A Dungeon’s Survival

Connie

Okay, I thought as I willed a screen into existence, let's try this again.

[Experience to next level: 576,000 / 576,000

Level up?

Yes / No]

Yes.

[Please select a perk.]

[Please select a trait.]

[Achievement gained: Rapid Growth!]

Huh.

I waited a moment longer. I didn't know what for, but it didn't matter anyway. Regardless of how I let the seconds tick by, nothing else happened, and why would it?

A perk, a trait, three monsters of my choice, and a new slot for an awakened monster, those were my rewards, half of which I didn't get notifications for. That was something I'd known ahead of time. I'd even gotten an extra achievement out of it. All together, that should've been more than enough, but even so, as irrational as I knew it to be, I couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed.

No fanfare? I asked the silent, empty air rhetorically, I did just reach the second tier of power, you know. Isn't that supposed to be some major milestone in this world? I don't even get a congratulatory message? Really?

Silence met my words, which was probably for the best. I hadn't actually been expecting an answer from the magic, game-like System that governed the world anyway, and I wouldn't have known what to think had I suddenly received one. The string of silent complaints had just been my way of releasing tension by relating the unknown to something slightly more familiar to me. That was why, as soon as I'd finished and given time for an awkward pause, I put the mundanity of it all out of my mind and forgot about my own complaint. I had rewards to check out, after all.

Eh, whatever, I pivoted from feigned outrage to pragmatic curiosity with ease, Let's see the achievement.

With that. I directed my attention to the last of the three notifications I'd received, ignoring the first two for the time being. At my prompting, the words I focused on vanished, quickly being replaced by a new screen. Expectantly, I made to read the achievement's details.

[System Alert: You have received a message!]

What?

Those were distinctly not the words I'd been expecting. In fact, they were probably some of the last words I'd been prepared for. They weren't even words I'd seen come from the System before, and that caused my mind to blank for a few seconds.

A message? I repeated the words after a short pause.

Considering the fact that the only messaging feature I'd been aware of the System having up until this point was my Contact Administrator ability, I didn't have a good feeling about this. It didn't take long for the possibilities to begin swarming my mind. None of them were good.

As far as I knew, the administrators in charge of this world were distinctly absent. I couldn't be sure that went for all admins, but that seemed to be the case, and considering the fact that I got a notification not too long ago about Twelve blocking an automated attempt to contact them, I wasn't sure what to make of the whole situation anymore. Even if it was someone else, though, I didn't like the possible candidates, especially since the Fairy Council were among the first to come to mind.

There was only so much good worrying about the sender would do me, though. Eventually, no matter how long I put it off for, I'd need to see for myself. To that end, I eventually pushed down my worries and opened the attached message like I was ripping off a bandage. As I did, I felt all my tension drain away.

[From: Twelve

Message: ♫ Ta-da! ♫ Congratulations, you are no longer a complete burden on the System's resources. Good job! Keep it up.]

I gave the condescending words a blank stare, failing to understand what I was looking at, for longer than it probably should've taken me to figure it out. Then, as I replayed my own complaint from a minute before in my head, it hit me. I'd just received my fanfare and congratulations.

If I could've choked, I probably would've as the implications hit me. Rather than thinking about them, however, I chose to ignore the clear breach to my privacy and, instead, gave the mental equivalent of a shake of my head as my sputtering bewilderment turned to laughter. All sarcastic remarks and dark reminders about the looming end of the world aside, my request had been answered.

Thanks, Twelve, I awkwardly thought, clearly not to myself.

I hesitated for a moment longer. Then, quickly moving on as to avoid internalizing the fact that my all-powerful robot overlords could be reading my mind at any given moment, a fact that totally didn't bother me in the least, I brought up the actual achievement details I'd been looking for. They didn't disappoint.

[Achievement: Rapid Growth

Description: You have reached level 25 within a year.

Reward: You have gained 1,000,000 experience!]

Again, my mind short-circuited at what I was seeing. The achievement itself didn't surprise me. I had been vaguely aware of it ahead of time. Instead, what caught me off guard was the baffling amount of experience it awarded. That was an entire level's worth, at least.

Instantly, I regretting not changing my title to an experience-booting one beforehand. It was too late for that now, though, so instead, I just contented myself by bringing my experience total. I looked to the numbers expectantly. Then, my heart sank.

[Experience to next level: 1,000,000 / 6,250,000]

Wow, I deflated, That is one steep increase.

It seemed advancing through the tiers of power wasn't without its downsides. That number was at least ten times higher than I'd been expecting. If it had been hard to level up before, it was sure to be a herculean task going forward. It seemed the rewards I had waiting for me to claim now would be the last ones I got in a long while.

I'll figure that out later, I thought, For now, let's see my other rewards.

The question was where I should start. Choosing new monsters could wait, and while it was tempting to immediately awaken another Lizard Man crafter, none of the others were as high of a priority as Rose had been. It was better to wait on that front.

That left me choosing my new perk and trait. Out of curiosity, I brought up my choices for the larger of those two first. Then, I promptly closed it. Going through a list as extensive as that in detail and weighing the options properly would take me days, so I instead checked the perks.

[Aspect Upgrade: Lingering Inflict Memory]

[Monster Upgrade: Hardened Crystals]

[Monster Upgrade: Deadly Shadows]

Yeah, no. This is going to take a while.

From the names alone, I could tell this wasn't going to be an easy decision. I'd take my time with it, but first, there was one more thing I'd be best off setting in motion. With a thought, two more screens appeared before me: the collective Shadow Viper and Horned Draco experience pools. If I was going to be busy going through my upgrade options, I figured I might as well let my eldest and most powerful guardians start doing the same. Evolution was now on the table.

* * *

Pee

I stared at the symbols on the page intently. In theory, I knew what they meant. I'd been studying them for weeks. Still, though, there had to be some nuances I was missing because, no matter how hard I tried, this wasn't working.

The first symbol designated location. Originally, it was meant to signify the palm of a mortal's hand, but from my understanding, anywhere worked so long as I understood what it was that I wanted. For me, I chose my mouth.

Next was what determined the amount of mana I used. It was more complicated than that, and there were plenty of smaller operations that linked the two functions together, but it was the next major step in casting the spell. As I reached it, I felt for and portioned off exactly twenty mana, the cost of the spell.

After that came converting my power to fire magic. This was the most difficult part for me because I didn't understand fire well enough on a fundamental level yet. Had the spell called for shadow magic or even shadow fire, I probably could've assemble this part of the spell with ease. It didn't. Still, I did my best to picture the process and moved on to the next portion of the spell: movement.

This section was a mess. There were signifiers for direction, movement, speed, and more, all of which needed to be kept precise while I focused on the other parts of the spell that held the magic together as it traveled. I did my best to cheat the complicated calculations, relying instead on the memories I'd recorded of each completed part of the whole. Then, as I reached the end of it all, I shifted my concentration to the release function and waited expectantly. Nothing happened.

“Still no success?” a light, feminine voice asked me, and I looked up to meet the eyes of the Draconic Lizard Man.

Shaking my head, I confirmed Rein's assumption.

“Do you know where it broke down this time?” she asked, and again, I shook my head.

Communication with Adraugon's servant wasn't straightforward for me. I could understand her perfectly fine, but I couldn't say anything back, at least not directly. For that, I either needed to make simple gestures to convey my thoughts or have my mindless Lizard Man assistant write out words for her to read. Still, I enjoyed her presence. It was nice having someone else interested in learning magic around besides Archie.

“Do you need to feel it again?” she offered, and I nodded.

At my confirmation, the scaled, red reptilian lowered the tip of her staff toward me. As she did, the large gemstone at its tip shifted in color to a dark red. It was the same one the mage, Fable, had wielded. Apparently, her lord, Adraugon, had stolen it from the woman during their fight with the Onikuma and gifted it to her. I found that sweet.

Though I wouldn't say it to his face, I could tell the tiny bundle of rage wasn't as indifferent to those around him as he liked to pretend to be. He'd even allowed Rein to come study magic with me. I appreciated that. It was why I'd been making sure, when I lost in poker, I did so on hands that he was likely to win. He'd never know, but that, too, was fine.

I pushed those thoughts from my mind with a surge of appreciation and joy I knew my friend couldn't feel. Then, I activated Record Memory. Looking towards the magical flames created by her new spell, Ignition, I gently stuck my head into the fire.

It burned, hot and painful. I took it. I concentrated on that horrific sensation, trying to understand it as best as I could in that moment, but as quickly as it came, the burning pain began to abate as my fellow mage switched from magical fire to healing. I appreciated that, but that didn't stop me from wishing I'd gotten just a moment longer to feel the flames licking at my scales. If I had, maybe that would've made the difference.

Either way, after that, I didn't rush to try the spell again out of fear of losing any new insights I might've gained. I didn't need to. They'd been recorded, and now, any time I wanted, I could bring myself back to that moment spent with my head plunged into her miniature blaze. Instead, I took my time.

Slowly, I went over each section of the spell again: designation, fuel, convert, instruct, and release. And again, nothing happened. This was nothing new. I'd been pushing against this wall for countless hours, and so far, nothing had changed.

This time, however, something was different. There were words. I practically sprung up in excitement as a wave of notifications streamed in upon my most recent failure. I read them expectantly. Then, I paused.

[You have gained 1 experience!]

[You have gained a level!]

[A new advancement bonus is available!]

[Achievement gained: Earned Evolution!]

[Achievement gained: Tiered Bonus!]

I tilted my head at the words. Absolutely none of that had anything to do with what I'd been working on, and by the looks of it, it hadn't been Vie's doing either. Then, in my mind, a warm and familiar voice explained the situation.

Hey, you two, mother's voice reached us with equal parts excitement and exhaustion, I just reached level twenty-five, so here's the level up I've been holding for you. Feel free to have a look at your evolution options–here you go–and once you've decided what you want, let me know. I'll pick it for you. Good luck!

I couldn't help but bounce my head back and forth in joy at the news. She had done it. That did mean I had other things I'd need to do now, though, so studying was going to wait for the time being. At that realization, I went to instruct my mindless assistant to write out an explanation for Rein, but before I could, I realized my sister's was already holding up a note.

It read, “Our queen has reached the second tier. We can pick back up here later.”

The note wasn't meant for Rein but, instead, for Loot, who my sister had been working with on her own stuff. Upon reading it, the Shade Lurker nodded and vanished through the ground. Seeing that, I instead had my own assistant write something that expanded on what hers had already communicated.

“Sorry!” it read, “We need to figure out our evolution now. See you later!”

“I see,” Rein responded with a nod, “Congratulations. I should likely return to my liege, then. If you are, he should also be ready to evolve.”

I gave her a nod that likely didn't convey anywhere near as much as I wanted it to, and afterward, she left. Once she had, I turned to face my sister, her head right beside my own, connected to our shared body, as it always was.

Vie! I called her name excitedly, What options do you think we'll get?

“Never mind that,” she waved me off, “Pee, check the achievement.”

I did.

[Achievement: Earned Evolution

Description: One of your monsters has gained the necessary experience to reach the next tier through only earned experience.

Reward: The quality of the monster's evolution choices will be improved!]

Ooh! I cheered, More improved upgrades!

“No,” my sister objected, “the other one.”

Tilting my head, I brought up that one's details as well.

[Achievement: Tiered Bonus

Description: One of your monsters has progressed through a full tier without claiming a bonus.

Reward: The monster has gained one uncommon spell or ability that suits it!]

From there, I checked our status for the new addition. It didn't take long to find.

[Ability: Casting Magic

Description: Learning spellcraft becomes streamlined.

Effect: When learning or creating spells manually, the System helps to bridge the gap between understanding and activation.]

This, I struggled to find words that could properly express my excitement, This is exactly what I've needed! Ooh, I get now! This must be why I haven't been able to get the spell to work! Oh, this is amazing!

On instinct, I began nuzzling my sister as my eyes glazed over with the possibilities. If this could do what it said it could, I might finally be able to break through the wall that had been holding me back. If I did, this spell would only be the beginning. After that–

“–Yes,” she responded, cutting off my train of thought, “it seems so, but what do you think? Does this mean you won't be able to teach the spell to others like we'd planned?”

I hadn't even stopped to consider that yet, but as I did, I found that the answer came easily to me.

Nope! It should be fine! I said cheerfully, Obviously, I can't be sure yet, but it only says it streamlines and helps with spell casting, so it should still be possible!

She nodded at that as she expressed her relief, “That's good. We should check our options for evolution, then.”

Okay! I happily agreed, and that was what we did.

[Twinned Shadow-Flame-Touched Death-Venom Titanboas (Unique)]

That was the first option. It was a long name, but despite that, it was only a single part of it that caught my attention. It was a Titanboa evolution, just like from the stories in Archie's books. They were massive and feared creatures that the Adventurers Guild had struggled to deal with in the past. Doubtlessly, it would be strong. There was just one problem, one that the offering's description reinforced.

[Description: A Titanboa with two heads, a natural affinity for shadow fire, and deadly necrotic venom. These durable serpents use their immense size to crush all who stand in their way.]

Um, Vie, I voiced my concerns after a moment, Would we still be able to move around down here if we were that big? If it would be the best option for you, I'd be fine with it, but–

“–No,” her reply was instant, “and we aren't durable. It would make us a bigger target and doesn't suit our build. It would be detrimental at best. It's a bad option.”

But what about the part that says its unique? I countered, Wouldn't that make it more powerful than the others?

“Look closer,” she told me, “They all say that. I believe it's a classification like, 'limited,' is, rather than a direct indicator of rarity.”

I nodded at her explanation as I gave the other two a glance. She was right. They were also listed as, “unique.” More importantly, though, as terrifying and awe-inspiring as the stories made the creatures out to be, being Titanboas didn't suit us. She was right about that too, so we moved on.

[Twinned Shadow-Flame-Touched High Lamias (Unique)

Description: A Lamia with two heads, a natural affinity for shadow fire, and greater overall potential. These cunning half-man, half-snake hybrids are known to ambush and kill unsuspecting mortals before they even know they are there.]

“Thoughts?” my sister asked me.

I tilted my head as I considered the option.

I'm not against it, I answered, Having hands might be useful, but I don't need them. What about you, though?

“Same. It's not a bad option, but I don't need it.”

With nods shared between us, we read over the last option.

[Twinned Shadow-Flame-Touched Nexus Mana Vipers (Unique)

Description: A rare variant of Mana Viper with two heads and a natural affinity for shadow fire. These magically inclined snakes make their homes in mana-dense areas and drain their foes of mana through their bites.]

That was interesting, and seeing as she offered, “Do you want to go with this one?” Vie seemed to agree.

I took a moment to think about it before responding with a shake of my head and the word, No.

I sensed surprise from her at that, so I quickly made to explain, It sounds good, but I don't need it! Since we don't claim our bonuses to get extra achievements anyway, the only benefit would be the ability to drain mana, which might be nice, but again, I don't need it. In contrast, Lamias seems more balanced between physical combat and magic, which would suit us both, and we'd get hands! I think we should go with that one. What about you, though?

There was a pause as she thought over my words. Then, she nodded. We soon informed mother of our choice, and afterword, we began the process. As we did, the world faded away for a time. When it eventually reformed around us, we were Shadow Vipers no longer.

* * *

Adraugon

“My lord, I have heard of the development. Do you require anything of me?”

I opened one eye to take in the sight of my returning servant. Her form was much more intimidating than it had been just a short time ago. My other servant, Hunt, was much the same, though he'd grown physically whereas Rein had grown magically.

Either way, it was only to be expected. After having contributed enough to earn a split of the experience from the Onikuma and jumping straight to level twenty-four, it would've been disgraceful for anything else, but that wasn't all. As she came into sight, so too did the colors that enveloped her. They, too, were new, though only I could see them.

At her center was a rigid blotch of color, a myriad shades of red shifting like a roaring inferno. It was bright and vibrant on the surface, just as she appeared to be, but the closer I looked, the more patches of darkness I saw, deep and sinister. It had an ominous undertone about it, one that spoke of danger. It made me proud.

Where's Hunt? I asked.

“Still training with the ghoul, I believe. Should I fetch him?”

No.

There was no need for that. So long as the two of them were continuing to grow stronger, that was all that mattered. I could sort out the matter of my evolution on my own, which was exactly what I planned to do.

Before me were three choices. The only reason I hadn't decided on which I'd go with yet was because I'd taken the time to read through my new achievement first.

[Achievement: Deathless Evolution

Description: One of your monsters has gained the necessary experience to reach the next tier through only earned experience without dying.

Reward: The quality of the monster's evolution choices will be improved!]

It meant my options would be better than they otherwise would but little else. Reading through it had only been a delay for me, but now that I had, it was time to get to the good stuff. I brought up my options.

[Pygmy Sky Wyrm

Description: Smaller than other similar varieties, these winged, lesser draconic monsters are both agile and opportunistic. This subspecies specializes in wind magic.]

Lesser draconic … I growled out those words with disgust.

I was a dragon. It didn't matter how good the rest of that option sounded. I took the word, “lesser,” as an insult. Still, it would've been a step in the right direction, so I didn't discount it entirely. Instead, I kept it in mind as I moved on.

[Miniature Force Drake

Description: Smaller than other similar varieties, these flightless, lesser draconic monsters are as territorial as they are ruthless. This subspecies specializes in force magic.]

I practically recoiled at the word, “flightless.” It was still a draconic evolution, naturally, and I would treat it with the respect of one, but that was a deal breaker for me. Flight was an advantage I had no intention of giving up. With that being the case, I turned my attention toward the last of my options,

[Abyssal Soul Serpent (Limited)

Description: An approximation of a lesser abyssal. These soulless serpents carefully stalk mortals before swiftly striking them down, feeding on their souls, and taking a portion of their power for their own.]

That one got a reaction out of me. Once I'd finished reading it, before I knew it, I found myself on my feet, raking my claws through my pile of coils with all the rage I found myself burning with. The insult was immense. Not only did the System dare to offer me an evolution that wasn't related to dragons, it offered me one that was a mere approximation of something else? That was inexcusable!

“My liege, is something the matter?” Rein asked, anchoring me back to my surroundings.

Shaking my head, I forced myself to calm and growled back, I'm fine.

That had been a mistake on my part. Showing such weakness was unbefitting of a dragon at the best of times. Doing so in front of my servants was unacceptable. Being offered a choice like that was insulting enough on own. I had no intention of letting it get the best of me–or to let anyone else know about it, for that matter. That would be an embarrassment I couldn't suffer.

This is all that ability's fault! I thought to myself as I reached for an excuse.

It had to be. During that last invasion, I'd claimed enough experience to go from level sixteen all the way to the second tier. That had earned me a level-up bonus for hitting level twenty, one that I'd taken and been happy with at the time. If this was the kind of insult it earned me, though, perhaps taking it had been a mistake.

[Ability: Soul Sight

Description: You can perceive souls.

Effect: You can visually perceive souls. There is much you can tell about them from their color, shape, and distinctive markings. Your sensitivity to souls is dependent on your (WILL).]

Yes, this is all that ability's fault, I told myself.

Clearly, it couldn't have been my own, so it had to be the ability's, either that or the System itself. Either way, though, one thing was clear. I wouldn't be taking Abyssal Soul Serpent, no matter how the option tried to entice me with the potential to steal power. No amount of power was worth giving up being a dragon for.

With that being the case, I closed my eyes for a long moment. Then, I made my way back to the top of the pile of coils where I preferred to rest. My decision was clear.

Rein, I ordered, watch over me.

With that, I chose the only option I had that suited me. I was a dragon, opportunist and agile; that was true. Wind was mine to command, and the sky was my domain, also true. The only thing I was dissatisfied with was the word, “lesser.” Other than that, the option was perfect.

I would become a Pygmy Sky Worm, but I wouldn't stop there. That would merely be a steppingstone for me. I wouldn't stop until I forced the System to recognize the greatness I was owed. I would become the mightiest of dragons.