Soul of the Warrior

Reivyn flipped the lid to the spawned chest. The others waited a short distance away for him to pull whatever he found out from inside. They weren’t so impatient that they crowded around him. A soft glow entered Reivyn’s eyes as the lid opened and he reached in to grab the contents.

There were a couple items inside the chest, but there was nothing spectacular that stood out to Reivyn. The first item he pulled out was a serrated dagger. The material used looked to be standard Tier 4 metal, and the jagged edges were reminiscent of the teeth of the sharks found throughout the Dungeon.

Reivyn threw an Identify at the weapon.

Shark Bite

STR +30

DEX +80

VIT +50

A sharp Dagger embodying the essence of the sea predator

Reivyn was a little surprised at the high Stat gains attached to the weapon. He hadn’t done too much research into higher-Tier magical gear as his own equipment had been more than enough for him until recently.

It’s definitely time to update my gear, he thought. Right now, the Stat bonuses are a mere fraction of a percent. They basically do nothing for me. If I had seven pieces of gear to replace my armor with Stats like this, though, it would actually make a difference.

The features of the dagger were considerably higher than anything Reivyn had, but he wasn’t interested in replacing his new sword. He showed it to Teilon. Teilon took it briefly, inspected the attributes of the weapon, but he shook his head and handed it back, patting his own dagger equipped at his side. Reivyn understood Teilon was telling him his own weapons were already better.

Maybe I can see if the twins can enchant my new sword, Reivyn considered. I don’t know how enchanting already forged gear works, or even if it’s possible. It must be, though. I know that not all magical gear comes from within the Dungeons. I’ll just have to ask.

Weapons and gear didn’t expressly indicate how much damage they could cause or prevent. It was far more complicated than listing a range of numbers. An individual's Skills, Stats, accuracy, and target were all major factions.

Weapons of certain Tiers definitely had an impact on how much damage they could cause, as well as armors being able to withstand more. A Tier 1 metal was never going to be as effective as a Tier 4 metal, after all.

There was also a major difference in Stats on higher Tier gear. Even though the Revenant Dungeon was technically Tier 3 because of the monsters inside, it was in a Tier 1 Region. That and the fact it was mainly a resource Dungeon played a huge factor in the gear one could find inside.

Reivyn’s armor from inside the Dungeon was pseudo-Tier 2, and the set bonuses and protections from evil made up the difference between them and Tier 1 gear. The material was equivalent to Tier 2, but the Stats still reflected the Dungeon’s status as a Tier 1 Dungeon.

One had to have the necessary Stats and Skills to draw out the potential of higher-Tier gear, though. Equipping a Tier 4 weapon with a Tier 2 Class wasn’t going to suddenly make the person much stronger. Likewise, a Crafter Class was likely to not be able to draw out the potential of combat gear, either, even if they had the necessary Stats.

There was a reason the Blacksmith Boldir didn’t sell his masterpiece to just anyone. It was more a limiting factor of having subpar gear at higher Levels than enhancing oneself at a lower Level.

Reivyn found that out the hard way when he and his companions were unable to contend with the armor of the giant man in Piori, and later his weapon shattered from his own power. It had been a gift for meritorious deeds and had some sentimental value to Reivyn, but the Mana sword had been crafted from merely Tier 1 materials. There was only so much even a grandmaster could do with lesser materials.

Reivyn hadn’t paid too much attention to the quality of his gear as it had gotten him by just fine for a long time, but he was seriously motivated to upgrade his and his mercenaries’ gear at this point. The regular soldiers of the invaders had barely any gear to speak of for the most part, and even the elites’ gear wasn’t anything special, but that only pertained to the basic foot soldiers of the invaders.

The true elites, the robed men and women, were outfitted with what Reivyn suspected to be Tier 5 gear. Considering the scale of the enemy forces, they likely had extremely capable craftsmen making it, as well. There was no way just using basic gear would be enough in the long run.

He wouldn’t need to equip the basic soldier of his mercenary company with Tier 5 gear, though. They wouldn’t be able to fully utilize even Tier 4 gear at their current Level. Not paying too much attention to the finer details, though, was no longer acceptable.

He would need to consult with the officers and his family, including Kefira, to come up with the proper policy, but he had an outline already formed in his mind. They would provide basic Tier 3 chest and head armor for the basic mercenary, and everything else would be Tier 2. They would be allowed to supplement their gear with their own, though.

I should probably make some allowances for rank and grade, too, Reivyn thought as he placed the serrated dagger in his storage pouch. It can go in ascending order: Squad Leaders, Platoon Sergeants, Company Sergeants, Platoon Commanders, Company Commanders. They should have something to distinguish them and give them a sense of accomplishment, too. Little things like that surprisingly go a long way to improving morale.

The next object Reivyn removed from the chest was a pearl necklace. He used his Identify Skill once more.

Necklace of the Soothing Waves

Int +65

CLA +65

VIT +30

Provides a soothing pulse that calms the mind. Moderate Resistance to Illusions

This one was actually very interesting. It would be effective for anyone, especially locals who were able to reach the fourth floor of this Dungeon consistently. There weren’t any Dungeons in Wispan that had monsters that could cast illusions, though, so Reivyn would consult with the others about selling it before they left. Kahl would definitely be interested in obtaining it for himself, his men, or his son.

Only one necklace worn could have its effects active, though, so if anyone had access to another accessory, they would have to make a decision on which one to use. One couldn’t just hang a dozen necklaces around their neck and stack the Stats and effects.

We already have the ability to benefit from Stats and effects on numerous gear pieces. If we were able to just stack dozens or hundreds for each individual piece, that would be absolutely broken. The System also takes effort into effect. If someone who’s Tier 2 had the Stats and abilities of someone in Tier 4 but they were given, not earned, they would only harm their own progress.

Magical enhancements to Stats and effects were possible with lower Tier gear, but it was very rare. People didn’t seek out such gear until they had already firmly established themselves, anyway. Reivyn had been an exception in wearing magically enhanced armor from the Revenant Dungeon in not only being one of the few to find some, but he was one of the few established enough at such a low Level that it wouldn’t negatively affect his future path.

Not everyone is trying to achieve their peak potential, though, Reivyn thought as he handed the necklace over to Kefira for everyone else to get a look at it. The vast majority of people are just looking to earn a living. They’re not seeking Ascension, so it doesn’t matter if they get the best possible Class. I and those around me are the weird ones if you think about it.

Reivyn chuckled to himself. Most people didn’t train nearly as much as he and his father did. They definitely didn’t do all of the physical activities necessary to exhaust themselves. If his mercenaries hadn’t joined his company, they would definitely not be doing so.

Whether they continued to do so after leaving the mercenary company in the future, though, was up for debate. They had seen the difference in efficiency as compared to soldiers who didn’t train their Stamina as rigorously as they did. Having the ability to go stronger for longer could open up more possibilities once they returned to Adventuring just as much as it improved their survival rate on the battlefield.

Many of them still won’t, though. They’re comfortable enough in what they’ve already accomplished for their life goals. There wasn’t a change in behavior among the Vairo soldiers after seeing us able to easily outlast them in battle, either. If they’re able to evacuate enough people, Prince Allik might be able to affect a policy change in the future, but most people just don’t see the need.

Reivyn waited for the others to inspect the necklace he handed over before pulling the last item out. Kefira handed the necklace off to each of them, and after everyone had a turn, Kefira handed it back to Reivyn with a nod. They would speak about who would wear it later once they exited the Dungeon and it wasn’t such a chore to communicate.

The last item in the chest was wrapped in water resistance cloth. Reivyn pulled it out and flipped the top of the fabric away. Underneath was a handful of shiny, silver scales. They reminded Reivyn of the armor the local guardians wore.

This must be the source of the materials for their gear, he thought. Makes sense. After years of delving into the Dungeon, they’re bound to accumulate these scales in large numbers. I might have to speak with Boldir about what to do with these. He mainly had weapons on display in his shop, so he might be specialized as a weaponsmith, but even if he’s not confident in making anything great with these scales, he’ll know who to point me to.

Reivyn turned and showed the scales to the others. After they got a good look at the last item from the chest, Reivyn flipped the fabric back over and pocketed the package in his storage pouch with the rest of the spoils.

They had nothing else to do in the Dungeon, so the Party made their way back up to the exit. The Dungeon was quite large, but now that they weren’t having to traverse the entirety of each floor, it didn’t take nearly as long to get back to the exit. There was still the possibility of running into roving sahuagins on the third floor, but Reivyn used his Divine Sense to lead them back the exact way they had come and avoid any entanglements.

They didn’t stop at any of the break rooms between floors or any of the pockets of air located on the floors until they reached the first floor. Reivyn was still trying to figure out the mechanism for reaching the final floor without teleporting, and if they had to suffer a little discomfort to do so, that was the small price they would pay. The others didn’t complain or signal for him to stop, either.

After about forty-five minutes of swimming, they finally breached the surface of the water on the first floor. Everyone expelled their held air and sucked in a deep, fresh breath.

“Ahh, that’s not something I’m going to miss,” Teilon said.

“Yeah, it was quite annoying,” Kefira echoed. “I don’t have as high a Vitality as the rest of you. I could feel my heart pounding in my head and my blood coursing through my veins almost the entire time. If it had been just a little longer, I would have demanded we stop for a break.”

Reivyn stroked his chin as he thought about what Kefira said. He didn’t feel anything like that while he was holding his breath, but it was probably due to his increased Vitality. He was still thinking about the problem and trying to couple it with information he recalled from his Dreams of the Past.

People not enhanced by the System are able to hold their breath for a minute or two, not close to an hour. Is it just Vitality that’s the issue? Stamina? A combination of both?

“How does drowning kill you?” He suddenly asked, turning to face his dad.

“What do you mean?” Refix asked back.

“Well, I remember a conversation we had a long time ago about damage from being stabbed in the heart or getting decapitated. How does drowning deal damage?”

“It’s percentage based,” Refix replied. “You’re good until you start getting that sucking feeling in your chest. Once you start feeling like there’s a void in your chest demanding for a breath to fill it up, you’re fine. Cross that threshold, and you start taking percentage damage per second.

“There are factors that mitigate the percentage and the time between ticks of damage, but that’s the gist of it. The real danger to high Level people like us is that it doesn’t matter what your Stats are like at that point. Once you start taking damage, you’re on the clock until you pass out from deprivation. Lost 50% of your Health due to oxygen deprivation, and you lose consciousness.

“If you’re alone, that’s a death sentence most of the time. If you’re in a Party like ours, you better hope at least one person has the Skills and Stats to mitigate the percentage damage and time factor, otherwise everyone is basically going to lose consciousness at the same time.”

“I see,” Reivyn said. “What mitigates the damage and the time factor?”

“Well, obviously the Vitality Stat plays a role, but it’s not as important as you might think,” Refix answered. “Someone with 1,000 Vitality is going to last a decent amount of time longer than someone with 500, but there’s not much of a significant difference between someone with 10,000 and 5,000. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, I think so. It’s diminishing returns.”

“Exactly,” Refix nodded. “There are probably several Skills that will have an effect, too, but the one I’m familiar with is Breath Control. It will increase the amount of Health you can lose before you lose consciousness, among other things.”

“Do you have that Skill?” Reivyn asked.

“No, but I know how to get it,” Refix said. “It’s never been an issue before, and before you ask, no, that’s not the solution I’ve thought of for making it to the final boss with one breath. Extending the time you have before passing out isn’t going to solve the problem. Even if you reached Level 100 in the Skill, you would still reach 0% Health before making it to the end of the Dungeon.”

“Still, working on the Skill is probably a step in the right direction,” Reivyn said. “We’ll have to all work on it this week.”

“Oh joy,” Teilon said, throwing his hands up and rolling his eyes dramatically. “I just said I’m not going to miss the feeling of having to hold my breath for long periods of time, and you don’t even want to give us a break.” He glanced at Refix. “Let me guess: This is going to involve some elaborate training, isn’t it? Are you going to have us carry boulders underwater this time? Hmm?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Refix said with an innocent expression. He and Teilon stared at each other for several seconds. Right as Teilon was about to look away, Refix opened his mouth again. “You don’t have to be underwater to hold your breath.” He flashed a wicked grin at the younger man.

Teilon sighed as he placed his hand on his forehead.

“Of course you don’t,” he muttered.

“I’ll have a schedule made up by tonight,” Refix said, turning back to Reivyn.

“Excellent. I can always count on you, dad,” Reviyn said.

“Yeah, I spoil you,” Refix grinned.

“Wha-? Spoiled! SPOILED!” Teilon shouted. “You call that spoiling?”

Refix calmly looked at Teilon.

“Well… yeah. Who else takes such good care of you all?”

Teilon just spluttered, unable to come up with any words. The others just looked at him with sympathy as Reivyn and Refix laughed at him.

“Alright, so who’s getting the necklace?” Reivyn asked. “And do we want to sell it to the locals before we leave?”

The others exchanged looks. Refix was the first to give his opinion.

“I think it should go to one of the ranged members,” Refix said. “Either Kefira or Vyria. Kefira would likely get the most benefit out of it due to the Stats, but it’s good for anyone, really.”

“While I wouldn’t be adverse to receiving the necklace,” Vyria uncharacteristically spoke up, “I think it would be better served with Kefira. I don’t get much out of Intelligence or Clarity for my main methods of combat.”

Nobody else said anything. Reivyn looked back and forth between everyone.

“Anyone else?” He waited for a moment longer. “Alright, then we’ll give it to Kefira. We don’t have to decide if we’re going to sell it or not right now. I will suggest that Kefira wait to use it on the fourth floor of the Dungeon next week, though. I want everyone to try unlocking a mental resistance type Skill first.”

“That’s a great idea!” Refix’s eyes lit up. Teilon rolled his.

“That sounds fine,” Kefira nodded as she accepted the necklace.

Kefira went ahead and put the necklace on with a smile. It was wide enough that it just slipped over her head, but after settling on her shoulders, it automatically shrunk until there was no slack. To take it off, she would just need to concentrate on removing it as she gripped it, and the necklace would revert to its original size.

“So are we done here?” Teilon asked. “I don’t mind the company, or anything, but I’m really ready to get out of this water.”

“Yeah, we’re done,” Reivyn confirmed. “Let’s take a couple days off before getting back together again. How does that sound?”

“What about the plan your dad’s coming up with tonight?”

“Having a plan ready and implementing the plan are two different things. We can afford to rest a couple days.”

“Awesome!” Teilon pumped his fist in the air. He turned to Kimberly. “Alright, let’s go.”

They were all still in the Dungeon, so even though Teilon said it in a way that he and Kimberly were taking off, everyone just swam to the exit. Reivyn was still primarily focused on the issue of the Hard Mode, and Kefira recognized that he was preoccupied, so they mostly swam in silence. There was a bit of laughter and banter, but not too much. Everyone was starting to get tired, anyway.

In only a couple minutes, they were once more standing on the shore with the light of the exit shining in from the exit. Teilon and Kimberly left hand in hand. Reivyn turned to Kefira and the others.

“I’m going to go ahead and head back to my room,” he said. “Come get me if you want to go get dinner or something.”

The sun was still up as they left, though it was starting to get late in the afternoon. It wasn’t quite evening, yet, but there were restaurants and other establishments open for another several hours, so he had time to go wind down and review the day in peace.

“Ok. How about I just get something and bring it to you?” Kefira asked.

“You know me so well,” Reivyn said with a smile. They shared a quick hug and a peck on the lips before Reivyn hurried back to his room at the Adventurers Guild Branch.

Reivyn had used his Mana to dry himself off immediately after leaving the waters of the Dungeon, but he still changed into more relaxing clothing before sitting on his bed.

Before I continue thinking about the issue of the Hard Mode, let’s go ahead and check the Notifications first, he thought. He pulled up his Notifications window.

New Skills Unlocked!

Tier 4:

Psionic (0 ->6)

Skills Leveled Up!

Tier 1:

Athleticism (73 ->74)

Swimming (17 ->22)

Tier 3:

Battlefield Awareness (50 ->51)

Identify {All} (24 ->25)

Mental Fortitude: (51 ->54)

Tier 4:

Iron Will: (29 ->30)

Exiting Dungeon

Calculating...

First Floor: Complete

Combat Experience: Exp +4,000

Boss Defeated: Exp +5,000

First Floor Completion Bonus: Exp +5000

Calculating...

Second Floor: Complete

Combat Experience: Exp +5,000

Boss Defeated: Exp +6,000

Second Floor Completion Bonus: Exp +5,000

Calculating…

Third Floor: Complete

Combat Experience: Exp +6,000

Boss Defeated: Exp +7,500

Third Floor Completion Bonus: Exp +5,000

Calculating...

Fourth Floor: Complete

Combat Experience: +8,000

Boss Defeated: +8,000

Dungeon Completion Bonus: Exp +5,000

Total Experience: 69,500

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Experience 2,214/18,000

Nice! I gained four Levels from that delve. He quickly distributed his free Stats to Strength and Dexterity.

Hmm… If I’m reading this right, what those sirens were using wasn’t a new form of energy, but simply a Skill. Let me check it out real quick.

Reivyn focused his attention on the Skill

Tier 4:

Psionic (6)

Helpful Hint: Psionic is a secondary Skill. It allows one to project another Mental Skill outward. It is completely useless on its own.

Yep, that confirms it. They were just much more Skilled. There might be ways to affect an Illusion Skill with Mana and Affinities, but I’m guessing it was more like a Racial Skill, kind of like Class Skills, but for monsters.

I’m going to go ahead and check my Status real quick, then I’ll get back to brainstorming.

Reivyn brought up his Status Page.

Status

Name: Reivyn Class: Hero Lvl 10

Grand Arcanist

Fighter Age: 16 (21)

Health: 12,280/12,280 (+310) Stamina: 24,620/24,620 (+410) Mana: 14,735/14,735 (+50)

Qi: 1,000 (T4/Li)

Physical Stats Mental Stats

STR: 1,254 (+10) INT: 1,324 (+4)

VIT: 1,228 (+31) MAG: 1,623 (+6)

DEX: 1,253 (+10) CLA: 1,161 (+1)

CHA: 372 (+1) PER: 1,110 (+1)

LUK: 321 (+1)

Bloodline: Lvl 1 Unknown 236,443/10,000,000,000

Experience: 2,214/18,000

Skills:

Tier 1:

Aim (49), Athleticism (74), Balance (61), Dancing (35), Drawing (23), Drill (24), Drive (7), Haman (20 MAX), Heavy Armor (39), Hiding (35), Horsemanship (24), Light Armor (30), Map Making (29), Map Reading (26), Mathematics (18), Marching (41), Medium Armor (40), Memorization {Social} (22), Mining (22), Observation (62), Penmanship (37), Piano (16), Ride (25), Running (62), Rhythm (32), Shading (7), Shields (53), Sneaking (32), Stealing (9), Swimming (22), Tracing (7), Tutor (24), Woodworking (17)

Tier 2:

Acrobatics (33), Alcohol Tolerance (11), Ambidexterity (27), Backstab (10), Camouflage (24), Color Correction (1), Eavesdropping (35), Evasion (70), Forced March (25), Gab (23), Linguistics (11), Mana Absorption (63), Mana Circulation (52), Meditation (50), Numbers Concepts (10), Pain Resistance (63), Pickpocket (6), Sense Mana (81), Silent Step (26), Stealth (32), Strategy (38), Tactics (49), Teach (24), Tracking (12)

Tier 3:

Ambush (15), Battlefield Awareness (51), Blind Fighting (40), Command (57), Commanding Shout (40), Danger Sense (49), Decipher (1), Detect Lies/Truth (18), Eagle Eye (9), Identify {All} (25), Infiltration (4), Inspire (64), Mana Conjuration (58), Mana Manipulation (68), Mana Shield (50), Mana Sight (74), Mental Fortitude (54), Night Vision (49), Poison Resistance (5), Sense Threat (22), Silver Tongue (14), Sure Step (29)

Tier 4:

Assassination (3), Charm (3), Dreams of the Past (24), Dual Casting (51), Iron Will (30), Mana Weapon (55), Psionic (6) Runes (1), Spatial Awareness (70)

Tier 5:

Aura {Bloodlust, Heroism} (20), Heroic Bearing (38), Mana Drain (6), Mana Healing (10), Mana Reinforcement (20), Multi-Casting (30)

Tier 6:

Akashic Record (1), Weapons Master (103), Regeneration (18)

Tier 6.5

Divine Sense (18), Perfect Domain (14)

Transcendent Ability

True Strike: Weapons Master

Cannot be Blocked, Dodged, or Parried

Affinities:

Tier 1:

Air (102), Earth (102), Fire (102), Water (102)

Tier 2:

Ice (99), Lightning (95), Magma (100), Metal (100), Mist (99), Mud (99), Plasma (100), Wood (98)

Tier 3:

Bludgeon (61), Darkness (100), Durability (63), Friction (54), Gravity (50), Kinetic (66), Light (100), Mass (54), Piercing (66), Sharpness (66), Weight (58)

Tier 4:

Eternal (18), Traveler (18)

Tier 5:

Abyss (1), Veridical (1)

Transcendent Ability

Obedience: Air, Earth, Fire, Water

Command the ambient Elements within your range of control

Class Skills:

-Hero (8): You're a Hero

-Heroic Skills (8): You're Skills are better than everyone else

-Heroic Magic (8): You're Magic is better than everyone else

-

-

-Available: Heroic Will, Heroic Insight, Heroic Qi

-Magic Spells (202): Level 1 2MP, Level 2 10MP, Level 3 20MP, Level 4 50MP, Level 5 100MP, Level 6 500MP, Level 7 1,000MP

-Deconstruct (101): Pick apart Spells to their base Elements. Bonus to understanding Weaves, Knots, and Patterns. Bonus to Mana Manipulation +100%

-Will of the Realm (90): Your Will is True

-Multi-Strike (54): Attack multiple times with anything, up to 19 times at once

-Elemental Weapon (120): Coat your weapon in an Element. Able to extend the length of the Elemental Weapon with additional mana

Available: Charge (117), Cleave (118), Devastating Strike (99), Enforce (22), Impart (8), Intermediate Light Spells (0), Intimidate (0), Mana Well (51), Power Swing (0), True Illusion (0), True Mana (0), Quick-Draw (81)

My full Status Page is a little ridiculous at this point, Reivyn noted. Maybe it’s time to consolidate some of these Skills. Since it was possible to combine all my Weapons Skills into one, I’m sure it’s possible. I’ll have to talk to dad about it.

I'm unlikely to get a Tier 6 Skill out of it since I’m doing so after having attained my first Class this time, but there’s bound to be some Tier 5’s. I don’t know if all combined Skills will be that high, but I’m guessing it will cause some major changes to my Status Page.

Reivyn nodded to himself after perusing his Status page. It was time to get back to thinking about the issue of the Hard Mode. He would try his hardest to figure it out on his own, but if he really couldn’t put his finger on it, he’d have to consult his father or maybe even Kahl.