Dungeon Tutorial

Stepping into Dungeon Creation, I am met with…an illuminated concrete passageway. There is a noticeable panel along the side wall and I can see a bright light at the end.

A screen appears before me.

Welcome to Nexus - Dungeon Creation!

Here, you will be able to select archetypes via the touch screen to your left. You will then be able to enter dungeons based on those archetypes and engage enemies. These enemies will provide money, consumables, items, and materials when defeated. This 'loot' will be deposited into Nexus - Inventory seconds after dropping.

Archetypes currently available to you are 'Zombie', 'Shade', and 'Golem'. The Shade and Golem archetypes were provided to give enemies of a physical and magical orientation. The Zombie archetype was unlocked on the basis of you having died and come back to life.

It seems simple enough.

I approach the panel to find it is an oddly advanced touch screen with a search bar and a list of options. However, all the slots in the list are empty except the top three. The three available options are 'Zombie', 'Shade', and 'Golem'.

Right now, I need something I can transfer Japanese Language into. I doubt Zombies or Golems would have anything inconspicuous that would work if anything at all. Those two ruled out, I go ahead and select Shade archetype. Once I do, the light at the end of the passageway seems to come alive - becoming multicolored.

Not seeing any sort of prompt or anything else I should do, I leave the panel and walk into the light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I suddenly find myself ascending some stairs. Pausing at the unexpected transition, I have one foot on the landing and one on the step below. I look back down the stairs and only see a few steps and then darkness.

Turning to look at my surroundings, I find I am in some dilapidated ruins with a gloomy, overcast sky visible overhead. The ruins themselves seem to go on for a while, but the weathered and broken walls allow me to see a dense forest beyond them.

Seeing about all I can see, I raise my remaining foot off the step and fully enter the dungeon. Once I do, a screen appears before me.

Welcome to the Shade Dungeon!

As this is your first dungeon experience, a tutorial has been arranged for you. You will face three waves of enemies beginning with one opponent, then two, and then three. Tutorial will be complete when all three waves are cleared or you leave the dungeon. To leave, descend the stairs leading into the dungeon.

After reading the screen, it vanishes.

Unsure of what will happen next, I tense and I prepare to use my internal energy. My efforts on the train were not fruitless. I generally learned how to utilize my energy and basic skills and even generated some Chi. However I think there is a connection between my vitality, my spirit, and how much Chi I can produce.

I think this because I was barely able to make any. It didn't really take me long to sense either my internal energy or my 'spiritual energy' as it were. Mixing them wasn't hard either. The process was fairly automated, or maybe I should say 'natural' - like the two energies wanted to mix and all I had to do was guide the two together. Letting one flow into the other. The problem was that despite the ocean of spiritual energy I thought I felt, I only had a puddle of internal energy. Once the puddle was out, I couldn't make any more.

Additionally, I found there is a limit to how much I can hold. The Chi I generated stayed within me and I could control it as easily as my internal energy. I tried to make more when my internal energy had recovered, but the excess just…leaked away. I don't know if it's based on my STR or my VIT, but I'm going to say I can generate and hold about 15 units of Chi at a time.

Once I had that figured out I tried my Spirit Gun Skill. I didn't fire it, but I wanted to see what would happen. The result was that all my Chi was concentrated into my right index finger. I don't know if it's because I'm a beginner and lack fine control or because of how much Chi the skill uses, but it's effectively a one shot attack that'll take all my energy with it. Maybe I could get a second shot in during a fight, but I don't want to test my luck with trying to build up Chi while fighting for my life.

A noise breaks me from my thoughts. My focus on the broken walls ahead of me, I hear a faint…not moaning; more like a hissing. Maybe a gravelly rasp?

Not long after, it appears. From around the corner of the wall emerges a floating, dark gray robe. As it turns toward me, I can see there is no one inside with the hood revealing only shadows within.

It seems to notice me and moves quickly toward me. Raising one of its arms, a large iron hook is exposed from within its sleeve attached to an 'arm' of black mist.

It tries to swipe at me but I quickly activate Reinforced body and easily move out of the way. I wasn't able to use Observe on my class skills, but from testing, I think the effect of Reinforcement doubles the stat effects of my class - meaning an additional plus five to my STR and VIT and another plus five to DEX. Evading with this boost is easy with how this thing seems about as fast as I am normally. Let's check.

"Observe!"

[Shade]

[STR: 10]

[VIT: —]

[DEX: 10]

[INT: 10]

[WIS: 5]

[SPT: 5]

[LUK: 10]

[CHM: -]

Okay, that's not so bad, I guess.

Watching it, I see it float back a little before lunging toward me again.

I mutter, "Test, number one." I then rushed to meet it head on and reel back my fist. I know trying to punch a ghostly enemy is not smart. But hey, I won't know for sure if I don't try, and this thing using a weapon leaves me to think a Reinforced punch will do something.

As I get within range, the Shade swipes at me and I manage to duck under it and deliver a punch to its unguarded side. If I assume STR of 10 is a normal kid and 20 is a normal adult, then I should do some damage.

However, the Shade is a spectral enemy. It has some substance so my attack worked, but its body was like punching a limp bag of feathers and did not seem to hurt it much.

It tried to swipe at me again and I jumped back. "Time for test number two," I declare as the Shade tries to pursue me. I then ball my fist and point my index finger toward it with my thumb out. I feel my Chi focus into the tip and imagine pulling a trigger. "Spirit Gun!"

A ball of energy roughly the size of a football then fires from my finger and hits the Shade point blank in the face - seemingly vaporizing it. All that's left is a gray scrap of cloth, its hook, and…some money…that falls to the ground.

After a few seconds, the items vanish.

"Okay, so either it takes one Spirit Gun to kill these things, or my Reinforced punch is more effective than I thought."

I stand idle but ready as I calm my breathing and ready myself for the next wave.

I'm not waiting long as I hear more of that gravelly rasping. From around the corner, two more Shades appear.

I ready myself as it only takes a moment for them to notice me. One rushes forward while the other is a moment behind. I charge in while keeping my eyes on the hooks. Once it begins to move, I stop down with my Reinforced leg to stop myself and take a small jump back.

Their attacks miss and I take the chance to hammer my fists away at them. It doesn't really feel like I'm hitting anything, but I assume from their hissing I'm managing something at the very least. My current experiment is to see if A: if my Reinforced punches hurt them, and B: how many punches will it take. I only get a few off before the Shades manage to counter attack and swipe at me. I manage to evade one but the other nicks me - cutting a big hole in my shirt and giving me a deep cut to the side of my chest.

I don't think it's bad but it is bleeding quite a bit. The pain and fear cause me to start panicking and I try to run while holding my wound. Rounding the wall, the two Shades appeared from, I start making my way through the ruins. I thought that with my speed being greater than their's I'd get away and put some distance to calm down in no time. Unfortunately, again, these are ghostly enemies and unlike me they can phase through walls.

Just as I near another turn, one of them phases through a wall with their hook at the ready and nicks me again in the arm. Subconsciously throwing a punch to try and do something to it, I hit it in the head. But rather than hiss our regroup, the Shade vanishes x dropping items. My experiment is a success, but I don't have the presence of mind to really consider it as I resume running.

I take a turn and step into a dead end. Questioning whether I should turn back or stand my ground here, I keep turning in fear of when the Shade would appear. Wishing I would just calm down, I remember my skill Calm Mind.

Activating the skill, I'm immediately calm. Feeling nothing, my body relaxes and I invoke Body Control to restrict the blood vessels to stop the bleeding in my chest and arm. At the same time, Rest & Relaxation is triggered and I begin healing.

During this, the Shade emerges from the wall beside me and I manage to dodge its attack and deliver another two Reinforced punches to finish it. Watching it vanish and the loot drop, I idly note how it takes three-to-five punches to finish one.

The loot disappears as Calm Mind's effect ends and my emotions return. I take slow deeb breaths and try to stay calm and relaxed so my skills will heal me. However, concerned for the next wave, I try to generate more Chi while I wait. Fortunately I am able to stay 'relaxed' as I do this so Rest and Relaxation stays active.

I must say, really thinking about how my skills can work together, I could be one scary opponent. Calm Mind suppresses my emotions, but that by default seems to register as a 'relaxed' state. So, Rest & Relaxation is triggered to give me a passive regen. Body Control I'm realizing has some particular uses I'm going to need to experiment with and could have some serious combat uses.

The only problem is my total lack of combat experience. Calm Mind only let me analyze the information without distraction, it didn't make me a better fighter - just a focused one.

I manage to generate a bit of Chi by the time I hear the now familiar rasping of three Shades rounding the corner ahead of me. Thank's to Rest and Relaxation, the recovery of my internal energy matched my expending it to generate Chi, so I have plenty of both now.

As I activate Reinforcement, the Shades have already noticed me and are rushing toward me with one leading the charge and the other two lagging a second behind.

Trying to think of what I should do, I panic at the prospect of facing three at once with how rough I had it against two. Beginning to slightly panic, Rest & Relaxation seems to stop and I'm thrown into greater distress by the sudden change. The Shades almost upon me, I rush to use Spirit Gun.

"Spirit Gun," I yell. I hadn't managed to build up as much Chi, but the skill still worked as a slightly smaller ball of energy was fired from my finger and collided with the leading Shade. However, it wasn't enough. Either the skill was weakened by a lack of Chi or it just can's kill them in one shot. Fortunately, it did enough damage to cause the Shade to stop its charge and recoil - causing the two behind it to crash into it and falling into a heap.

I take this opportunity and rush in to deliver a Reinforced kick to the lead Shade while their on the ground. When that doesn't seem to be enough, I use my raised leg to stomp down on them - now finishing them off.

As I deal with the first Shade, the other two have collected themselves and rush toward me. By panicked mind realizes that since both will swing from the right, it creates an opening and I dive to the right as they swing at me - ducking under their attack. The two Shades pause due to their failed attack while I rush back to my feet and try to attack while their backs are turned.

I decide to test a theory if critical hits are a thing as I near the one closest to me. It almost turns around when I deliver a Reinforced punch to its head, then a body blow, and an uppercut. I then have to flee as the other Shade gets around its partner and swings at me. I watch to see the Shade I attacked seems lightly dazed but not done.

The one Shade keeps on me and I try to avoid its swings while delivering some attacks of my own. Then, the other one collects itself and comes after me. I manage to avoid their combined attacks nut I don't have room to launch my own. Deciding to try anything at this point, I activate Calm Mind once a minute has passed.

My panic, concern, and worry all disappear and Rest & Relaxation kicks back in. Using Body Control to highjack my reflexes, I wait for an opening between the two Shade's attack before releasing a Reinforced punch to the one I'd already got some hits on. That seemed to finish it as the Shade disappeared - its loot falling to the ground. However, I noticed something different this time. Among the usual loot, there was some sort of orb that seemed to have an electric charge contained inside.

I quickly ignore this in favor of the Shade still attacking me. Defeating it proves much easier as a combination of Calm Mind, Reinforcement, and Body Control allows me to take advantage of its wild swings much more easily, find its openings, and finish it. Once again, there is something odd mixed in with the loot it drops - though this time it is some sort of luminescent crystal.

The battle seemingly over, I quickly try to make my way back to the entrance to leave before something else happens.