Advancement
Feeling the Dungeon begin to rumble, Cairn and Kaia moved closer to each other to avoid being separated. Fortunately, as they were close to the Dungeon's entrance, there weren't many changes to their immediate surroundings. A few walls slid up from the floor or dropped down from the ceiling, but the corridor and orientation of the rooms remained largely the same.
Once the Dungeon settled down, though distant rumbling could still be felt, Cairn took a moment to get his bearings, noticing that the path to the entrance had been blocked. However, so long as they went around and avoided paths leading downward, they would eventually be able to find it again.
"Well, shall we...?" asked Cairn, poking his head into the nearest room to find a simple wooden chest.
"Wow, talk about vicious..." muttered Cairn, inspecting the chest with his Insight to discover it was set to explode when opened.
"Looks like this one is a dud," added Cairn, adjusting his grip on his shield as he led the way to the end of the corridor, looking left and right before turning to Kaia and asking, "Do you hear anything...?"
Closing her eyes, Kaia opened the duct-like muscles of her ears to see if she could hear any monsters or movement nearby. She couldn't, but that didn't mean she could not obtain some useful information.
"I can hear that faint echo of air flowing from the left," revealed Kaia. "The right is likely a dead end, but it could have unexplored chambers."
"Fair point," said Cairn, choosing to head right since they weren't trying to venture too far from the entrance. Fortunately, Kaia's guess was right on the money as once they turned the corner at the end of a hundred-meter-long corridor, they came upon a passage with two unexplored chambers.
Checking the first chamber, Cairn was pleasantly surprised to find that the chest within, resembling a stone sarcophagus, wasn't boobytrapped. Most people would have avoided it out of superstition, as it was literally a coffin, but his Insight assured him there wasn't a corpse inside.
Seeing the hesitation on Kaia's face, Cairn shrugged, saying, "Insight says it's safe," before sliding open the lid with a grunt, revealing a much smaller chest. More accurately, it was an elaborate, hand-etched wooden jewelry box.
Opening the lid, causing the interior 'shelves' to slide outward, forming a three-stepped display, Cairn was disappointed to find that there were no magic items among the various trinkets and baubles present. They could sell the contents for a few hundred, maybe even a thousand Graadis, but it was what delvers of the Den of Greed called a bust.
"Well, that can't all be winners," conceded Cairn, placing the jewelry box and its contents into his Inventory. Afterward, he and Kaia made their way to the next chamber over, discovering a large iron chest that was actually a Level 18 Mimic.
Since chest-type Mimics typically waited for their prey to open their lids before revealing their true identities, Cairn made his way around the back of the disguised creature, acting as though he was investigating for traps. Then, with a curt nod to Kaia, he performed a full-force swing with Elle's pickaxe, slamming the sharp, incredibly durable tip through the top of the
Mimic's 'head.' The iron comprising its body was very real, but with all the force of the pickaxe being concentrated on a single point, it penetrated the monster's metal body, causing it to release a shrill scream as it began to thrash about violently.
"Fuck...!" hissed Cairn, not because he failed to kill the Mimic in one blow; well, there was that as well; but the main reason he was annoyed was that he was forced to release his hold on the pickaxe due to how violently the Mimic's body jerked and thrashed about.
Identifying Cairn as the source of its injury, the Mimic opened its lid to reveal a fleshy interior framed by teeth. It also had a large, thick, highly elastic tongue set with circular rows of fangs that could be used to grab and pull prey into itself, liquefying them with its highly potent digestive enzymes.
Dodging said tongue by a hair's breadth, Cain was once again thankful for his Ookami's Visage as it prevented him from smelling the Mimic's sickly sweet and incredibly foul breath. He was similarly grateful to his Aberrant Aegis, as it functioned like a shock absorber as he leaped to his side and slid across the ground in his desperate evasion.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Mimic was focused on Cairn, Kaia descended upon it from behind, slamming the edge of her shield onto its 'head' while simultaneously activating her Shield Bash. Mimics had high resistance to most status effects, but she only needed to stun it briefly, allowing her to pivot on her forelimbs and kick the handle of Mr. Boomy with her exceptionally powerful hind legs.
Though he winced seeing Elle's pickaxe skid and bounce across the floor, Cairn pushed himself to his feet and bolted toward it while Kaia distracted the Mimic. Once it was in hand, he took advantage of his Shadowsilk Set's stealth-enhancing properties to sneak up behind the Mimic as it used its tongue to lurch futilely at the incredibly agile Kaia.
Paying close attention to Cairn's actions, Kaia waited until he was within striking distance before deftly sidestepping one of the Mimic's lunges at the last moment, smacking and stunning it with her shield.
Taking advantage of the opportunity Kaia had created, Cairn shouted, "Eat shit...!" as he put all his strength into a powerful overhead swing, aiming for the fault created by his initial sneak attack. That attack had decreased the Mimic's Health by around 30%, but as it was now a major weakness, the tip of Mr. Boomy sank deep into the paralyzed monster's flesh, causing it to release an ear-piercing shrill as its insides promptly evaporated into motes of bluish-white light, leaving only its 'shell' and a glowing red crystal behind.
*Ding! 648 Experience awarded for slaying an Iron Chest Mimic(Lv18)!*
Seeing how much Experience they had been awarded, Cairn smiled and said, "Nice," while reaching up to wipe his brow with the sleeve of his right arm. Mimics were regarded as Rare monsters, so they gave twice the Exp of other monsters at the same Level. To that same end, Epic, Unique, and Legendary monsters gave 3x, 4x, and 5x Experience, respectively. As for what that was based on, it was generally the monster's Level times itself, meaning a Level 100 Legendary monster would grant at least 50,000 Exp, capping out at 70,000 if you were 10 Levels lower.
"Well done," said Kaia, making her way over to Cairn's side and peering into the Mimic's mouth, retrieving the magic crystal within. Red Magic Crystals were worth around 1,000 Graadis, so while it wasn't the best items they could have gotten, it was a profit of 700 Graadis after they paid the 30% tax on 'resources' acquired in the Dungeon.
Taking advantage of Kaia's proximity, Cairn caressed her head as he said, "That was a lot easier than dealing with a horde of Bone Creepers," before asking, "How are you feeling?"
Though she appreciated Cairn's concern, Kaia felt slightly embarrassed as she replied, "I took my medicine while you were asleep. I'll be fine so long as I don't get affected by something like that Frenzy Pheromone."
"Then, after a short break, we'll check the next room," said Cairn, pulling out his Decanter of Replenishment to wet his throat before handing it to Kaia to do the same. Health and Mana depleted more quickly when you were hungry and dehydrated, and things like sugar, protein, carbs, and caffeine directly affected your Health and Mana Regeneration—sugar and caffeine for the latter and protein/carbs for the former. Thus, after making themselves comfortable, Cairn and Kaia snacked on the pastries he had borrowed from the Princess, enjoying a momentary respite before moving on to the next room...
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After seventeen hours in the Den of Greed, Cairn and Kaia returned to the surface to visit the local Church for her Class advancement. Before that, they had to report their earnings/findings to the guards regulating access to the Dungeon. The existence of Space Magic and Skills such as Material Storage was well-known, so anyone exiting a Dungeon was forced to take a lie-detector test to ensure they had reported their yields truthfully.
Fortunately, while materials and drop items were taxed at a rate of 30% for C-Rank Freelancers, magical items and equipment only needed to be registered for 'provenance.' Magic items, particularly weapons, were like firearms in Cairn's previous life, so the Kingdom did its best to track who owned them and where they were traded, making it easier to investigate crimes.
Since he had no need for most of the materials and items they had looted, Cairn saved himself and Kaia some time by simply offloading them on the vendors certified by the Freelance Company. He could have earned much more selling them directly to a local store or workshop, but he didn't feel like trying to barter over a few dozen, at most a few hundred Graadis. Not when he had more than 300,000 in his Inventory as 'pocket money.'
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Following a short chat with the local Bishop, Cairn observed in silence as Kaia knelt before the crystal ball that would determine her fate, praying for Restia's guidance. Fortunately, even compared to Asim, she had 'a lot' of options to choose from. Cairn wasn't sure of their total number, but he could make out seven specks of sapphire, two amethyst, and even a deep ruby series of runes.
Seeing the shimmering ruby text, Kaia descended into a lengthy period of deliberation. Her dream, other than restoring the reputation of her people, was to become a Dragoon. She was incredibly pleased when it appeared as one of her options. However, as ruby Classes were incredibly rare, she couldn't simply disregard it, even if she had never heard of a Class called 'Haregon.'
Forming her resolve, Kaia closed her eyes and muttered, "If this is the path you have chosen for me, I shall continue along it without fail..." in reverence of her Goddess, Restia.
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Name: Kai'ankh
Species: Karukut
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Title: Champion's Flagbearer(Vit and Cha increased by 50%)
Class: Haregon(Unique)
[Attributes]
Level: 20/88(95,008/103,748)[Neophyte(20), [Haregon(0)]
HP: 14,054/14,054
MP: 16,553/16,553
Str: 28
Agi: 138+55
Vit: 120+168
Int: 173+69
Dex: 65
Cha: 79+88
Talent(s): [Goddess of Light's Blessing(20/20)], [Corruption Resistance(20/20), [Unwavering(0/60)], [Aerial Superiority(0/60)], [Karakut Physiology(20/88)], [Hunting(22/83), [Spearmanship(18/76)], [Shield Mastery(17/64)], [Throwing(10/39)]
Skill(s): [Light Healing(8/10)], [Purification(4/10)], [Great Leap(1/10)], [Skyfall Spear(1/10)], [Strong Kick(8/10], [Leap(8/10)], [Charge(7/10)], [Shield Bash(7/10)], [Fling(5/10), [Piercing Blow(4/10)], [Javelin Toss(3/10)]
[Unwavering]
Effect: Strength, Vitality, and Dexterity increased by 4% per Rank.
[Aerial Superiority]
Effect: When airborne, vision and senses are amplified greatly.
[Great Leap]
Base Cost: 0MP
Effect: Channel Mana into the legs, permitting one to leap even tall buildings in a single bound.
[Skyfall Spear]
Base Cost: 5,000MP
Effect: Empower your spear with a special aura, causing its momentum, speed, and penetrative power to ramp when thrown from high above a target.
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Seeing the changes in Kaia's Status, Cairn's eyes widened quite a bit. The fact that Unwavering and Aeriel Superiority had a cap of 60 indicated she was stuck with the Haregon Class until Level 80. That wasn't a bad thing, as it signified she would receive an additional 240% boost to Str, Vit, and Dex, but it meant she had fewer options for branching out, forcing her into a particular role and combat style.
"So this is the power of a Haregon..." muttered Kaia, staring down at her hands, awed by the power coursing through her body. Her stats hadn't increased much, as she had yet to gain a single point in her Class Talents, but her HP had nearly tripled, making her feel empowered, quite literally brimming with vitality...
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(A/N: The birth of the mighty Haregon...!)