Silver Spoon Series

"Okay, I think that went pretty well, but I do have some notes." Alan said out loud for the benefit of the Corellians as well as Indiana. He had just finished the inaugural run through the new dungeon. It was a nice cap on a full day.

Earlier, after seeing that Roger was actually crushing his assignment, Alan had been left with some time on his hands before Indiana was finished setting everything up. He had spent that time creating scrolls for minor healing. If someone got a mage class, all of the spells they received could be potentially useful, although some more than others. Those who became healers, though, if they were anything like Alan, would be left without a use for their powers.

Having discussed it with Tamee, apparently most healers starting out became apprentices to more experienced mentors. These would often supply the spells they would use, but even without a teacher, they could also simply use their mana directly to heal. It was incredibly inefficient, but it made them at least somewhat useful, and able to level, even without a spell.

Without a cadre of experienced healers to mentor them, Alan figured it would be best for all concerned if the villagers had a real healing spell to start with. That was why he spent some time and money making a basketful of minor healing scrolls. He knew that was how many there were because they were currently sitting in a basket in the adventurer store. Alan decided these would be free, but Brud had agreed to hand them out at his store because it would generate foot traffic. Since he didn't know about the stones they were all about to receive, the man had been confused as to why Alan expected so many people to want the scrolls, but he wasn't about to argue with both the owner of the town and the man who was his first supplier of real goods.

After that, he had finally gotten the message from Indiana that the lair was finished and he was ready to test it. Alan had tracked down Lyonel's group and together they set out. For the first run, Alan had gone in alone. It hadn't been a challenge, but it wasn't supposed to be for someone at his level. He had simply wanted to make sure it would work for the villagers who would start getting their classes tomorrow. Now that it was over, it was time to talk about it.

I do as well, why don't you go first.

"Can you better control the hump beetles? I was picturing each log as a discreet encounter, unless the delvers were foolish enough to approach others during their combat. Instead, the noise of fighting seemed to attract any nearby colony so I ended up fighting way more beetles at once than I had expected. Also, a copper per beetle isn't a lot of money. And at the end, the boss fight was okay, but you might want a little more terrain in the room. There's not much variety for tactics at the moment."

I was trying to keep the beetles from reacting, but I am still getting the hang of things. I will do better next time. A copper is a fair reward for such a small and numerous creature. It takes energy to produce these rewards, and I cannot give out more than the effort it takes to defeat them.

Alan had been aware that the dungeon couldn't just give out tons of rewards, but he hadn't really internalized that. He would have to trust Indiana when it said that was the appropriate reward.

There is something else I noticed. Your soul energy was almost painful for me. It was tolerable, but I think that is only because I am so attuned to your particular energy. I don't think I would like to have other opal adventurers enter my lair at the moment. Your kinds' souls are too strong for the energy I can handle at the moment.

Is it harmful?

It was not harmful when you went through, but it was uncomfortable. I do not have the words to describe properly how it felt, but I don't think it would hurt me. It would just be very unpleasant.

Alan had kept that part of the conversation private for Indiana's benefit, but the next topic was going to be important for everyone. "Can you tell now how often adventurers will be able to enter?"

This was a make or break answer. If it had a time between runs of twelve hours like the town dungeon, then it would pretty much ruin his plans to level the villagers. He was hoping for something an hour or less, that would allow a hundred people to move through each day.

I can't be sure since your energy is at a different level than theirs would be, but I believe it should be around thirty minutes, maybe a little under.

Alan shared the answer with the others and they all broke out in grins. That was a great answer and it meant about a third of the village's population could make a run every day. Anything faster wouldn't have really mattered because they were also limited to only one instance. It would take parties around thirty minutes to complete the dungeon as it was now anyway.

With that happy news, Alan sent the Corellians out to start their work on the leaking dungeons. They were a little sad that they couldn't try it out, but Alan explained that Indiana needed to make some small adjustments and it wouldn't be worth their time to wait. The real reason he didn't want them going in was how painful it would be to the core, but his answer wasn't a lie either. After seeing them off, Alan had another job to do, get some rest. He hadn't had a real nights sleep in a couple of days, and his thoughts were starting to swim.

Tomorrow would be an interesting day as fifty people would be getting the news that they could gain classes, and the rest of the town would learn that their own turn would be coming soon. Roger had finally accepted Alan's suggestion to get some assistants, and two of the village's younger citizens had spent the day running around Elstree telling everyone to be at the main square shortly after sunrise tomorrow.

It would be best to lay everything out at once. If they tried to keep the news to only the people who were getting stones that day, someone would talk, and then there would be feelings of jealousy and unhelpful conspiracy theories running amok. It would also mean having to explain the plan over and over again. It would be better to set it before the whole village and explain the process as a rollout and that everyone would get their turn. Some people would still be upset they didn't get to go sooner, but it should help defray the unrest.

Alan didn't actually have a house in the village, so he rented one of the rooms at the tavern. The brewer who owned it didn't want to charge him since he used to work there, but Alan insisted. It was a good precedent to set. After a rather restful night, Alan enjoyed another perk as he got to work with Cook in the morning before the sun rose, helping prepare breakfast for those customers who didn't want to make their own meals, and wanted something better than the cheap communal kitchen offered.

Standing there with Roger by his side, facing the more than six hundred villagers was quite the experience. Everyone who called Elstree home was here. Even the hunting, logging, and mining crews had been called back. They really wanted everyone to hear the news at once, and many of those people were also on the first list of fifty names. Alan took a deep breath, and then he explained why they were all there.

People didn't really comprehend what he was saying at first. It wasn't that they didn't understand the words, but like the mayor, their brains just couldn't understand such an outlandish idea. The more he went on, the more they started to believe. After Alan took out a few stones to show he wasn't lying, a number of murmurs could be heard. They quickly were silenced when he continued talking, fearful of missing anything from so momentous a moment. At the end of his speech, Alan had Roger step forward and call out the first fifty names.

Those who were called gave out cheers and were congratulated by those around them. As more and more names were read out, there started to be some grumbles from people who realized that today was not going to be their day. When the last name was called, Alan addressed them again.

"For those whose names were read out, we will ask you in a moment to come over here to work out what classes you will each receive. Everyone else who didn't get your name called, I know that it feels disappointing, like you've missed out, but your day is coming, and soon! In the next two weeks, every single one of you will hear your name and receive your own stones. For some, it might be better that your name wasn't called today. These people have been given this opportunity first, but that means that it will also be them who make the first mistakes. When it is your turn, you will be able to benefit from what we learn from their successes and failures. We realize there's no point telling people to go about their day today like it's just another Tuesday, so we invite anyone who wants, to stay and watch as your fellow citizens take a huge step forward."

As speeches went, Alan thought he did okay. He saw a lot fewer unhappy faces in the crowd than before, so it must have helped at least a little. Alan and Roger had decided to wait to tell them about the tier one dungeons and the possibility of joining his Army. They had discussed it, with such an important and potentially deadly choice, they felt that people would make a better decision for themselves, and ultimately Alan, if they had some experience first. It might end up with people not necessarily having the optimal classes compared to if they had known they were going to have three to start with, but it was deemed worth it for getting a better feel for who was cut out for the life.

Once he gestured, the fifty who had been chosen quickly gathered before the two of them, and Alan explained what came next. They could pick any two classes they wanted, but they would end up in groups of five. These would be their parties for the near future. Roger had the people split up then and there into groups of five. Perhaps Alan and the mayor could have made better parties if they had decided for themselves, and some people would feel hurt or left out depending on how it all shook out, but this was a simple way to do it and it gave them agency over their life.

Alan did take time to explain some things before they started pairing up. He extolled the importance of balanced parties and that at least one person in each team would need a healer class. There was a little debate about what the perfect party make-up was, but these people had lived in the Network their whole lives, and in many ways they had a better understanding of the problem than he did.

It took everyone almost thirty minutes to break down into ten parties of five. There had been the inevitable last group of people who ended up together because they weren't part of other groups, but Roger had chosen these people for a reason, so the process hadn't been too bad and no one seemed upset. Then they were told to discuss among their party exactly what classes each person would take. This took another half an hour and involved several groups breaking up and reforming when they realized something wasn't going to work. After that, it was time to hand out their stones.

For this first group of fifty, Roger wanted Alan to be the one handing out everything. For the following groups it would be the mayor doing all the work since Alan would be gone. He couldn't hang around here all the time, he had a million and one things to do, but this first group was symbolic, so he was here.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Each party approached and the members would tell him one at a time which classes they wanted. Alan then reached into the two rings where they were all stored, one for common and one for uncommon, and handed them their stones. They then stepped to the side and when their whole party had their stones, they absorbed them together. Roger thought it would be a nice bonding moment. The mayor had actually wanted them to wait till all fifty had their stones, but Alan thought that making some people wait that long with that treasure in their hands was asking too much. This had been the compromise.

Alan was happy to see that many groups ended up with two people with a healing class. He might be biased, but it felt like a huge advantage. Yes, it took up one of two precious slots for those people and was a mostly defensive class, but the ability to heal damage as you went without the need for costly potions was huge. The next task was getting them equipped.

Most people already had their own weapons. The Network, and especially the tutorial, was not a safe place. Without any adventurers living there to protect them, many of the villagers had been forced to fight off low level monsters, and early on even a few bosses that had spawned from the obelisk that the town had started with. These weapons mostly consisted of clubs and a few large kitchen knives, but it was better than nothing. Everyone chosen here today had something to work with. The hunters even had their own bows.

Alan was finally able to confirm that the healers did not receive any spells with their class, so he directed them to Brud's store so that they could grab a scroll, but he also asked them to return immediately afterwards. Once everyone had their weapons ready, and the healers had gained the minor healing spell, Alan told them that today was about training.

Roger had gotten some people yesterday to make targets for them. Those tasked with the duty had been confused, but now they had something for those with ranged attacks to aim for. Alan also took a little time to put some logs in the ground. These stuck up a couple of meters and would simulate the torso of an enemy.

While these people had grown up in this violent universe, on most worlds serfs were sheltered from real danger. They knew the basic concepts of fighting, but Alan hoped to give them a better foundation before they went out looking for trouble. Alan blocked out the next four hours for training. Two hours for each of their classes. Some people didn't need to spend much time working with a separate class because they were closely related, like fighter and guardian, or less combat oriented like seeker or scholar. Those with a healer class were called on throughout the day to practice their talent as people pulled muscles, cut themselves or neighbors, and just generally got hurt.

The mages who had bolt spells spent their time trying to hit the targets. When they succeeded, they moved back until they could hit from their maximum range. Those with stone spears were aiming for some dangling targets. These mostly avoided being damaged from the spell because they were soft and simply bounced off when the rocky shaft hit them.

The mages with gust were using it for two purposes. There were a variety of clothes tied from sticks in the area and they were trying to make specific ones blow and in various directions. The other purpose they were put to was to help push along those melee types who were warming up with running in between weapon practice. Alan had been less sure of how useful conjure water could be.

In the end, he decided they could at least use it to knock bugs off of their allies, or create mud that might bog the opponents down. It was only a few of the mages that had ended up with the spell, but he also didn't want to flood the town with the water they were practicing with, so he had them cast it out in the river. They were trying to get it to hit areas they had chosen, also working on their accuracy.

The hunters who wanted to use a bow shared the range with the mages. After the first arrow in a target had been burnt by a fire bolt spell hitting soon after, they had divided the set of targets in half. There were also some hunters who didn't have bows, or didn't fancy ranged attacks, and they mostly used spears. They joined the fighters and guardians in attacking the logs.

Alan was there watching their swings and thrusts. He had tried to demonstrate the proper form and stance for them at the start, but it took a lot of walking around and physically adjusting people before they started to get it. By the end of the training he still wouldn't put them in the frontline of a battle, but they had a lot more confidence in themselves at least.

That was actually the biggest reason Alan wanted them to go through this workout. Yes, they had no doubt improved their skills (little 's') some, but it was their mindset that he wanted to change. That morning, none of these people had really thought of themselves as warriors. The hunters were used to killing things, but for them it was about taking down prey, not fighting for their lives. By the end of their two sessions, Alan could see most of them were coming to realize what they were now capable of.

The group had broken for an early lunch at the tavern after the first session. Alan would have liked to pay for that meal, but his purse was taking quite a hit as it was. Plus, everyone was so excited about what they had already been doing that they didn't mind spending their own coin. After the afternoon session finished, Alan gave them a couple of hours off, but told them to spend it with their party.

Most people had grouped up with friends, so they already knew each other well. However, they were going to be relying on these people to keep them alive, so it was important that they got used to each other, especially those groups who hadn't been friends before. The sun was on its way down when Alan gathered them together once more. It was time to see what they could accomplish. Alan took the lead, and Roger walked in the rear as they made their way out of town.

While these people now had quartz classes, they were mostly sitting at 0% and their stats had only been slightly boosted. Because of this, the walk took longer than Alan expected, and when they arrived the sun was almost touching the horizon. Gathering everyone together again in the cleared circle where he had previously done his Alchemy, Alan introduced them to Indiana.

Not the core itself, they couldn't hear it anyway, and he didn't want to get too much into that topic when it wasn't going to directly affect them. Instead, he showed them the dungeon entrance. It ended up being a cave mouth that was about three meters tall and four meters wide. The inside of the opening was the perfect black that signified a dungeon portal.

Everyone listened attentively as he outlined what they could expect inside. If they decided to become adventurers, they would eventually have to explore dungeons without knowing what was coming, but for now he was more interested in their survival. He stressed that the goal was to complete the second level after defeating the ant boss. That would be where they got the biggest reward. All of the monsters would drop something, mostly coins, but by clearing the whole thing they would get real loot, which for now meant quality gear.

While he encouraged them to push for completion as it would allow them to grow faster, he also reminded them that this was real, they could die. It was better to pull out and try again another day than to push past their limits and lose a friend. This was something Alan hadn't really had to deal with yet. Mostly because he was on his own and he knew what he could handle. The only challenge he had backed away from had been a boss in a maze, and it had only been due to the fact his mana and stamina were almost empty before the fight even started. It had been the right choice at the time, but Alan had never felt that pressure again.

These people weren't like him. Not only did he have eight classes when he really started exploring dungeons, but he had been trained for war, and he had lived it too. He had learned how to weigh all the variables and make a decision in an instant. These groups in front of him didn't have that, not yet anyway. The best he could do was offer encouragement, and caution. Hopefully if teams got in a bad way they would be able to pull out against what was down there, but it was possible someone might die. He made sure to let them know that too. They would go down there with eyes wide open. Once all the talking was done, it was time for the doing.

"So…Who wants to be the first to go down there?"

Jenny had been ecstatic when she heard her name called. She was one of the original settlers in Elstree and had been there to fight off the first two bosses. She was tall for a human woman, a hundred and seventy-eight centimeters, and fairly athletic. She'd gained her muscles from working on the farm, but she had also enjoyed running on her off time. It was a tough hobby even in a rural town, no one wanted people running through the crowded streets and the countryside wasn't all that safe either. Still she had made it work.

Her life had been going well, until her boss' wife got the idea in her head that she was having an affair with the husband. It was ridiculous, the man was twenty years older than she was, and also not the type of lover she was looking for at all. Still, that woman was relentless and had made Jenny's life miserable, turning people against her. It was during a particularly low point, where even her parents started casting her judgemental looks, when the tutorial appeared. It was her chance to escape and get a fresh start. She was only twenty, barely a woman, but escaping the negativity which surrounded her had been liberating.

Her life had been good here in Elstree. The mayor did a fine job and she was one of the more knowledgeable farmers in the beginning. They had recently even gotten some chicken eggs, which had just hatched, and she was excited for what those noisy chicks would mean for their settlement. But then Silver Spoon, the man who had saved their village from a group of thugs, offered them this incredible opportunity.

It didn't take her long to decide on her classes. The runner in her was screaming at the chance to improve her dexterity, just think how fast she would be able to go. However, she also knew that this opportunity wasn't free. Alan, that was Silver Spoon's real name, made it clear to them that there were certain expectations. With that in mind, she chose fighter in addition to rogue. Her body was already strong and fast, so this was also playing into her strengths.

The rest of her group was a mix of people she knew and relative strangers. In a village this size, no one was really unknown, but there were just some people who she rarely came into contact with. Abs was one of them. He was a leopard man who happened to work in the fields. He was a relative newcomer to the village and even though they both worked as farmers, their paths had never really crossed. Keire was another who she hadn't interacted with much. The woman had been on a construction crew and lived on a different sidestreet.

The last two members of the party were well known to her. Monos and Klevin were a golemoid couple. They hadn't known each other before coming here, but had almost instantly found one another. Both of them had been involved in mining, but they lived next door to Jenny. As was typical for golemoids, the woman, Monos, was a little larger than Klevin. It was a surprise to her when Monos had decided on a hunter class in addition to her guardian one, whereas Klevin had gone with the expected fighter.

The three of them had originally grouped up with two others from their street, but when they realized that they all wanted to be more physical warriors, they had been forced to split up. Keire was focused on being a mage, while Abs was also to be their healer. For his second class he had chosen mage to help increase his mana for healing.

Training had been fun, Silver Spoon really lived up to his legend and provided a ton of tips to help people get better. Jenny was thrilled when he walked by and complimented her on her stance. He did offer a few suggestions on how best to wield her knife, and it didn't take long before she could feel a difference in her control. She was lucky that her role in the village had allowed her to get a real dagger. It wasn't a true weapon, at only thirty centimeters long it was a little too short, but it was better than the cutlery that some people had.

She had caught glimpses of the rest of her party throughout the afternoon. Monos and her husband Klevin were wailing away at logs with their clubs. That was a fancy name for the branches they were wielding. The things looked like they had been ripped straight off a tree, but in their strong hands it didn't seem to matter.

Keire had gotten fire bolt as her first spell and was blasting away at the targets. It seemed like she was one of the better mages out there, having already moved to the farthest distance, while others were still at ten and fifteen meters. Abs spent most of his time healing, but he did manage to work on his spell occasionally. He had been less fortunate and gotten gust to start with. Still, they weren't counting on him for damage, he was there to keep them healthy.

After they were dismissed from training to hangout together, they had started to talk about roles. Klevin was their main tank, while Monos would support him. Keire was going to be their main damage dealer, eventually, but until she got some more mana she was only going to be really effective in bursts. It would be up to Jenny to deal the melee damage. She wasn't sure how to accomplish that with her little dagger, but she would most likely figure it out as they went. Abs, of course, would heal them.

As the sun was setting, they were taken out to their new training ground. A dungeon that Silver Spoon had gotten just for them. He had previously mentioned its existence, but he now went over exactly what they could expect to find inside it. It was intimidating. Venomous bugs, flesh eating birds, and a giant ant? No thank you, that was the stuff of nightmares, but that might be her life now if she stuck with this adventuring stuff. He called for a group to volunteer to go first, and she looked around to see who was brave enough.

"Allright, we have our first group. Step right up and let's see how you do. Remember, push as far as you can, but safe is better than dead."

Jenny was still looking around, trying to figure out which group was going in, when she realized everyone was looking her way. A quick glance at her own group showed Keire with her hand in the air. The audacious teenager had volunteered them to go first. Put on the spot like this, Jenny couldn't back down. With an audible gulp, she joined the rest of her group in approaching the dungeon. This was going to be rough.