Trap Door
"Status," I muttered as I dwelled deeper into the tunnels.
===
Name: Zain Pierrot
Race: Homo Sapien (+1 Stamina Regeneration per level)
Class: [Novice Mage] Lvl.0 (0/100) (+1 Mana per level)
Subclasses: [Apprentice Potioneer] Lvl.0 (0/100) (+1 Perception per level)
Power Level: 8 [Grade 1]
Experience Points: 442
Stats:
Strength - 7/10 [Grade 1]
Agility - 12/20 [Grade 2]
Dexterity - 8/10 [Grade 1]
Stamina - (11/11) /20 [Grade 2]
Constitution - 6/10 [Grade 1]
Stamina Regeneration - 8/10 [Grade 1]
Mana - (10/10) /10 [Grade 1]
Mana Regeneration - 8/10 [Grade 1]
Perception - 8/10 [Grade 1]]
Charm - 2/10 [Grade 1]
Unused Stat Points: 0
[You are uglier than you think.]
Disposition: Eternal Smile, Compulsive Liar, Unreliable, Hardworking, Mischievous, Stubborn, Cheapskate
Talent: [Clown] 3 stars
Skills:
[Harlequin's Dodge] Lvl.1 – Execute an agile dodge or leap, allowing the Clown to avoid attacks with acrobatic flair. (+10) Agility when dodging attacks.
[Ephemeral Euphoria Elixir] Lvl.1 – Create an elixir that induces a state of bliss, providing temporary resistance(small) to mental attacks.
===
My Power level reached from 2.58 to 8 in a month. This was without leveling up. It was a shocking pace.
A few of my stats also reached Grade 2.
The weeks I spent pushing my body to its limit didn't go to waste.
I couldn't depend on the potions to train anymore. The training potions I created could only affect Grade 1 stats.
To train Grade 2 stats, I needed Grade 2 training potions. I couldn't create these potions without actual potioneering skills.
"I'll push the remaining stats to Grade 2 today."
I took out a training potion of each type and downed them.
A warm feeling spread throughout my body serving as a signal that the potions were working.
The metallic tunnels were dark. The only light came from lamps installed by the Academy at several meters each.
The tunnels at the shallow levels were packed with students. These levels had been cleared long ago and didn't have anything of importance.
Soon, the tunnels started branching like roots.
I took a random path and continued. It didn't matter where I went as long as I was alone.
Half an hour later, I came across the first defense mechanism.
The spider-like robot with six legs and one red eye glared at me.
It was painted in yellow color, making it stand out from the silver tunnel walls.
When the planet's ego went dormant, it lost control over most of its defenses and functions.
The factories inside the planet had malfunctioned. They were still creating machines. These machines acted on their own, following their inbuilt security protocols.
The machine in front of me was a cleaning machine. It was a Grade 1 machine with no special skill.
"Intruder detected! Switching to combat mode!"
Kriiee!
The spider raised its front mechanical arms and rushed at me.
I hastily took out my shortsword while retreating.
My aim wasn't to defeat the machine but to train.
A silver card appeared in my hand. I flicked my wrist, making the card disappear, and a silver arc was drawn in the air.
The card curved like a boomerang.
It hit the machine's leg without giving it any time to respond and sliced through it like a tofu.
I threw four more cards, cutting all of its legs.
Finally, I used the shortsword to destroy its eye, where its power source was hidden.
[Grade 1 House Cleaning Machine (6) defeated.]
[Experience Points +20]
The machine with the Power Level 6 stopped moving.
I left without excavating anything.
If I took this machine back, I wouldn't get anything. The technology used to create it has been long studied.
It was the same for anything found on shallow levels. Only something from deeper levels could be sold for money.
Five hours later, I had defeated 14 machines.
My exp and stats were steadily rising, but I wasn't happy.
"Why hasn't any Trap Door appeared yet? What is the RNG God doing when you need him the most?" I shouted in frustration.
The shortcut to reach the planet's core was through a Trapdoor on the shallow level.
Trapdoors are rooms filled with enemies. You couldn't leave them until you defeated all the monsters inside.
However, Trap Doors are usually hidden.
In the game, they had a very low probability of appearing.
"Forget finding the correct one. At this rate, I won't find a single Trapdoor."
…
Charlotte's POV
"Ahhh! I can't do this anymore!" Charlotte threw her handgun on the ground.
It was the only weapon remaining with her after she sold everything else for money. However, she couldn't care less right now.
Charlotte wanted to cry.
She had been excavating for a week with her team on mid-levels. It was supposed to bring a big haul.
Keyword: Supposed to.
Her team had an accident on the way.
They were forced to split up, and left the excavated materials behind.
At this rate, forget graduating safely, she would die from hunger first. Charlotte was at her wit's end with money problems.
She reached upper levels. It would take a few hours to reach the surface from here.
Suddenly, she saw a boy.
It was rare to see someone moving alone in these tunnels. After all, if an accident happened, you wouldn't have anyone to help you.
Rescue slips were useful, but it took time for help to arrive.
She noticed his blue colored academy badge.
"A first year?" She thought about warning him but decided against it. "I should worry about myself. I doubt he would listen to someone weaker than himself."
Charlotte was about to leave when their eyes met.
The first year's eyes widened.
"Ah, hello!" He was excited, almost as if he had found a treasure.
Charlotte suddenly felt a shiver. She turned around to leave.
Her intuition was never wrong. The boy was not normal.
She moved faster.
"Wait, I'm not suspicious!" He was just behind her. "I promise!"
"Look in the mirror and tell me if you can believe those words!"
The duo continued to run.
It didn't take long for the boy to start falling behind her.
How weak was he to be tired so easily?
Suddenly, Charlotte realized that he might be a low-ranking student.
"Did his team leave him alone after coming here?" Charlotte had that happen to herself last year.
Her previous team had left her because she was unable to keep up with them and was a burden. It was the event that taught Charlotte about human nature.
"Wait…. listen to… me…" The first-year stopped running and started breathing heavily.
Seeing him like this, Charlotte felt he was similar to her.
"I should at least listen to what he has to say." She muttered to herself before moving closer to the first year.
"Urm, sorry about running away—!?"
The first-year's hands moved at a lightning-quick speed and grabbed her wrist.
"Hehe, caught you."
He was breathing heavily with a perverted smile.
Charlotte shrieked and swung her palm.