“Good idea,” I said, checking my experience bar. “I actually have two level-ups.”
In addition, there were three more notifications waiting for me.
I selected those first.
NEW ACHIEVEMENT!
Dungeon Diver
You completed the first floor of a dungeon! According to the name of this achievement, that makes you a real dungeon diver, but if you ask me, it should be called dungeon dipper, because you’ve just gotten your feet wet. Let’s see how you do on the second floor. Anyway, you did well, kid, so I added a fun little potion in your inventory as a reward.
I checked right away, and sure enough, there was a potion waiting for me. It was called Diver’s Delight and would let me hold my breath for up to ten minutes.
Did my submind just make a pun?
It was actually a useful potion, just not for this dungeon. Or anywhere near Nessa for that matter, but Liport was on the coast, and for all I knew, I would have to dive into some stupid underwater temple to find my channel-crystal.
I opened my second notification and saw that my Shurikinjutzu competency had reached Tier 3. This tier made my thrown blades more resistant to wind and rain effects on their trajectory.
Not bad.
My last non-level-up-based notification surprised me when I opened it.
SKILL UPGRADED: Silent But Deadly
You have become proficient in utilizing Silent but Deadly. Please select from one of the two following upgrade paths.
- Increase the time you remain muffled from 3 seconds to 5 seconds
- Reduce the cooldown from Silent but Deadly from one minute to thirty seconds
That was a tough decision, and both upgrade paths had their own benefits. Back when I was cutting my way through those spiders, I had enough time to use the skill twice, exhausting its uses for the day. After some careful consideration, I saw the most benefit in increasing the time I would remain muffled. Those extra two seconds could make a lot of difference if I were sneaking up on someone.
Every second mattered, right?
Next, I activated my first level up.
Congratulations, player. You have levelled up. You are now Level Thirteen.
You may select one of the following abilities, or you may enhance one of your previously chosen abilities.
ARACH-NAH-WE-ACTUALLY-GOING-TO-BE-FRIENDS-OPHOBIA: You’ve killed so many spiders, they’ve come to respect you…well, at least a few have. When cast, a call will be sent out, and any arachnids within the range of the call may come to your aid. They will remain with you until killed or dismissed. This ability can be cast once a day.
I didn’t much care for spiders, and the odds of an actual giant spider coming to my aid were slim to none in the world above ground. I had no doubt that if I used this skill outside, I’d be lucky to get a tiny jumping spider on my side.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
PANIC BUTTON: You managed to escape the impossible! That horde of spiders should have swarmed you, yet, somehow, against all odds, you made it out alive. This isn’t even the first time you’ve made a surprising escape. The Panic Button is just what it sounds like. When you’re in the shit and all hope is lost, hit the Panic Button to change the paradigm. Once activated, a cloud of smoke will be dispersed, and you will be teleported to a random location between one and two hundred meters from your original location. It will be like you vanished into thin air! Items you are carrying will be teleported with you. If you activate this ability while touching any living being, they will be teleported with you. Only one individual is permitted. If you touch two, only you will be teleported. You can use this ability once a week.
DUNGEONEER: If you’re a fan of dungeons, this is the skill for you! Dungeoneer provides you with a stash of essential items, including enhanced weaponry, assorted potions, including health potions, gear, and more. This stash is immediately available upon entering any floor. Furthermore, a Dungeoneer’s vision is attuned to the darkness, and no light sources, spells, or potions are needed to see in the dark. This night-vision enhancement only works in the confines of a dungeon.
I had really been looking to upgrade one of my skills, but Panic Button was too useful to pass up. An entire week was one hell of a cooldown, but it made sense for such an overpowered ability. I knew, with complete confidence, that there would come a time in my life when I would be out of options, and Panic Button would literally save my life.
I selected it, and then I activated my next level-up.
Congratulations, player! You have leveled up. You are now Level Fourteen.
You may select one of the following abilities, or you may choose to enhance one of your previously chosen abilities.
WHIRLING DERVISH – If you like to slice and dice ‘em, then consider Whirling Dervish. Hold your weapon out and spin unnaturally quickly, cutting through anything that gets in your path. Warning: When at the apex of your spin, you may lose control of directional travel. The Whirling Dervish spins you for a total of ten seconds. You can chop off a lot of limbs in ten seconds, trust me.
TOX RESIST – Poisons, acids, venoms, and the like are all nasty stuff. One little drop of the wrong fluid can bring down even the most powerful players. But not if they select Tox Resist! This passive ability grants the player an abnormally high resistance to all toxic or hazardous liquids and powders.
STOMP THE YARD – Make the ground quake underneath you with Stomp the Yard! Slam your foot to the ground to create a micro-quake around you. The seismic waves will be most powerful near you and will reduce in intensity as they travel outward. You nearly drowned in spiders back there. An AOE (Area of Effect) ability like this would have been pretty useful then.
I seriously considered each of those abilities. They all could serve me well in one way or another, but I ultimately decided to upgrade an ability. Deciding which one to choose was no easy task. Devastating Strike was already powerful enough, and I had used it so much that I even earned a minor passive upgrade for it. I already upgraded Magic Be Gone, and it now has two charges. I felt like that was enough to keep me alive for now.
Speed Check was fun and had its uses, but it wasn’t worth the upgrade. Neither was Silent but Deadly unless it granted me one minute of muffled silence instead of a few seconds. My passive healing ability was worth consideration, but I wanted to do something more combat oriented. That left me with Enshrouded, Close Combat Specialist, or Shadow Blades. Ultimately, I went with the one that I thought was most likely to keep me alive.
Close Combat Specialist has been upgraded to Level Three
Close Combat Specialist is now effective against both human and non-human enemies. The heightened combat awareness effect is now effective against two opponents at once, as long as they are within 10 yards of the player. The heightened combat awareness effect activates slightly more often.
On paper, it didn’t seem like a lot, but it was going to be a game-changer for me. My biggest problem as a player was that I was a shit fighter. I barely had any training and had only been in a handful of real fights. A lot of luck and a little bit of Val were the only things that had kept me alive for this long. That strange, Jedi-like state Close Combat Specialist sometimes put me in made me a competent fighter, and now it could happen more often.
“I’m all set,” I said. “I think. I unlocked a new ability called Panic Button that will let me make a quick escape, and I upgraded my Close Combat Specialist ability. It should make me a more competent fighter… sometimes.
“Very good,” Ersabet shared. “I’ve received a new ability as well. I can now channel lightning.” She held her hand out, and arcs of electricity danced across her fingertips. It can be directed at an opponent for a powerful attack; however, it is difficult to channel, and using it would drain me quickly, so I must use it sparingly.”
“I’m glad you have some offense now,” I said. “Most of your other spells seem more like support or utility spells.”
“This is true,” she said. “My original intent was to travel with a group throughout the entirety of the game, and I chose my earliest abilities to match a support role. I do not regret any of those choices, but I think it's time I refocus my build to one that is more aggressive.”
I smiled. “I couldn’t agree more.”
My badass Dalari just became a little more badass.