The New World 20 Dungeon Delver

“Do I have to?”

“Yes. You do.”

“f.u.c.k. Alright, what does that involve me doing?”

Torix’s hands moved with a robotic efficiency as he said, “First, an explanation is in order. Sit down.”

A chair sp.a.w.ned beside Torix, so I sat down as he said, “Those with arcane blood are different from normal people. You see, a normal being has their mana tied to the intention and intelligence of their mind. In a sense, the person’s ego or soul or whatever you want to call it.”

He bent his head sideways for a better angle for viewing Althea. He continued, “Arcane blood user's tie their mana to their flesh. Instead of being determined by the state of their mind, their mana is determined by the state of their body. The bonds that once held their soul together are then holding their flesh together.”

He dabbed an instrument into the bowl of bright purple as he said, “This means that the will of the mind is unoccupied. Combine this fact with the natural stability in your blood, and we have an amazing conduit for stabilizing wild, chaotic energies.”

Torix stabbed Althea with tiny p.r.i.c.ks of the needles, coloring her skin. He continued, "That is likely why she was used as an experiment for the eldritch. She could be stabilized as long as her mana didn't run wild."

I squinted my eyes, “Why don't we just kill her?”

“She may become useful. I’ve yet to allow her to awaken. She may be more easily manipulatable than you would believe. Her innate eldritch energy has other uses as well.”

I frowned, “I was wondering, do I listen to you without thinking because of your charisma?”

Torix turned towards me. An awkward silence permeated before he said, “Yes. That is precisely why.”

I sighed with relief. “Whoo. d.a.m.n I was worried I’d become gullible or something.”

He turned back to his work, “No, you haven’t become gullible. You’ve always been gullible.”

I rolled my eyes, “I’m going to harvest some nearby dungeon cores. Are you absolutely sure there isn’t any way of finding them that’s easier?”

“There is. Schema catalogues all rift holders in your world and categorizes them into an uploadable world map. It’s exceptionally convenient. I didn’t mention it for several reasons. Mainly, to let you bring out any unscrupulous elements, like this Althea. You would naturally go towards the most known place nearby.”

Torix shrugged as he said, “That’s the most obvious place for a bounty hunter to set up shop. I figured someone would come over and try to get something from the dimensional tear. I didn’t expect the bounty hunter to be quite so...interesting though.”

I shrugged, “Well, at least you were watching in case anything crazy happened. Thanks for that.”

“I wouldn’t let my apostle die for nothing.”

“But you’d let me die?”

“Would you go into certain death to save my life, your loving mentor?”

“Alright, fair point. I’ll be off then.”

I left outwards, running outside. I’d probably be gone for a few days. I strolled up to the sentinel. “Can I complete two of the quests sent by Schema?”

The sentinel said, “Ah, yes. I’ll connect you with one of his AI’s. They should be able to handle your trite little quest.”

I shrugged, “Yeah, I know what you mean. A quest personally from Schema himself. How trite and little.”

The suit of armor froze in place. After a moment, he said, “Just get your rewards and leave me.”

I nodded before saying, “Of course, of course.”

A robotic voice sounded in my ears, “Two quests completed. Rewards will be received via notification. Thank you for your continued a.s.sistance. Goodbye.”

Jesus. No wonder Stacy and David thought Schema was a boring robot. I scrolled through my menu, finding the notifications.

II Gorge on Horrors(Unknown Tier Quest) - You are a monster. Become the eater of monsters.

0/4,000,000 ambient mana eaten Timeline(2 months)

II He Who Slays the Eater of Worlds(Legendary Unique tier quest) - Most never enter a dungeon in their lifetime. You have been commanded to destroy many. Good luck.

0/6 Dungeons cores obtained Timeline(2 years left)

I let out a ma.s.sive, colossal sigh. The f.u.c.k was this. I got the next tier of quests without any rewards? I spoke towards the AI, but it responded with silence

"All I got was a notification to complete the next tier of the quest. What the f.u.c.k is that?"

"That is your reward. The opportunity to further serve your savior."

I rolled my eyes before walking out of the dungeon. Schema was a d.i.c.k, period. f.u.c.k that guy.

After grumbling for a few minutes, I opened the map of earth that Schema supplied everyone. No doubt it was mentioned in the tutorial. 

I found there was about 30 or so dungeons within 50 miles of me. Finding rift holders wasn't an ordeal by any stretch of the word. With that in mind, I traveled towards the nearest one about three miles away.

There I found a stream with a waterfall about four feet in height. When I crawled under it, I found a dark cavern lit by green growing seaweed at the bottom of a stream. The water poured from a back wall, around fifteen feet in height. Ma.s.sive crabs walked around the stream, snapping for fish and nibbling on the glowing seaweed. 

Crystals lined the wall, glowing blue like mana. When I walked near them, the mana pulled into my armor, dampening their glow. That's when I walked up to one of the crabs,

Baby Deep Dweller(lvl 14) - This is essentially the larval state of the deep dweller. They feed on algae and various fish until creating a coc.o.o.n and transforming into their adult state. They can then feed on much larger prey before growing once more.

This is a new colony without any adult Deep Dwellers. Fully grown Deep Dwellers can snap their claws with such speed and power that they create sonic booms with resulting explosions. Other variants can snap out their claws with an intensity few creatures can match. They are a heavily armored and muscled creature in this state, with a variety of percentage based physical damage attacks.

These little guys, however, can't do any of that. They are just the inklings of a much grander species. 

Sucks to be these guys then. From what I just read, they sound ferocious if given time. Not a resource I'd be giving them.

By the time I walked through the cave, there was more dead crab here than a red lobster. I could run by them and just smash them with my feet. Instead of just running through them, I stomped on them with the intent and purpose of crus.h.i.+ng them completely. I stepped with such force that the cave cracked.

[New Skill! Stomp(lvl 1)]

Alright. I could get two things done at once here. While I stomped from crab to crab, I tossed rocks towards far off crystals. I did this for several hours, the tedium of it weighing on me. Of course, my willpower was high enough that something like this didn't phase me anymore.

A few skill levels later, I reached the boss, an adolescent Deep Dweller. Less like a normal crab and more like a thick limbed spider, streaks of blue trailed down the orange top of the creature. The eyes glanced towards me, an obvious awareness there. This wasn't a mindless creature like these other larvae.

It's level was a surprisingly high 50, but that wasn't near enough to stop me anymore. It took seconds before I'd torn it to pieces. With the dungeon core in hand, I got to see the awesomeness.

[Brilliant(Intelligence of 20 or more) - Your intelligence is amazing. 1/10th of intelligence added to luck. Mental skills are gained twice as quickly.

[Genius(Intelligence of 25 or more) - Your intelligence is incredible. Another 1/10th of intelligence added to luck. Doubles effect of mental skills. Level of mana(Health due to arcane blood) no longer affects mental acuity.]

[Omniscient(Intelligence of 30 or more) - You are all knowing. +5 mana per point in intelligence. +2 mana per level. Increased critical thinking and memory per level. Emotional tolerance doubled. Spells may be cast silently. Doubles mana costs.]

[Piercing(Perception of 20 or more) - Your perception is amazing. Levels can no longer be blanked out, unless the target is unknown. Extra data on enemies is categorized into your personal archive. Minimap data improved to include terrain, obstacles, and enemies.]

[Flexible(Dexterity of 10 or more) - Your dexterity is good. Doubles flexibility bonus.]

I was worried I may run into another mercenary or a.s.sa.s.sin at any point, so I selected the omniscient perk. The moment I finalized my decision, something primal changed. Of course the rush of clarity came like a tempest, but the largest change occurred on a physical level.

The bonds of arcane spread throughout me increased in density. When I clenched my fist, they bended with me. When I breathed in, I could feel them coursing through my veins. Like another layer of protection, they held me together, solid as t.i.tanium.

With the sudden burst of clarity and togetherness, I a.n.a.lyzed my character screen. 

My hp increased dramatically from all the intelligence related bonuses. Combined with the sh.e.l.l of eldritch perk, and I had the hp of someone near level three or four hundred. Combined with my higher damage resistance, I may even have the durability of a tanky bruiser over level 500.

Knowing this, it made me wonder how in the h.e.l.l did those spears go through me so easily. They hadn't stopped me for long, but one through my skull may have even killed me. It probably had something to do with her half eldritch side. 

Still, no dungeon enemy since Baldag-Ruhl had even so much as touched me. Another rank or two into obliterator and Harbinger of Cataclysm would make me nigh indestructible. Of course I still needed some way of stopping arcane magic, but I could get Torix to help me with that problem. He'd know a thing or two about it I was sure.

So with an idea of what perks I needed, I traveled towards the next nearest dungeon. It was time for a slaughter.

I ended up fighting in dungeons for several days after that. I figured out pretty quickly that most dungeons weren't really that different. At least here on Earth, they had a bunch of the babies of a species. I'd run in, smash them to pieces, then get the dungeon core without much trouble.

When I'd put points into brilliant and genius, I didn't notice huge differences in my attributes or how I felt. Luck didn't effect anything that I could notice, and none of my mental skills were leveled enough that I'd notice the difference. I did notice a direct increase to retention and mental math skills though. 

The formulas that were so arduous became simpler, like walking through a sunny day rather than fog. This allowed me the chance to train them without thinking as thoroughly. As a result, my mathematical skills increased dramatically by the time I returned back to the cave.

I'b been gone for over three days and collected thirteen dungeon cores during that time. With four used, that left me plenty for getting the perks related to luck and perception. The safest, most efficient way of getting stronger involved getting another rank in obliterator, investing the perks, then moving on. I'd be stronger when dungeon delving, meaning any more mercenaries I ran into wouldn't be as risky.

So I reached into BloodHollow with many extra cores stored in my armor. I had collected about 500,000 ambient mana during the process along with 87 skill levels. I put them into obliterator as I strode in.

Sentinel and I exchanged the usual snappy comments before I ran towards Torix. I reached him an hour later. As I reached into the cave, Althea was floating off the ground. Torix dressed her in a pair of fitted robes, like something he'd give an acolyte. A new tattoo covered up towards her neck and along her left cheek, looking like the runic letterings along the wall. I walked up.

"So what's the plan for Althea?"

Torix pulled out a clear crystal from his bag. He said, "Before I explain, you told me of a tree you gained the other day. Explain its specifics."

I did so, explaining how the obliterator tree worked. Torix said, "Remarkable. Regardless, I need to study these runes along the wall, you need further evolutions of your armor, and you need someone to train with you. I have a person who can offer such a solution."

I rolled my eyes, "Really? Using Althea as a training partner?"

Torix nodded as he came over and placed the corundum in my hand. He said, "This will finalize your connection with her. It's ingenious, if I do say so myself."

The corundum melted into my armor as Torix continued, "She turns into an eldritch because of the excessive eldritch energy produced within her. Using your blood, I can create a chain between you two. This will allow your armor to ingest any of the excessive eldritch coursing through her."

Torix stuck out a palm then laid her out on her side with a slow movement. No more energy coated her, and she breathed like normal. Torix continued,

"You see, she's like a cup that overflows. You will swallow the overflow. You also need someone to train your combat skills with, and she needs to fight in order to summon extra eldritch energy. You will gain eldritch energy and skill levels at the same time, without having to actually kill any creatures. I'll be able to continue studying these runes in the meantime."

I nodded, "Man, Torix. That's f.u.c.king genius."

"Indeed it is. You're lucky you have such an able master. Regardless, she will be waking soon. When she does, be ready for the rush of eldritch energy she'll be giving. Get her to do what you want. I'd rather not be bothered with formalizing anymore details. I've spent enough time on this as is."

"Sure thing, but why do you think someone like this came over here anyway? Doesn't it seem a bit random that this kind of mercenary came to earth?"

"At first glance, perhaps. If you look closer, it becomes nigh predictable. Earth experienced a very large and very powerful dimensional tear. There was an outpour of eldritch comparable with true eldritch outbreaks. Many people within the galaxy are interested in the eldritch. Those people go towards newly infested areas hoping to find concentrated points of the energy."

Torix tapped his chin as he said, "I'd a.s.sume this scientist sent out his most reliable bounty hunter to hunt down any source of eldritch. He obviously has a vested interest in the eldritch. She saw you, read your info box, then tried capturing you as prescribed. Being only level 103, she believed her level advantage would be more than enough. Especially with the traps she had scattered about."

He shrugged before finis.h.i.+ng, "Likely the person with a vested interest will send others to come collect Althea. They won't let her go without at least some resistance, surely. I digress. Get her to act as your training partner. I will continue working with this insufferable spell."

I walked towards Althea, "Let's hope those runes don't keep kicking your a.s.s."

Torix sighed, deep and brooding as he said, "We may only pray. Why did I invest into charisma?"

His grumbling turned to mumbling as I walked over, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with excitement. It was time to crawl out of this hole that I called weakness. After a minute or two of waiting, Althea twitched before her eyes slid open. She pressed her hand against the cave floor before glancing up.

Here eyes were glazed over, almost as if she were drunk. Pulling herself up, she glanced around before horror crept onto her face. She grabbed the sides of her face and screamed,

"Where's my armor. I need my armor. I need the medicine. Give me my medicine. You idiots. What have you done?"

The tattoo on the side of her face ebbed a volatile darkness. Like black fire, it dimmed the room as if absorbing the light around it. She panicked as she said, 

"Did you not hear me? Run-" She pressed her head into the ground, "Away. Any second now and..." She grimaced as she said, "It's going to eat me, then you."

After a few seconds of melodramatic squirming, nothing happened. She blinked a few seconds before saying, "Wait, what happened? Why isn't it coming out?"

I replied, "Good old Torix over there set up a connection between us. As you make excessive eldritch energy, my armor devours it. It keeps you from turning all gross."

She glanced towards Torix who sat with his chin cupped, drilling a hole into the wall with his eyes. Althea turned back to me as she said, "The doctor told me that I would always turn without my medicine..."

I shrugged, "Eh, he lied. Happens all the time. I had this hivemind do it to me once. I almost ended up even worse off than you."

She glanced up and said, "Worse than me? You have no idea the pain I've-"

I put a palm between, "You're right, but even more importantly, I don't care. Now, here's what we're going to do. I need to grind out some skills. You need to be useful in order to not die. We can help each other out."

She squinted her eyes before standing up. she said, "You want me to let myself be tortured?"

"What? No. You're going to fight me, and I will level various skills as we do so."

She rolled her eyes as she said, "I saw how you fought. You're just some brute without any finesse. No wonder you need training."

I grinned, "I'm a brute that smashed your face to pulp. Be glad you have that oh so terrible past. Otherwise you'd be food for worms by now."

Her eyes narrowed as she said, "Necromancer, why do you not kill this thing."

Torix replied, "You will refer to me as Torix, and the same reason I did not kill you. He may be useful." Torix grumbled as he stared at the runes, "Although all he's been is a thorn in my side."

I replied, "Pretty much, besides avenging your son and giving you closure over the whole ordeal."

Torix rolled his fiery eyes, continuing his intense glare at the wall, "He's becoming more like a dagger than a thorn, however."

Althea's eyes narrowed as she said, "You've removed my cyanide capsule I see."

Torix replied, "Can't be having you dying on me before I gained what I can from you, after all."

She frowned as she said, "So all I have to do is prove I'm useful?"

"Of course. I'm a lich, not evil."

I smiled. "So how about it, Althea? Either this or die."

She turned to me before cracking her neck. She raised a fist and said, "I've always fought without using this disgusting side of myself. It's made me reliant on technology, as you saw."

She opened her hand as claws grew from it. A dark grin grew onto her face as she said, "It feels so natural now. I love it."

Her eyes met mine, hungry and hateful. Her irises turned to slits, like a snakes as she said, "Let's see just what I can do now, shall we?"