Ch 33
Zara let out a furious shout as she brought her sword down on the last of the skeletons that had been swarming around them like a relentless tide. In her mind, the true monster of the fight had been Matt, who was responsible for taking down approximately two-thirds of the skeletal foes before he needed to be rescued. She doubted he realized just how close he had come to being overwhelmed before faltering. Fortunately, they had managed to save him in the nick of time, and all of them were still on their feet after dispatching the final 50 or so skeletons that had remained. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a message flashed, notifying them that they had successfully completed the current battle.
Monsters killed: 467 level 1 skeletons.
Base experience divided by two.
Awarding 500 experience.
Current experience to next level 2414/2000.
Kill more things while in a rage if you wish to pursue a path of wrath.
Experience has reached threshold prepare to level up!
Zara frowned because, despite leveling up, all she felt was the discomfort from the sudden spike in her stats. She knew it was improbable, yet she had still clung to the hope of experiencing the healing that Matt enjoyed each time his level increased. As the message displaying her updated stats appeared, she sighed, realizing it was time to select her path. Her eyes lingered on the screen, contemplating the possibilities and the challenges that lay ahead.
Zara Firth.
Level 3
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 11
Durability: 8
Stamina: 7
Spirit: 10
Mind: 9
Species Human (H) (pending evolution to G)
Bloodline: (Not evaluated at this level)
Path: None
Titles: Integrated
Skills: Auto translate, power thrust.
No path detected: increasing all stats by one due to the lack of path.
A path is required to evolve areas, select a path.
Available paths:
Unyielding (Pain is meaningless before your will to survive whatever stands in your way.)
Rage (You wouldn’t like you when you’re angry.)
Counter (It’s not who hits first, but who hits harder.)
Defiance (Wealth and power are meaningless if they require you to compromise.)
Survivor (What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.)
Persistence (Rejection means nothing unless you give up.)
Sword. (To live and die by the blade in your skill with the blade.)
Solitude (Who needs others?)
Zara had hoped that by waiting, more options would become available, as she had only four paths to choose from when she reached level 2. Therefore, she waited patiently and was pleased with her decision as she surveyed her eight options. Still, there were only two choices that truly captured her interest—Persistence and Unyielding—both resonated deeply with her desires and ambitions. Even though she might have assumed the two meant the same thing before seeing them both presented, she smiled, feeling as if she had uncovered a secret of the laws that now governed their reality. No two paths to power were likely ever identical, as the multitude of subtle differences could grow exponentially as one advanced. Yet, she couldn’t be entirely certain as she selected the path of Persistence. Suddenly, she felt intense pain coursing through her body as her stats reappeared before her eyes.
Zara Firth.
Level 3
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 19
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Durability: 13
Stamina: 12
Spirit: 21
Mind: 15
Species Human (G)
Bloodline: (Not evaluated at this level)
Path: Persistence (Increase Spirt by 30% and Stamina by 15%)
Titles: Integrated, Front runner of species (5% boost to all stats).
Skills: Auto translate, power thrust, Clash of wills.
Zara's heart leapt with joy as she felt her purpose solidify and her new skill take hold. She was certain it would play a crucial role in persuading Matt to choose her when the moment arrived. Yet, an undercurrent of uncertainty tugged at her; she wished the skill's mechanism were clearer, wary that any misstep could trigger a disastrous backlash.
Glancing around, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of Rose and Eleanor exuberantly celebrating their rise to level 2. In contrast, Emily, Greg, and Yumiko still appeared to be grappling through combat before they could reach level 3 like she had. It was obvious that the battle had been designed either to catapult level 1 challengers to level 2—or to eliminate them in the attempt.
Before anyone could discuss their next move, a distant creak of something opening sliced through the silence, instantly setting everyone on edge. Zara swiftly turned toward the source, confident in her status as the strongest fighter still at full capacity. Yet, a sobering thought struck her: she couldn’t do everything that Matt could, and ideally, they would wait for him to regain his strength before proceeding further.
A mixture of self-reproach and reluctant relief churned within her. Part of Zara resented having to depend on others, while another part rejoiced in the prospect of forming a reliable bond. These conflicting sentiments stung even more knowing that their most dependable ally was currently out of commission. Still, Zara resolved that if she ever wanted to rely on him, she too needed to prove that she was dependable.
Just as she was about to step forward, Greg broke the tense silence with authoritative orders.
"Matt put me in charge of our group. So before anyone leaves their current position, we need a solid plan. Right now, I insist we guard Matt while he heals and only move forward once he’s ready to fight. If that sound was the approach of a new foe, let them come to us—we’ll focus on survival," he declared firmly.
"Shouldn’t we at least investigate?" Zara countered, her tone laced with cautious curiosity.
"No," Greg snapped. "We're too weak to divide our forces."
"I just reached level 3 and rose to rank G. So, I could go—" Zara began, hope flickering in her voice.
"No!" Greg interjected sharply. "Congrats on leveling up, but I expected you to have. You might be able to scout safely, but the truth is, the five of us are far too fragile to handle another onslaught of skeletons. Plus, with your stats likely skyrocketing, you need to adjust to your new strength. Just try swinging your club and stopping it on a dime."
Zara frowned but followed his instructions, only to accidentally send her club zooming far out of reach as she grossly misjudged her own power. The mishap drew a wince from her before she looked over at Greg, whose expression said everything: a wry, "I told you so" before he added, "Go retrieve your club and keep practicing. If more undead show up, we’ll need you firing on all cylinders."
Zara gritted her teeth as she cautiously approached to retrieve the club, grateful that it had sailed high rather than far. The last thing she needed was to be ambushed while retrieving it, and fortunately, nothing untoward occurred. With the club in hand, she began acclimating to her newly acquired stats by slowly practicing the rudimentary moves she had observed during a few sword-training scenes in various media. Her routine consisted only of overhead swings and careful, controlled slashes while moving forward and backward, but it was enough to get her started.
Meanwhile, Greg was deep in discussion with the others as they speculated about what to expect moving forward. From what Zara could gather, Greg was nearly convinced that the absence of any genuine loot meant that the real reward for completing the dungeon was the experience they had gained. He even went a step further, insisting that the next fight would most likely see them all advance to at least level 3, after which they would either face a boss fight or the dungeon would simply conclude.
At the same time, Emily, while acknowledging some logic in Greg’s theory, was the one who most vehemently argued against him. She remained adamant that something more sinister was at play and that, if the dungeon were as Greg suggested, a group like the goblins would have claimed it long before their arrival. She warned everyone not to fall into a false sense of security and to assume that the next challenge would be a mere repeat of the first.
This back-and-forth debate continued, with others adding their own comments, for what felt like an entire hour to Zara. By that point, she felt she had at least mastered her new stats as well as could be expected without several days of practice. Just then, when Matt began to stir and his eyes slowly opened, Zara decided it was time to wrap things up. She watched as Emily knelt beside him and began speaking softly while the others remained on guard.
"Take it easy. Your body might have healed, but you lost a lot of blood in that fight," Emily admonished him gently.
"What happened while I was out?" Matt asked, his voice weak but curious.
"We managed to take care of the last group of skeletons, and thanks to that fight, all of us reached level 2," Emily explained.
"Good, how long was I out?" he inquired further.
"About an hour," Zara chimed in, seizing the moment as a chance to finally insert herself into the conversation, hoping to get Matt to open up in ways he usually kept carefully closed off. "By the way, I'm level 3 now, not 2."
"Well, congratulations," replied Matt, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Can you heal yourself yet?"
"Not yet, but I'm still determined to go with you," Zara insisted.
"Is now really the time for this?" Emily interjected, "Matt is still recovering—"
"It's fine," Matt interrupted. "Zara, prove that you can stand on your own and that you have no intention of seeking love from me. When I reach level 8, then perhaps we can talk. Until then, this conversation is pointless."
"Give me your word that you won’t decide who will accompany you until after we’ve talked, then," Zara pressed.
"Fine. You have my word that if such a discussion is possible, it will take place before I make my final decision. Now, I think we should push forward and discover what else this dungeon has in store for us," Matt resolved.
"Hold on," Emily warned. "You should at least try moving around a bit…"
Zara smiled as she tuned out of the conversation, feeling that she understood her new skill a bit better. She had pushed, and Matt had given ground, albeit slightly. The only problem was that he had done so in a way that meant she couldn’t slowly wear him down over time. No, she felt confident that if she were to pressure him further before he reached level 8, it would have the opposite effect than she wanted. Then there was the problem of his continued insistence on refusing to get romantically involved with anyone. While her feelings were complicated on the matter, she didn’t want to close that door either. However, she had to admit that his reluctance to use his power to get laid was part of what attracted her to him.
Zara found herself lost in such thoughts right up until Matt called for them to move forward about 20 minutes later. As they advanced, Matt took his time scrutinizing the destroyed mounds of earth, ensuring nothing important was overlooked. Although they found a few bits of tattered cloth, nothing else of significance was discovered. As they reached the end of the tunnel they were in, they came upon another set of stairs leading down into the unknown depths.
Without a word, Matt once more took the lead, starting to descend, while Greg began issuing orders to the rest of the group. This arrangement placed Zara at the rear, tasked with guarding them in case anything attempted to follow them down, though they didn't find it very likely. Especially when the first step suddenly shot up, sealing them in, the moment Zara stepped past it.
