#9 An upgrade

After taking a short break, Daniel decided to consecrate himself to his reward.

He pushed himself off the ground and dusted off his clothes. They were all dirty after the fight and Daniel made a mental note that, as soon as he left this dungeon, he would have to take an all-around cleaning.

He stepped up to the Podium and look inside the open coffin. In it lay a small leather belt with bags on its front, which he could attach around his waist. 'Item description!'

[ Minor Storage Belt

Slots +8

Health +10

Armour +2 ]

Daniel was amazed. What an astounding find! After the first boss!

'Maybe because of the difficulty?'

He reminded himself of the first skeletons. Each had had a sword in hand. 'Not many must've been able to achieve this feat this early into the game… after all, it was a hidden quest as well'.

He put the belt around his waist immediately, feeling way safer after seeing his maximum health rise. In the fight with the boss, Daniel's health bar had seriously taken a dent. Especially, after that push. Remembering it, Daniel felt his back ache up again. Reassured of his safety with the belt on, he got to the second part, which he was even more excited about. 'Guide!'

Doran appeared in front of him, apparently not in the best mood.

"Yes?" he asked in a grumpy tone.

"Hey Doran, look what I got!" Daniel showed off his new.

His mood lightened immediately. "Wow. Nice! Storage belts are a real rarity around here, at least the ones that can be found. You see, belts can be manufactured, but for whatever reason they never inherit the inventory system, making them way worse! I'm surprised you found one so early" Doran explained in approval, shortly after adding "Well, but it's a minor one. So…", trying to hide his initial pleasant surprise.

"A storage belt? Well, sure, the extra storage space is nice too, but I thought especially the stats were awesome. After all, I still have a lot of open space in my personal storage" Daniel explained, questioning the statement of his partner.

Doran laughed long and loud. "Hahahaha, you really think these stats are good? No, I can guarantee you, they aren't. And yes, you might have a lot of inventory slots now, but later on, when you carry stuff like health and mana potions, your inventory space shrinks so fast, you will wish for a belt like this" Doran explained.

"Hmm, alright. Well, whatever. It's a nice find, isn't it?" Daniel nicked in approval, happy that he had learned something again. "That's not the reason I called you here though".

"Hmm?" Doran summed, confused as to what was coming now.

"I got a level up!" Daniel's eyes lit up in excitement for a second time. 'Finally a skill! This will make things so much easier!'

"Ahhh, I was worried for a sec. You had a level-up, huh? Not bad. Not bad. Alright, then let's take a look at your star stream, shall we?"

'Star stream!'

The map opened up and Daniel and Doran put their heads together to take a look.

"Let's see…" Doran started. "So, you've got four options to choose from, starting from your initial base, elementalist. The first point is the most important one, as it can determine the general path your star stream takes. Although, you can get every star and therefore every option, it is much more likely to get stars that fit your initial path".

"Why is that?" Daniel asked.

"Well, everyone surrounds themselves with things or people that share a thing or two, don't they? It wouldn't make much sense for a star that gives you a sword skill to follow after a skill that involves stones.

But let's get back to the important stuff. Have you already thought about what element would be your preferred choice?".

"No, actually I haven't. Do I have to choose between the usual elements, earth, fire, water and wind, or do I have other options?"

"You can go for advancements like lightning as well, but only later on and I don't know how it works exactly. Just know that you will be able to transform your wind skills into lightning, fire into magma and so on… But for now, you will have to choose between the initial elements. They are the foundation. Let's take a look at the star options you currently have, while you think about your preferred base element".

Doran read the first one.

[ Air Bolt

Create powerful bolts of air, piercing your enemies on command

Damage per Bolt: 10

Mana per Bolt: 5 ]

That didn't sound so bad, Daniel thought. Creating bolts out of air?

He read the next one.

[ Make it Rain!

Let it rain in an area of effect for a certain amount of time.

Range: 1km

Duration: 10 min ]

Alright, that certainly wasn't it. Next!

[ Rock-solid

Form an armour of pure stone around you for a certain duration.

Additional armour: 5

Duration: 5 min ]

That one didn't sound so bad. Additional armour was never a bad idea.

[ Fireball

Shoot fireballs at your enemies and see them burn!

Damage per Ball: 15

Mana per Ball: 8 ]

"Hmm, okay… What do you think Doran?" Daniel asked.

"Well, you can forget about the water skill, that's for sure. That is if you want to gain power. It is a good skill to become a farmer!" He laughed, his mechanical parts rattling.

"Thanks for nothing… I would like to have an offensive skill as my first choice, but how do I compare the two? I don't even know how much mana I have!" Daniel complained.

"You don't know how much mana you have?" Doran asked, incredulous. "Don't you only have to look at your status sheet, like everyone else?"

Daniel was dumbfounded. His jaw opened in protest, but nothing came out. That's right! He had totally forgotten. Most games had a status sheet to get a quick overlook of all the stats that a character had to offer. 'Status!'

A small window popped up.

[ Adventurer: Daniel

Level: 2

Age: 25

Health: 65 / 115

Mana: 100/100

Damage: +1

Spell Damage: +0

Armour: +3

Skills: - ]

He noticed that stats like his movement speed were missing. Perplexed as to why that was, Daniel turned to Doran for advice.

"Tell me, why does my status sheet not tell me how fast I am or how much health I can regenerate? These stats are part of my armours stats, but I can't find them here".

"That's kind of obvious. This is life after all. Those stats are connected to your body, which acts differently depending on you.

You could run or simply walk, changing the speed based on your actions. There is no general number and the status window sure as hell won't measure your speed. Didn't think, I would have to explain that one!" Doran laughed again.

Daniel fired him an angry look, miffing about his behaviour, but got back to his skill selection. A question shot into his head, while he was still angry with Doran, laughing about his mistake. "Do any of these skills work with your buff?"

It took a few seconds before Doran calmed down and got serious again. "No, unfortunately not and they most likely won't for another few levels. Environmental damage skills are kind of rare, as they have to be terrain skills with a range, like summoning a volcano".

"I see. That's unfortunate. It would've served as a good criterion…" Daniel mumbled.

He knew, he always had the option to wait, but he would like to select his first offensive skill now. They weren't bad choices and they would definitely help him in his journey through the dungeon, maybe even unlock another hidden questline.

The wind element appealed to him. Air was all around them after all.

However, "Fireball" also was a good spell. Daniel had heard stories about fire being the most powerful element in terms of destruction. Was it a better choice after all?

"Between the two missile spells, which would you choose Doran?"

"I would most likely go for the most fun element if I had a choice, which I don't" Doran replied truthfully.

"Wind it is then" Daniel decided. He had never been the type to go blow up stuff. Wind, however, was a playful element. Sometimes sharp as a knife, other times soft as a pillow.

[ Would you like to select the spell "Air Bolt"? ]

[ Yes ]

Daniel couldn't wait for an opportunity to test it out. He wouldn't have to wait for long…