Level' based on the danger your shadow represents?" Teilon pointed out. Tom and the other two roommates just shrugged their shoulders.

"Most people don't kill other people," Tom said. "Misery is apparently terrible, and it lingers far longer than Euphoria. And battles between kingdoms, while they do happen, are much less common than fighting beasts and monsters."

Huh, I'd never really thought about it before, Reivyn mused. I've only ever fought and killed beasts and monsters. Is there a different Experience structure in place for sentient people? Was all of the Experience gained from killing that shadow cloak guy in the Siege of Magron all from his Level, or were there modifiers based on his Skills and overall danger level? From what I could see from the Experience I gained from him, I only got credited with the Experience from his Level, but that doesn't mean the ones who got the main portion of Experience from his death didn't get a bonus. I'll have to ask my parents.

"Back on topic," Trick said. "The Shadow Fort is the main one the Royal Army regularly delves with its soldiers. Not all of the gear that the shadow people inside use can be taken from their corpses, for some reason or another, but sometimes a copy of their gear will drop next to them, and they can be picked up and brought out of the Dungeon. The boss loot is similar in nature, as the bosses are typically commanders or other officers. They drop slightly higher quality gear than can be found from the regular shadow people, but only the last boss of the Dungeon has a chance to drop anything with magical properties.

"The 'floors' of the Dungeon aren't vertical, either. The courtyard inside the walls is considered the first floor, and you have to defeat the boss in order to go inside the barracks, and you have to kill the boss in the barracks in order to gain access to the main fortress. All of the shadow people inside are Tier 2, and the bosses are high Tier 2 with the 'lord' of the dungeon being a Caster Class shadow person at low Tier 3."

"Only students in the second semester of their third year are allowed to enter the main fortress of the dungeon because it's so far been considered the most dangerous Dungeon in the kingdom," Tom said. "I'm sure the Revenant Dungeon will now take that honor, and there will be similar restrictions placed on it."

"How do they enforce that rule on students that have already entered the Dungeon?" Reivyn asked, puzzled. "Couldn't they just enter saying they'll only explore the courtyard and barracks, and then go to the main fortress anyway?"

"The recording device you get to record your progress will alert the school when you turn it in," Tom said. "If you get caught breaking this particular rule, it's automatic expulsion. Nobody is willing to take the risk of getting expelled.

"I supposed you could go in without the device, but then you wouldn't get the preferential treatment of a student, and you might have to wait in line. You also have to register your Delve, and those reports are delivered to the Academy on a regular basis to be cross-referenced. If your name pops up - and they'll get your real name as you have to show some form of identity that gets it straight from your Status - then you can get in trouble with the school that way. They won't expel you automatically, but they will investigate and you could lose School Credits instead of gaining any. The costs don't equal the reward."

"Hmm, can you get permission to go in early?" Reivyn asked. He wasn't worried about a low Tier 3 Caster, and he really wanted to clear all of the Dungeons available to him without having to wait until the very last semester before graduation.

"Sure," Tom said. "Especially if you're in the Elite Class. As long as you have a solid record to show that you can handle the dangers, the Academy will give permission. You just have to be sure to ask permission first and not forgiveness later."

"That makes sense," Reivyn said. "The Academy is here to push the students and give an avenue for them to reach the best Tier 3 Classes they can while providing a safe environment to do so. In that case, we'll be sure to visit that Dungeon last, before we head to the Revenant Dungeon." Reivyn had already told them that he would go with them when they went back to the Revenant Dungeon over the summer semester.

"Sure," Tom said. "So, back to this Dungeon. There are three gateways, and each one leads to a single boss monster room. This is the 'easiest' Dungeon in the kingdom, and the first room contains a Level 10 goblin. It's basically for the newest of the new adventurers and young aristocrats. The point of this Dungeon isn't the Experience that can be gained from killing the monsters, but instead the combat experience that can be gained from fighting them.

"The second room contains a Level 30 goblin. To people like us, it's still as easy as it comes, but for young people, it's a great opportunity. The third room contains a Level 20 orc. That Level 20 is Tier 2, so it's really Level 50 if you consider one has to reach Level 30 in Tier 1 first."

"The only reason this Dungeon isn't open to first semester Novices is because of that orc in the third room," Trick said. "The Academy wants their students to have more combat experience than the first two rooms can give before they let their students attempt the third room, and the best way to prevent anyone foolhardy enough to jump to the third room before they're ready is to just not allow them to come at all."

"The last thing about this Dungeon," Tom continued, "is that each room is solo only. Even if we walked through the gateway holding hands and in a Party, we would all still end up in our own separate space to fight the creature on the other side."

"The other boss Dungeon in the kingdom is a bit more advanced, and it starts with a Level 10 orc in the first room," Trick added. "The second room is a Level 30 orc, and the third room is a Level 60 orc. They also have higher quality gear than their lower Level counterparts."

"What about the last loot Dungeon?" Reivyn asked.

"From what you've said about the first floor of the Revenant Dungeon, it's very similar," Trick answered. "It's a goblin nest, and the final boss is a Level 30 orc with five goblins. It's only two floors, and the loot isn't anything to write home about. The first floor typically drops rusty weapons or armor, and the second floor drops things an orc would be found using, like a large cleaver. Not many people have a use for such a weapon, and they're typically just melted down for the metal."

"Remember," Tom said, "these Dungeons are all Tier 1. Our kingdom is lucky to have the Shadow Fort Dungeon, as I've heard that most Tier 1 kingdoms don't have access to a Dungeon with a Tier 3 boss in it. Another reason why the Revenant Dungeon is so unusual."

"Alright, that's good for now," Reivyn said. "It's time to clear this Dungeon. Are all of you confident you can take the Level 20 orc in the last room?" The other three roommates shared a look and nodded their heads.

"Yeah, shouldn't be a problem," Tom said.

"Good," Reivyn said. "This shouldn't take too long. In and out. I'll see you guys when we're all done."

Reivyn headed to the first entrance that contained the Level 10 goblin. Reivyn chuckled to himself as thought about the situation. I would definitely never come to this Dungeon if I didn't want to sweep clean all of the Dungeons in the kingdom. There's literally nothing it has to offer me other than a check in the box.

Reivyn walked through the entrance, and the door slammed shut behind him. He had expected as much, but he wasn't too worried. Apparently, the door isn't locked. Even if it wasn't a weak goblin in here but something that would give me a run for my money, I would be able to simply open the door and escape if I needed to.

The boss room was a simple cave, and it wasn't even that large. There was nothing to it other than the ethereal lighting found in the Revenant Dungeon. It must be a Dungeon thing rather than just a Revenant Dungeon thing, Reivyn speculated.

The goblin in the center of the room immediately noticed Reivyn, and it shrieked as it charged over. It doesn't even have a weapon, Reivyn noted. It's literally just a feral child in a loincloth.

Reivyn shook his head and formed his free-hand Bolt Spell. He launched a Tier 2 Fire Bolt laden with the Kinetic Affinity weave, and the bolt pierced right through the body of the goblin, continuing on until it impacted the far wall with a thud. The heat from the magical fire cauterized the giant hole in the goblin's chest, but it still died instantly.

That was easy, Reivyn thought. He turned around and exited the room and headed straight for the next boss room. All of his friends exited the first room one after another before he even made it to the next room. I'm not surprised that everyone else managed to slay the creature so quickly, either. It was weaker than most of the goblins found in packs in the Revenant Dungeon. I think those were all at minimum Level 15.

The second goblin room also posed no trouble for Reivyn, and he quickly dispatched it with his Gravity-infused Earth Bolt Spell. He made his way to the orc boss, and he didn't hesitate to enter the room.

The orc wasn't just a higher Tier and Level than the goblins. Reivyn immediately noted that the orc had some rudimentary leather scraps as armor and held a rusty cleaver.

It snarled, saliva dripping from its fangs, as it spotted Reivyn entering its room. It charged over just like the two goblins before it, but it at least displayed an understanding of combat by raising its weapon. The two goblins hadn't even prepared a punch or anything as they rushed to their demise.

Reivyn summoned dual Spells in either of his hands, and he hit the orc with a similar Fire Bolt Spell as he did the first goblin, and he followed it up with a zap of electricity from a Lightning Beam. The smoldering corpse of the orc collapsed before it had even made it within 10 paces of Reivyn.

That might have been a bit of overkill, Reivyn chuckled. The Fire Bolt Spell, as a Tier 2 Spell infused with Kinetic weaves, was probably enough to kill it straight away. Oh well. The point of this exercise isn't to simply kill everything as fast as possible, but to expand my magical abilities while clearing all of the Dungeons.

Reivyn exited the room and waited for his friends to finish their trials. All of the other Party members had apparently also entered the third room while Reivyn was inside dealing with the orc.

I wonder who will come out first? Reivyn thought as he waited. My money is on Trick. He's a bit more talented in the magical department, but the difference isn't huge.

Reivyn's eyebrows rose in surprise, though, as the first person to exit the final room was actually Teilon. I thought the ranged nature of the Spells from my three roommates would have given them a speed advantage, but either Teilon's experience made him eliminate the monster faster, or his new Class has some Skills that reduce such an advantage.

Reivyn nodded his head in acknowledgment to Teilon as he walked over to join him.

"If all of the Dungeons are as easy as this, then I really don't have anything to worry about gaining those School Credits," Teilon chuckled. Reivyn eyed him sideways.

"You wish," he snorted. "We already know that at least the Shadow Fort should pose at least a little bit of challenge, and don't forget, we never fully cleared the Revenant Dungeon. That's on the list, too."

"Of course it is," Teilon sighed, looking up at the ceiling. Reivyn just laughed as he clapped his friend on the shoulder.

They didn't have to wait long for the others to finish the simple Dungeon. Trick was the first of his roommates to come out as Reivyn had guessed, but it was actually Kimberly that immediately followed on his heels. Tom came out next, and Vane was the last to finish, though the time difference between each person wasn't anything exaggerated.

"Alright," Reivyn said as everyone came together, "that was the quickest, easiest Dungeon we'll be exploring. We don't really have time to immediately head off to the next one, though, so we'll go back to The Capital, attend a couple of classes, and then meet up again at the end of the week to go to the next destination." All of the others nodded their heads.

They had all attended the first week of classes in the new semester, and they had headed to this Dungeon on the first of the second week. They had decided to come at the beginning of the week because of the nature of the Dungeon and the fact it wouldn't be too time-consuming.

"We'll tackle the goblin nest Dungeon over the weekend," Reivyn continued. "It's a bit further away, and it's not too far from the mine loot Dungeon. We can knock out two more Dungeons over the weekend, and then attend a full week of classes before moving on to the other boss Dungeon. Anyone have any questions or different opinions?"

Teilon raised his hand.

"Put your hand down, Teilon," Reivyn smirked. "We're not going to cancel the Dungeon delves."

"Aww, man," Teilon kicked at a loose stone on the ground. The others just chuckled.

The six friends laughed and joked with each other as they headed to the exit of the cave Dungeon. The boss Dungeons were a bit different from the other infinitely instanced Dungeons in the fact that they were doubly instanced. The room that held the three boss room entrances was also instanced from the rest of the world, and so they didn't have to deal with the groups of other people challenging the monsters.

They exited the first instance back into the real world, and a Notification window popped up in Reivyn's sight.

Exiting Dungeon

Calculating...

First Boss: Complete

Combat Experience: Exp +20

Second Boss: Complete

Combat Experience: Exp +40

Third Boss: Complete

Combat Experience: Exp +100

Dungeon Completion Bonus: Exp +100

Total Experience: 260

Level Up! Level 2

Experience: 193/3,400

Huh, that was enough to finally Level Up to Level 2. I had gained 300 Experience from the Monthly Experience Calculations over the past several months, a lot less than if I had been actively sparring instead of mostly attending classes and experimenting with weaves.

I'll dump the five free Stat points into Clarity, as it's my lowest Stat at the moment. I'll try and bring my Clarity and Perception up to above 200 with my free points. I have a total of well over 400 Stat point reductions for my Class requirements, so I'm not concerned about those. I have effectively over 600 in my main Stats for Class purposes. There should be something nice for having a balanced build on top of the benefits for increasing those Stats anyway.

Reivyn pulled up his Status Page.

Status Name: Reivyn Class: Light Magus Lvl 2

Fighter Age: 11 Health: 2,520/2,520 Stamina: 4,780/4,780 Mana: 2,265/2,265 Physical Stats Mental Stats STR: 226 INT: 226 VIT: 252 MAG: 227 DEX: 226 CLA: 160 CHA: 67 PER: 174 LUK: 66

Bloodline: Unknown 2,886,274/10,000,000

Experience: 193/3,400

"Well, well, look what we have here," a voice intruded on Reivyn's Status perusal. He looked up to see a group of teenagers decked out in shiny gear. A couple of the group members were also dressed in the robes associated with Caster Classes. Reivyn recognized them as members of the Elite Class of the second year, and they gave him a sheepish look as the obvious Knight Academy students swaggered forward.

Reivyn recognized the leader of the teenagers with arrogant expressions on their faces. Lance and his goons, Reivyn noted. Looks like they're here to stir up trouble with not only Teilon, but it appears they have their sights set on Tom and us as well.