After returning to Lutzam and selling plenty of parts from Giant Crabs, Sahuagins, and such from the dungeon, Kindle didn't waste any time spending their earnings. A new suit of light steel armor, a fresh cloak, a steel mask, and a new steel sword, costing them nearly 45 CIL. Even with the money they earned from the parts and reselling the tomes on Simple Pyromancy and Cryomancy, once they bought a ride on a Caravan out of Lutzam, they were at a negative profit.
Not that Kindle minds, more content with having better gear and their new evolution than their lack of wealth. The ride towards the destination they were recommended, the city of Serda in Avento, which is apparently a nation that worships most of the Divine Pantheon. For Kindle, getting better equipment and cleaning up nice before traveling into Avento was important, as they would rather look "presentable" and inconspicuous while being in a kingdom that despises all type of monsters and undead.
The trip is almost two weeks long, passing through plenty of interesting sights and towns. Kindle spends most of their time admiring it all, the unending forests, the shining lakes, the enourmous hills, and the expanding valleys all thing they enjoy the view of. They didn't spend much time admiring the beach or the sea while in Lutzam, but they still found it to be magnificent.
As for Serda, the first city Kindle has ever seen, the massive walls surrounding it and the towers climbing higher into the sky within immediately pique their interest. Once the Caravan gets through the gates, the noises of everyday life swell to flood. Thousands of people, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Beastkin, even a few odd people who stick out like a sore thumb. The streets are well cleaned, plenty of carriages and horses slowly crawling on the light brick roads past the hundreds of folks walking and the dozens of stalls and carts.
The Dungeon Guild Office or Serda is enourmous in comparison to the one in Lutzam, far more classy as well. Marble floor, carved stone pillars, a bar, multiple receptionists, and Diving Parties far more equipped. Some have one or two porters to lug around their loot, some are in groups of eight or ten passing each other their gear, some are carrying plenty of equipment solo.
When Kindle stands in line for one of the receptionists, purchases their ticket into the Serda Dungeon, and then immediately starts distantly following the last Diving Party that left, they quickly notice that the group is in far more noticable armor than most of the other Diving Parties. One of them is a blonde-haired Elven Knight, who stands tall over the rest of his comrades and wears bulky, golden armor with excellent detailing. Another is a red-furred Wolfkin Mage in somewhat revealing clothing, though her vitals and such are guarded by similarly golden light armor and white cloth as she carries an expensive staff. And the one walking between them is a golden-haired Human with a platinum sword on his back and armor just as flashy, more so than his companions.
Despite their appearance, they seem somewhat down to earth, relaxed as they leave the city and head towards the Serda Dungeon in the same direction as other Diving Parties. The glances and murmurs they recieve on the way are chalked up to their armor by Kindle, who keeps a steady pace behind.
When they finally reach the Serda Dungeon and get their tickets taken, they go in a different direction, and Kindle begins their level grinding. The dungeon is similar to the Farentz Dungeon that Kindle was born in, though it's more refined and eery. The walls and floors are of dark stone bricks, and the sconces light the halls with dark flames instead.
Floor 1 through Floor 9 have nothing Kindle didn't meet in the Farentz Dungeon, though the size of each floor is massive, and none of the Undead attack Kindle. Floor 10 is a lot different in it's variety, Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Mages, Zombies, Spirits, even Skull Hounds like the one that acted as the Dungeon Boss of the Farentz Dungeon. Still, none of them attack Kindle, even freezing in place when they pass due to ///Undead Dominance (E)///, which got an upgrade then Kindle evolved into a Lesser Undead Paladin.
[///UNDEAD DOMINANCE (E)///: ALL UNDEAD BELOW LV. 10 STRUGGLE TO HARM, IGNORE, OR DISOBEY. (PATRON BOON)]
Floor 11 through Floor 20 bring nothing new aside from stronger of the same Undead in higher quantities, and Kindle doesn't stop to hunt, since they would provide less XP due to them being a decently lower level than Kindle. But on Floor 21, Kindle begins their grind, and with ///Heroic Potential (E)/// upgraded, the XP gain is over double what it was before.
[///HEROIC POTENTIAL (E)///: INCREASES XP GAIN BY A MULTIPLE OF FIVE. (PATRON BOON)]
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
[NOTICE: SKELETON MAGE (5), SKELETON WARRIOR (8), LESSER SKELETON SPELLSWORD (1), ZOMBIE (9), LESSER ZOMBIE MUTANT (2), SPIRIT (12), LESSER HAUNTED OBJECT (3) SLAIN]
[+1000 XP; 1040/3750 XP]
The difference in XP gain is extreme, from 10 XP for a kill to 25 XP, and the large quantity of enemies making it a profitable fight each time. While Kindle certainly would have gotten exhausted by now previously, ///Unified Form (E)/// being upgraded has made them an untiring machine.
[///UNIFIED FORM (E)///: THE FIRST STEP TO ASCENSION. INCREASES MAX VALUE OF VITAL STATS BY A MULTIPLE OF FIVE. (PATRON BOON)]
With a maximum of 1250 MP to work with, Kindle has begun spending their days in the depths of the dungeon experimenting with massive spells, furthering their magic to new, absurd heights. What was once a normal volley of Ice Bolts now freezes the entirety of whatever chamber Kindle is in, and leaves none of their fellow Undead alive. Of course, they don't go overboard all the time, as waiting for their MP to refill is still a pain. At some point, even the system stops listing all the types of Undead slain, simply the count.
[NOTICE: UNDEAD (38) SLAIN]
[+950 XP; 3750/3750 XP]
[NOTICE: LEVEL UP; VITAL STATS RESTORED; +6 AP]
[LV. 25 -> LV. 26; 400/6500 XP]
Despite another jump in the XP requirement, Kindle isn't too bothered, they simply spend their AP and move onto Floor 22. By Floor 23, Kindle has even upgraded their Trained Trait, ///HORDE BREAKER (F)///, into ///HORDE BREAKER (E)///.
[///HORDE BREAKER///: DECREASES MP AND SP EXPENDITURE BY 20% WHEN FACING A GROUP OF AT LEAST TEN AND AT MOST THIRTY ALONE. DECREASES HOSTILE CONFIDENCE IN NUMBERS AGAINST SELF. (TRAINED TRAIT)]
As they end up at the entrance to Floor 25, they see the trio they followed to the dungeon setting up a quick camp to rest. When they see the masked and cloaked Kindle approaching, the simply incline their heads, with the Human the first to speak, his voice soft and young. "Ah, you're going to be facing the Mini Boss too. We saw you behind us when we were heading over, it's nice to meet you."
Kindle, not the best at small talk, still knows better than to simply ignore someone and walk past them after being hailed, and not inclined to be scrutinized too heavily, they incline their head in return and respond. "It is nice to meet you too." They wait for a moment, and when there's no more response, they shift to start walking again, only for the Human to speak again.
"You sure you don't want to rest up first? The next floor isn't like any normal floor, it's got a tough one in there, from what we were told." He pats to floor, the clink of his flashy platinum gauntlets against the stone echoing just a bit. "Come and sit, we have a bit of extra food."
The Elven Knight nudges his companion with the blunt of his gold spear, glancing between him and Kindle. "Vedan, please try not to befriend every passing Diver. Not everyone needs to be a potential ally in the future just because they're decently capable."
The Human, Vedan apparently, hums. "What kind of Hero would I be if I didn't give everyone a chance? Let the man sit for a while at least, so he doesn't go into a big fight hungry."
Kindle, unsure of how exactly to handle this, remains standing. "I've... already eaten."
The Wolfkin Mage in odd apparel slumps a tad as she puts her own bowl down, already having finished her meal as she studies Kindle with a heavy exhale from her nose "At least sit for a while, the Hero himself is asking you to."
Unwilling to question it and risk suspicion—despite not being sure what the situation even is, they obey and sit, though decline with a gesture when offered a bowl, which Vedan begins eating in their stead.
"So," Kindle starts, attempting to start a conversation not directed at them. "You're the Hero? What's that supposed to mean?" Vedan pauses his personal feasting, and the Elven Knight raises an eyebrow at the masked figure.
The Wolfkin scoffs, which almost sounds like a light snarl from her. "You don't know what the Hero does? What, do you live in a dungeon?" While Kindle knows it's a rhetorical question, they don't note the fact they were technically born in one.
Vedan chuckles and puts hit bown down leaning forward with his hands on his crossed knees. "Well, the Goddess of Light, Diamond, chose me to vanquish a great evil in the world, and gifted me and my comrades the strength to do so. We're currently using the Serda Dungeon as a starting point to get stronger, and then we'll be going on quests to get even more powerful after that until it's time to face the Calamity."
Kindle tilts their head, interested now. "A great evil? What are you supposed to fight?" The Elven Knight sighs quietly, dabbing at their mouth with a hankerchief. "Unprecedentedly, we are not sure. The Calamity of this era has not shown itself, unlike all other Calamity's have."
Vedan nods, resuming his meal and speaking in between bites. "Yeah. But still, that just means we have time to prepare. Speaking of, when the Mini Boss is slain, it'll take a few days for another to arise. Why don't you join us for it after we rest, so none of us are left having to wait to fight it? Unless you'd prefer to just have either of us fight it and the other skip past the fight, which is a bit underhanded."
Kindle considers for a moment, and out of curiosity for what it's like to fight in a team, agrees. "Sure, I'll join in." The Hero seems content with this, the other two just accepting the decision their leader has made without much in the way of dissapproval.
Once they finish resting up, the four enter Floor 25, to face the Undead Drake acting as the Mini Boss.
NAME: KINDLE
SPECIES: LESSER UNDEAD PALADIN
SEX: N/A
XP: 225/7250
AP: 0
HP: 1450/1450
MP: 1450/1450
SP: 1450/1450
CON: 29
AGI: 29
DEX: 29
PER: 29
INT: 29
UNDEAD PALADIN (F)
FUNDAMENTAL ARCANIST (E)
SIMPLE PYROMANCER (F)
SIMPLE CRYOMANCER (F)
FUNDAMENTAL SWORDSMAN (E)
FUNDAMENTAL SPELLSWORD (E)
///BIOLOGICAL IMMORTALITY///
///WORLD EYE///
///UNIFIED FORM (E)///
///HEROIC POTENTIAL (E)///
///UNDEAD DOMINANCE (E)///
///INSTINCTIVE CHANNELING (F)///
///NATURAL ARCANIST (F)///
///NATURAL SWORDMAN (F)///
///NATURAL PALADIN (F)///
///HORDE BREAKER (E)///
(+2 MORE)
