Chapter 5- The Holy Arc And Realization
'Well if looking into the fire tells me things about myself then what if…..' Going with an odd instinct I stuck my arm in the fire. Specifically, the arm that was covered by the red and black gauntlet.
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{Rare Grade Gauntlet}
Wyrmling's Maw
Type: Armor
(Passive) Effect: Grants a moderate resistance to fire damage
(Active) Effect: Push Mana into the gauntlet to send out a fireball. Cost:50 Mana
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"Woah... how the hell do I use mana?" I asked aloud as I tried to copy the goblin's movements from earlier. Extend my arm with the palm facing forward.
I felt it like something clicked in my mind. Almost like I was in a trance like state that was broken when my 'blood' rushed to my arm and in the next instant a fireball smacked against one of the walls. It didn't do much but leave a few charred marks but against one of them rats, or even the goblin swordsman? Instant annihilation.
That wasn't blood, I just moved my mana.
"Fucking awesome...…" Childish glee burst through me and what could I say? Locked away in a dungeon maze for two weeks and now I can shoot fireballs? A fair deal if you ask me. Almost makes me forget the fact that if one of those fireballs hit me I'd be toast
'Change of plans then'. I instantly added nine points to intelligence and looked over the changes. In every upgrade to a statistic, I leveled up. Interestingly it continued to increase by five hundred essence every time until I reached level ten and twenty intelligence.
{Essence:87,090}
{Statistical Upgrade Cost: 5,500 Essence}
After level ten it changed from forty-five hundred to fifty-five hundred, so now it would increase by a thousand essence for every level.
'Twenty thousand gone just like that…' Still, I could use the 'Wyrmling Gauntlet' four times in succession now.
Still, it didn't matter because I was going to use all of it now anyway, with the last of the essence I was able to level up nine more times. Splitting the points between dexterity and endurance.
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{Essence: 1,590}
Lvl:19
Name: Ace Lothbrook
Mana: 200/200
Class: N/A
Rank: Human
Strength:8
Agility:17
Endurance:10-(14)
Dexterity:8-(13)
Intelligence:10-(20)
Faith:9
[Statistical Upgrade Cost: 14,500]
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Two weeks of hellish work. 'Now what should I do?' I couldn't help but ask myself. Unlike the first room, it seemed like I could stay in this boss room as long as I wanted. I could almost feel it in my veins that the 'holy' fire's promise was still in effect.
Nothing would attack me while in this room.
"I guess a few more hours of rest wouldn't hurt" I said aloud as I laid back with one of my arms as a pillow. Closing my eyes it almost felt like I was at my grandparent's house again, sitting on a recliner in front of the fireplace, peaceful.
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{Uncommon Grade Scimitars}
Dual Burned Scimitars
Type: Weapon
(Passive) Effect: Each slash has a moderate chance to burn as well as slash.
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'Huh, I guess that the goblin's entire arsenal was fire based' I noticed as I retrieved the blades from the flame and began giving them a once-over.
Basic steel scimitars, a red guard as well a nice-looking sheath that only looked like it could fit only one of them.
'Oh, that's actually pretty cool' I realized as I noticed the groves on both swords along with the fact that one side on both blades was completely flat.
I pushed them together and they clicked in place becoming a single sword. A button popped out in the handle that I knew would re-split the swords. 'I wonder…..' I put the single blade in the fire to see if anything changed.
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{Uncommon Grade Scimitar}
Burned Scimitar
Type: Weapon
(Passive) Effect: Each slash has a high chance to burn as well as slash.
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'I knew it, changed the moderate burn chance to a large chance.'
I was unsure if I would use it as much as my spear but it could definitely be useful. It was more convenient to keep it as a single sword so I placed it on my right hip.
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{Uncommon Grade Spear}
*Bonded* Blooded Spear
(Passive) Effect: Moderate chance of causing bleed against an enemy.
Upgrade:309/1000
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'I knew it felt different than my other weapons'. I had a bond weapon, usually, these kinds of weapons would grow with the user. It made me wonder if these scimitars were bonded to the goblin originally.
Obviously, I had no idea when I received it but throughout the two weeks I traveled through the maze I realized how 'right' it felt in my hands. While I took pleasure in the fact I could shoot arrows reminiscent of a handgun, it just never felt as satisfying to kill something without my spear.
"I guess sitting around isn't going to answer any of my questions, onwards then" I decided with renewed vigor, thanks in part to the 'Golden Arc' which is what I decided to refer to the campfire as.
Armor fitted over my chest and torso, an enchanted gauntlet strapped to my arm, crossbow strapped to my waist while the burned scimitar sat on my adjacent hip.
I did a few stretches and strapped my spear over my right shoulder and with a small reluctance, I left the fire's embrace.
As soon as I entered the doorway to where the goblin swordsman came from I fully felt the fire protection leave and I was back on my own.
I continued forward unperturbed, it came to a point where I entered a stairwell.
One went up while the other went down.
There were two things odd about this specific stairwell, a cloud of mist seemed to magically block the path going up. The other thing was an ethereal plaque that sat on the wall that separated the two sets of stairs.
"Fuck….. It's a dungeon tower isn't it?" I said with a small amount of dread as I looked at the red numbers that gave the maze I just left a name.
'Ninety-ninth floor-Rat Kings Maze' an arrow pointed downward with the number ninety-eight glowing a foot under it.
"God fucking dammit!"
What made it a bad thing?
Dungeons were an odd thing to explain. Some could be small with only a single goal to complete, like entering a cave to slay a cave bear to complete a quest. These were usually regarded as the easiest dungeons to complete though there were outliers, like it being a dragon instead of a bear.
Then came things that were greater in size as well as danger. These could be things like an abandoned manor to a castle. These would be called in some cases a dungeon domain, where multiple quests and multiple paths could be taken to complete an overarching objective.
Then there were dimensional dungeons. Usually entered by a gate that would transfer a group of challengers to complete a 'world mission' in a parallel or completely random world. It could have something to do with a world's past and the objective would be stopping the rise of an evil tyrant before he causes a war that leaves the world the way it is now. Very complicated and probably the second most dangerous type of dungeon, at least in my opinion.
Finally came the dungeon towers, what made them so dangerous? They were completely unpredictable, on one floor you might fight a bunch of goblins and on the next you could be walking over a thousand-foot tightrope over a pool of lava. Not even to mention it took me two weeks to complete the ninety ninth floor.
That brought the second most damning part, if I somehow continued my pace and made it to the end. I'd be stuck in here for four years.....