The Reluctant Hero - Vol. 1 - Chapter 7

Sleeping inside of a dungeon was not a comfortable experience for Axel. The floor was uncomfortable and despite being inside a safe room, he still felt like it was dangerous. As if he could be attacked at any moment. It was just something he would have to get used to with time. That, or find a way to kill everything inside of the dungeon all at once. Somehow he doubted that even he would be able to afford how much mana that would cost.

After eating a breakfast of leftover reheated stew, which actually tasted even better than last night, it was time to begin his day. First, Axel checked on his progress. He’d gained a lot of levels yesterday but his skills hadn’t seen a whole lot of progress, mostly just Telekinesis and Mana Armor.

Name: Axel Voht

Level: 33 (76%)

Class: Mage (33/100)

HP: 630/630 (+6.6/sec)

MP: 9,999/— (1,770) (+29.8/sec)

SP: 530/530 (+5.5/sec)

Str: 43

Dex: 76

Con: 53

Int: 167

Wis: 124

Cha: 43

Lck: 43

Money: 0g, 45s, 0c

Special Trait - Mana Void: You have no maximum mana limit. You generate mana based on what your cap would be based on your attributes, skills, traits, etc. Any time you would consume mana for any action, you consume ten times the required amount.

Class Abilities

Spellcraft - Rank MAX

A mage is only a mage after developing their own spells and casting style. Create your own spells using this ability to develop your own magical path.

Any spell you create will have its own costs and damage values determined by the parameters you design.

You may develop one new spell at level five and every five levels thereafter. Any spell you develop can be taught to others.

Level 05: Elemental Weapon

Level 10: Shadow Cloak

Level 15: Elemental Strike

Level 20: Greater Create Magic Item

Level 25:

Level 30:

Metamagic - Rank MAX

Metamagic is the art of modifying spells as you cast them. The choices for Metamagic are many and each choice will allow you to modify your spells in a specific manner for a specific cost. Multiple Metamagic abilities can be used on any spell cast. You may select one Metamagic ability at level twenty and every twenty levels thereafter.

Level 20:

Equipment

Staff of the Adventurous Youngster

Weapon Damage: 150+Mage Level

Con: +10

Int: +25

Wis: +15

Mana Regen: +50%

Requirements: Can only be used by someone with the Mage class below level 101 and below the age of eighteen.

Spells

Arcane Bolt - Rank 5 (33%)

The most basic mage spell that every mage knows and loathes. Fires a single bolt of pure arcane energy at a single target.

Cost: 10MP

Damage: Int+Weapon Damage

Magic Box - Rank MAX

The user of this spell creates a dimensional box that allows them to store and retrieve items within it. The more mana the user initially casts the spell with, the bigger the dimensions of the box though there is a bare minimum required. The user can recast this spell and invest more mana in order to create a bigger box. The previous box will be destroyed.

Minimum Cost: 500 MP

Mana Armor - Rank 12 (32%)

While active, all damage is dealt to the user's MP until their MP runs out or the spell is dispelled.

Cost: For every 1 damage, lose 10MP

Telekinesis - Rank 24 (88%)

Allows the user to control things with their mana. The power of Telekinesis is directly proportional to the amount of mana invested in its use. Cost reduced by 23%.

Cost: Varies

Damage: Varies

Apport - Rank 1 (0%)

This spell allows the user to teleport small objects over a short distance directly into their hand.

Cost: 250MP

Elemental Weapon - Rank 1 (20%)

This spell allows the user to conjure up a weapon made from an element of their choosing. Choices include: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning, Metal, Light, Shadow.

Weapon lasts for [Skill Rank] minute(s).

Cost: 1,250MP

Weapon Damage: [Int+Skill Level]*5

Shadow Cloak - Rank 1 (76%)

This spell wraps the user in a cloak of shadows making it easier to blend into shadowy and darkened areas. While active, the user is [Skill Level]% harder to locate in such areas. The spell ends the first time the user attacks.

Cost: 25MP/sec

Elemental Strike - Rank 1 (0%)

Coats the user’s weapon in the chosen element to deal additional damage on their next attack.

Choices include: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning, Metal, Light, Shadow.

Cost: 500MP

Damage: [Int+Dex+Skill Level+Weapon Damage]*5

Greater Create Magic Item - Rank MAX

Allows the user to create any magical or non-magical item they can imagine. The cost of creating an item varies based on the size of the item, the materials it’s made from, the power of the magic imbued in it, and more. Even the smallest and simplest magic items will have a prohibitive cost.

Cost: Varies

It was rather hard for Axel to keep himself from grinning like a madman. In just a few hours of dungeon crawling he’d managed to level up to level thirty-three. He hoped to reach level fifty before leaving the dungeon. Not for any particular reason, but he figured that if he reached such a level, he would be able to take on a much harder dungeon next. Honestly, hitting level fifty in two days wouldn’t be record-breaking, it would be record SHATTERING.

With his breakfast done and his preparations for the day complete, Axel left the saferoom and made his way around a corner to take his first left into the next wing of the dungeon. He only walked a few feet before having to make a decision, left or right. With a shrug, he took the left path. At the end of the hallway was a small room with some stairs leading down. Axel shifted his staff into his left hand with a bright grin, it was time to have some fun, “Elemental Weapon, Light. Elemental Strike, Light.”

Golden light condensed into Axel’s hand in the shape of a heavy Warhammer. With the conjured weapon weighing nothing, the size wasn’t really relevant. The square-faced hammer glowed with a bright golden light that wasn’t blinding, fortunately. It would make a rather useless weapon if it blinded him when he wanted to wield it.

The second spell caused a thick layer of light to surround the already bright hammer. None of this went unnoticed by the three skeletons hiding in the room. While exploring the dungeon, it had become rather obvious that the further into the dungeon Axel got, the stronger and better armed and armored the skeletons became. This particular group wore armor that almost looked fully functional. Aside from being heavily dented, tarnished, and rusty in spots, it was in functional condition. Each weapon they held was in even better condition and held with some competency in their use.

“Mana Armor.”

With his preparations complete, Axel charged at the trio of skeletons and swung his Warhammer. He aimed for the chest of the skeleton closest to him. He was no expert with a Warhammer and it was best to aim for a large target. Skeletons weren’t known for their mobility so it was no surprise when the hammer made of solid light slammed into the skeleton’s breastplate. The hammer easily blasted through the iron armor while the Elemental Strike effect detonated with a flash of light that obliterated the skeleton.

Skeleton monsters had three well-known weaknesses that any decent adventurer would take advantage of. First, blunt force trauma to crush their bones into powder. Second, light-based attacks would eat at the foul magic that animated them. Third, and most devastating, Holy magic that would completely purify them of the necromantic magic animating them. Axel only had access to two of those three and putting them together led to devastating damage being dealt to the skeleton he attacked.

As he obliterated the first skeleton, the other two swung their weapons at him. A longsword and battleaxe both slammed into his Mana Armor, draining him of tens of thousands of mana at once. Axel responded by recasting Elemental Strike and hitting the skeleton weilding the axe, obliterating it as well. It cost him another hit from the skeleton with the sword, but that one soon joined the other two in oblivion.

Axel let out a sigh while the golden Warhammer faded away. Just using those four skills cost him nearly thirty thousand mana, not to mention all the mana he lost to tanking damage. He figured that this little fight cost him somewhere around one hundred thousand mana, if not a little more. Such a waste, but it made sense. He was a Mage, he wasn’t meant to be in melee fights. Wielding the hammer had felt awkward as well. He’d have to wait until he had his Rogue class to experience melee fighting. Until then, he would use the boring and more efficient way of fighting as a Mage. Crush them with Telekinesis.

Axel went through the room he just cleared and down a few steps to enter a much smaller room. The only thing occupying the room was a wooden chest. Seeing it caused Axel to grin from ear to ear, “My first treasure chest! … Don’t be a mimic!”

He knelt down and made sure his Mana Armor was still up and running. If his first-ever treasure chest tried to eat him, he was going to be pissed off. His parents had made sure to tell him plenty of horror stories about treasure chests turning out to be mimics and eating people. Evil mimics. With a small amount of trepidation, he reached out and lifted the clasp on the chest, and slowly opened it. No signs of teeth, a good sign.

Sitting inside the red velvet-lined interior of the two-foot-tall, three-foot-wide, one-foot-deep chest was a single silver-colored ring with a small black opal adorning it.

“That’s it? The hell?! This entire big ass chest for a single ring?!”

Axel grumbled about that for a moment before actually checking out the ring and seeing what it could do.

Ring of Borrowed Power

Once worn the wearer must choose one attribute, Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha, Lck. For as long as the wearer has this ring equipped, they gain +1 in the chosen attribute for each monster defeated.

This bonus is lost if the user takes any damage, is knocked unconscious, or takes off the ring. If the ring is taken off and worn once again, a new attribute can be chosen.

“... Okay… Well… I guess it deserved a nice big chest… Who doesn’t like big chests?”

After collecting the ring from the chest, the chest faded away into nothingness leaving just the ring clasped in his fingers. Axel studied the ring for a moment before slipping it on his finger and selecting ‘Int’ as the attribute to boost. It was the only logical choice, for now. Thankfully, he could just take it off and put it back on later for a different attribute. For most people, the ring would be a decent item giving a few bonus points, maybe more if they were a backline fighter, but everyone takes damage eventually. Well, everyone that doesn’t have an enormous mana pool and the Mana Armor spell.

Axel turned around and left the room. There were no other paths to take so he had to retrace his steps. This section of the dungeon was more maze-like than the previous one. He constantly found himself walking down dead-end paths that just led to skeletons. If the dungeon was better lit, he would be able to see down to the dead-ends and spot the skeletons from further away. He was definitely going to get a spell to create lights when he got back to the city! No point wasting a precious Spellcraft slot on something so simple.

With his return to the tried and true method of crushing the skeletons he came across with Telekinesis, his exploration of the dungeon was pretty quick. The sound of brittle bones being shattered into powder was actually becoming rather comforting to him. Every time he heard it, it meant he was becoming a little bit stronger. Though it was taking more and more skeletons being crushed for him to gain a level.

It was a few hours after his lunch break before Axel finally found the doorway to the boss's room. It was hard to miss. First, it was the only door he’d seen in the entire dungeon so far. Second, it had a giant skull motif on it that just screamed ‘DANGER!’ to him. The room being dangerous wasn’t too surprising. A boss was meant to be fought by a group of people with an equal level to it. Not one Mage a couple of levels above it.

Alex looked at his level, forty-seven, and smiled. It wasn’t quite the fifty he had been hoping for but it was still a wonderful level to reach in such a short time. It also didn’t hurt that his new ring was giving him plus severity-two to his ‘Int’ attribute. His mana and mana regen were currently pretty ridiculous. Once he reached level one hundred he would have to take a small break and just let his mana accumulate for a while.

He shook his head and stopped procrastinating. With determination, he stepped forward and pushed open the skull door. The interior of the room was pitch black until he stepped over the threshold. Torches lining the wall suddenly sprung to life with little poofs of flame to illuminate the interior of the room. Standing dead center within was a giant skeleton. Literally, the skeleton of a giant.

The boss stood over twelve feet tall and was composed of gleaming pearly white bones covered in pristine full plate armor. Its bones were multiple times thicker and harder than to bones of his human skeletons that Axel had easily crushed so far. To add to the imposing sight, the giant stood at attention facing the door with a massive two handed sword resting tip first on the ground. It’s tow armored hands resting one on top of the other on the pommel.

The instant Axel finished stepping into the room two things happened simultaneously. First, the doors behind him slammed shut and locked. Second, the empty orbital sockets of the giants skull began to glow with a bareful red light. The giant immediately grabbed the handle of its sword and lifted it up into a proper two handed grip near its body. It started to march toward Axel with calm steady steps, the perfect picture of a soldier about to engage an enemy.

Axel grinned and made sure his Mana Armor was up and running before deciding to use something he’d practiced a little on a few groups of skeletons, “Elemental Weapon, Light.”

This time he formed a massive hammer of light. The faces of the hammer were five-foot by five-foot, truly monstrous proportions. Even so, the weapon weighed nothing in Axel’s hand. The giant had covered half the distance between them by the time the hammer formed. Axel didn’t mind though and continued, “Elemental Strike, Light.”

The expected second layer of light flared around the massive head of the hammer. Then came the new twist he’d come up with, Axel let go of the hammer. Nothing said he had to maintain a hold of the weapon and that wasn’t a part of his desire when making the spell.

Instead of letting the hammer fall to the ground, Axel grabbed it with his Telekinesis and launched it at the giant skeleton. It was still pretty mana intensive but instead of having to get close and swing the weapon himself, he could now use it remotely and keep himself safe while dealing large amounts of damage.

The massive hammer ripped through the air with ease and charged directly at the boss monster. The hammer slammed into the boss with a crash like thunder and a flash of bright light. Steel screeched against stone as the force of the blow shoved the boss back several feet leaving deep scratches on the ground. Still, the boss remained standing, the first monster to survive past the first blow in the whole dungeon. Though, not without taking damage.

The once pristine chest plate of the boss was now caved in deeply. Though he couldn’t see them, Axel knew he’d shattered many of the bosses ribs due to the bone shards falling on the ground and seeing wide cracks in its clavicle bones. Even more impressive, clouds of steam were leaking from the gaps in the armor, especially from around the neck, due to the extra damage done by the light element of the attack.

Axel only took a moment to admire his first blow before bringing on the second, “Elemental Strike, Light.”

The hammer flashed once more as light surrounded it before Axel slammed it into the giants back. With another thunderous crash and a flash of light, the giant boss was sent sprawling onto its face. Axel didn’t waste any further time and rained blows down on the giants back without giving it a chance to recover. No mercy for monsters.

After several heavy blows and a couple of extra Elemental Strikes, the dungeon boss finally gave in. With a heavy groan, the boss shattered into motes of light and faded away.

Level up!

Level up!

Level…

Lev…

…

Magic Box detected.

Loot: 20x Bone Powder, Giant’s Skull, Staff of the Fire Adept

Automatically stored.

You have cleared the dungeon! To exit, simply say ‘Exit’ at any time.