Spider's Den

The world dimmed around me as I entered the dungeon. The shop and street that had previously been full of pedestrians now lay utterly barren. The afternoon sun was now barely visible through a haze of fog and what looked like spiderwebs.

—

Mandatory Quest Created!

[Kill Quest: Kill 20 spider-type minions.]

Success: Permission to leave Spider's Den

Failure: Death

—

Huh, that was actually more forgiving than I expected. I half thought it would force me to kill a boss or something.

—

Quest Failed!

[Gather Supplies: Detected by enemies.]

Penalty: -Reputation with Spider, -Stealth for the next hour.

—

Great, I had almost forgotten about that. I shook my head as I made my way deeper into the shop. Hopefully, I could pick off some spiders individually. But unfortunately, at level 1, I wasn't very confident in my combat skills.

'Inventory: Steel Arming Sword'

My hand flashed blue, and I was slightly comforted by the weapon in my hand. While I wasn't exactly proficient in using a sword, I at least knew the basics.

If my sword failed, I could at least use Mana Bolt. Though I hadn't the opportunity to test that one out yet, so I should probably save it for-

A large black object lunged out of the shadows to my left, catching me completely off guard. Before I could even think of swinging my sword, I was pushed back into an abandoned display case with the attached dog-sized monster.

"Shit!" -5% HP, my system informed me as I felt something stab into my shoulder. Luckily due to Gamer's Mind, I didn't panic and pushed against the thing with my left hand.

'Mana Bolt'

I felt some sort of energy rush from my chest to my hand. Within a second, my hand was shrouded in blue light, and I felt the skill guide me to release the energy.

*Bang* The monster was launched off me into the opposing display case with a small explosion of light. Where I was finally able to get a good look at the massive spider that had bitten me.

[Observation: Lesser Spider Lv.6 - HP: 72% - The most basic spider monster. Not able to spin webs but has a deadly jump and an even deadlier bite.]

Oh, that's just great. I felt a stabbing sensation from my shoulder wound.

[Status Effect: Lesser Poison]

-2% HP

But now that I knew its main attack, I kept the point of my sword between the two of us. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure how long the lesser poison would last, so I couldn't let the thing stall any longer.

'Mana Bolt'

My hand exploded into blue light again, and this time, a glowing projectile of mana launched toward my foe. The bolt blasted into the display case missing the spider by inches. I didn't have much experience aiming eldritch blasts of mana.

-2% HP

But it at least seemed to spur the beast into action. As the debris was settling from my attack, it launched itself forward. I swung with my sword and managed to club the thing out of the air. But either it was too tough, or my edge alignment was off because it got right back up and started at me again.

—

Skill Learned: Sword Arts Lv.1

—

-2% HP

The jolt of pain from my shoulder and the notification briefly distracted me, and the spider was able to leap past my guard. Luckily this time, I was able to throw the thing off me before it bit. Still, in the process, I dropped my sword and, with it, the only thing stopping the beast from repeatedly jumping at me.

-2% HP

'Mana Bolt' 'Mana Bolt'

This time I launched two attacks consecutively, and it was a good thing I did because the beast ducked, and the first bolt sailed over its body. Fortunately, the second nailed it right in the head and sent the thing sliding across the aisle.

I took that opportunity to retrieve my sword and get into another ready stance.

-2% HP

Once more, the spider attempted to jump at me, and once more, I was able to bat it away. But this time, I scored a fine line across the thing's abdomen, and it hissed in pain. I moved to finish it off with a Mana Bolt while mentally grumbling about level differences.

'Mana Bolt' 'Mana Bolt'

Another blast of eldritch light arced from my hand and clipped the spider, causing it to stumble. What I thought would be the finished blow fizzled out in my hands as I realized I was now out of mana.

-2% HP

The now recovered spider lunged forward one last time, but this time I didn't wait for it. Instead, I stabbed forward into the oncoming spider, and the point of my blade impaled the black monstrosity.

—

Enemy Defeated!

[Lesser Spider Lv.6]

Gained: +200 Lien, +30Xp

—

—

Level Up!

[Lv.1 → 2]

Gained: +4 Unassigned Attribute Points, Full Heal

[Mage Lv.1 → 2]

Gained: +1 INT

—

—

Level Up!

[Lv.2 → 3]

Gained: +4 Unassigned Attribute Points, Full Heal

[Mage Lv.2 → 3]

Gained: +1 INT

—

A wave of energy coursed through my body, and the jabbing pain in my left shoulder disappeared. I almost collapsed to the ground in relief but made sure to stay upright in case of attack. While that wasn't the first time I had gotten into a fight, it was the first where I was fighting for my life.

Reflecting back, I should have probably felt the mana draining from me every time I used Mana Bolt. I also should have done the stabbing move earlier, but that would have been difficult if I didn't have the experience of hitting the spider away two times before. At least I should be able to handle that enemy easier next time.

But before that, I needed to distribute my stats. So I summoned my book and quickly deposited points where I thought they were needed. I was still wary of another surprise attack but quickly looked at my status before I put the book away.

—

Name: Aster Tempest

Level: 3

Class: Mage Lv.3

Titles: N/A

Health: 100%

Mana: 36/36

—

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 13

Constitution: 10

Intelligence: 15

Willpower: 13

—

Traits: [Gamer's Body] [Gamer's Mind]

Skills: [Martial Arts Lv.2] [Enter Dungeon Lv.1] [Observe Lv.3] [Stealth Lv.2]

Magic: [Mana Bolt Lv.1]

—

<Inventory>

<Quests>

<Gatcha>

—

I could definitely get used to gaining stats so quickly. The feeling of your body just being better was almost intoxicating. Even if it wasn't true, I felt like I could now take on a hoard of those lesser spiders.

It was because I knew it wasn't true that I wanted to get stronger before facing any more enemies. Not just because the lesser spider was tough but because I knew if more than one had attacked me earlier, I might not be standing here.

My best bet for getting stronger before fighting again was probably magic. Mana Bolt took around a second to charge, costing 5 mana per blast. It was also my best and only ranged option at the moment, so I should try and get that working better.

From my limited knowledge of systems, skills that help you control mana usually exist and are relatively easy to obtain. Sometimes they also reduce the cost of spells and make it easier to cast stronger ones. So I should aim for a mana control skill, luckily I have an idea of how to get one.

'Mana Bolt'

While not in the heat of combat, I could focus on the process that the skill automatically performed. It was quick, but I felt the energy moving from around the heart area in the chest up my shoulder and down through my arm.

*Bang*

I released the attack directly into the ground to make minimal noise and reflected on the process. Without the skill active, I couldn't feel a source of mana in my chest from where to draw from. So I repeated the process multiple times, trying to slow the energy more every time.

*Bang* * Bang* *Bang*

—

Mana Bolt Lv. 1 → 2

—

That was not precisely my intention, but that did help. Sadly the level-up only boosted the damage and reduced the charge time slightly. So I continued blasting the floor every five minutes, as that's about how long it took me to regenerate 5 mana.

Between attempts to slow the activation, I tried to meditate. I figured if I listened very hard, it would be difficult for the spiders to sneak up on me. I also spent the time trying to find the source of my magic without using the skill.

—

Skill Learned: Meditation Lv.1

—

With Meditation boosting my mana regeneration, it only took about 20 more minutes before I managed to slow the energy of Mana Bolt almost to a stop. Finally, I was getting a decent feel of manipulating the mana I could feel.

—

Magic Learned: Mana Control Lv.1

—

With the skill came a slight boost in proficiency. I found I could now completely stop the energy of Mana Bolt in my hand before it was released. Though if I kept it there for long, it would slowly radiate out mana in the form of blue light. Fortunately, this also served as a fairly good torch.

Now that I felt I was ready, I got up and made my way to the back of the shop. I felt like there was a good chance of some spiders holing up in the storage room. So, with my mana light guiding the way on my left hand, I slowly pushed the door open and readied my sword with my right.

[Observation: Lesser Spider Lv.6 - HP: 100% - The most basic spider monster. Not able to spin webs but has a deadly jump and an even deadlier bite.]

[Observation: Lesser Spider Lv.5 - HP: 100% - The most basic spider monster. Not able to spin webs but has a deadly jump and an even deadlier bite.]

I took careful aim at the level 5 before activating Mana Bolt again. The new energy mixed with the energy I had gathered in my hand exploded out as one. This new blast obliterated the level 5 spider leaving me with more than enough mana to finish off the level 6 in a similar manner to earlier.

—

Enemies Defeated!

[Lesser Spider Lv.5], [Lesser Spider Lv.6]

Gained: +400 Lien, +55Xp, Common - Small Spider Fang

—

—

Level Up!

[Lv.3 → 4]

Gained: +4 Unassigned Attribute Points, Full Heal

[Mage Lv.3 → 4]

Gained: +1 INT

—