The Fool's Freedom

Alan used [Void Step] to move out of the way and toward the first one he had seen. Without pause, he slashed with both of his daggers only for his eyes to widen as the creature easily dodged. Its speed was the fastest Alan had seen so far – a sharp contrast to the previous monsters he had observed which acted like slow and heavy golems.

The two panther-like humanoids that had dropped down on him rushed at his back simultaneously while the one that had dodged attacked him. Without pause Alan charged the shadows around him, pouring mana until his skill threatened to fall apart, and let out a shadow nova as they were almost on him. Blades of darkness met the weird creatures' attacks, sending them flying toward the cavern walls and rolling down the floor.

He had expected to bisect them, or at the very least wound them heavily, and frowned as they scrambled up. One sported a wide cut on its dark abdomen that quickly stopped bleeding as the strange mixture of iron-like material and crystals took over the wound. The creature let out a snarl and swayed in place before taking a combat stance.

The other two seemed completely fine, having lost only a few pieces of the coating covering their limbs. This was a surprise. The surge of shadow slashes Alan called shadow nova had been one of the strongest attacks he had used in recent times. He hadn’t seen the creature kill the group of kobolds, but he didn’t really feel like it was as strong as him. It was not tier two, but perhaps its level was close to it. Despite the humanoid appearance, there were no signs of advanced intellect. He didn’t feel almost any sort of mana from them either.

They came at him again and Alan repeated his attack, infusing the shadows with some of his Will. The result was similar, but this time the panther humanoids were ready and blocked the shadows by curling into balls, using their steel-clad arms and legs to stop the shadows from doing damage. A lot of the coating flew away, only for another thin coating of crystal to cover the hole just the same as it had done with the wounds.

What the fuck is this thing? He briefly worried that it was something contagious, but shook off the thought. His Will alone would be enough to combat that, and his mana-driven constitution would probably be capable of preventing any strange illnesses from affecting him. Unless they affected mana beings, of course.

Alan used [Void Step] and appeared next to one of the panther people who was shakily standing up once again. He swung both of his arms together from overhead and the shadows flowed to create a large blade. The panther-man was fast and raised his hands to block, but Alan didn’t stop there.

He was briefly worried that the curse wouldn’t allow him to drain Vitality from Cole and fuel his skills now that he was in a Dungeon, but the worry quickly died down as he felt the influx of life force.

[Sacrificial Attack] boosted his next attack wonderfully. It broke through the reinforced arms of the panther and sliced straight through it, bisecting it from the shoulder to just above the ribs.

You have slain Jadari Warrior (172)

172?! No wonder the kobolds stood no chance. How large is the difference between the crystal golems and those things then?

He had no more time to muse over the strangeness of the Dungeon. The two living monsters attacked him again, in futility. He was faster, although not by that much, which shook him a little bit. Tier Two had given more weight to his attributes and all the bonuses he had to his speed were pretty substantial, especially since it was predominantly based on his Mind, with 50% of his Dexterity added. His state had drawbacks, that were obvious to him. His mastery of weapons hadn’t improved all that much and the bonus did nothing to improve his nimbleness or balance more than his actual Dexterity did. It was only the speed of movement.

Not that he was complaining. However, the more he ran around ignoring the attacks of the Jadari warriors, the more he realized that they were not actually that much faster than him. It was more of a control thing, as they used minimal effort to change their directions or shoot out. In comparison Alan’s own movements were quite delayed and choppy – a fact that he had not noticed until now.

Nothing beats fighting someone better than you when it comes to learning. I’m glad I came here. The Dungeon was proving to be quite a peculiar experience. It had materials that were obviously precious even to creatures like the kobold, and it had a variety of enemies. He had only seen two species so far though.

It was not silly to assume that there were more the deeper one went. This was also a much higher-level Dungeon than the Buried Lower Blood Fields had been. He wondered if the former had undergone any changes and leveled up along with the world. He had been hesitant to go in mostly due to all the unknown factors – like the pale werewolf and the promise of the Lord and Lady at the higher level of the Dungeon.

The oath he had given also rubbed him the wrong way, but there was no way out of that one. Unless he turned to the spirits…

Alan stopped dodging and shrouded the whole of himself in shadows. Then, he forced the shadows to expand creating a thick dome-like shield around him. They were mostly translucent and shifting, not a solid wall of darkness, but pouring enough mana and Will in them was enough to create a good layer of protection.

He had yet to allow the Jadari Warriors to attack, and he was curious if it would be simply swipes and hits. The two did just that, making his shadows shiver under the force of impact. It was a bit disappointing. The strange panther-like humanoids seemed to excel in speed and nothing else. Alan realized that he would’ve been screwed if it was not for his strange kit – a regular caster would’ve hardly been able to prevent their ambush.

It took them a few moments to break through his shadows and he met them with a few shadow slashes. They were weak attacks meant for further testing. Know your enemy was a rule Alan was set on following from now on, and he had the skills to allow him to do so.

Finally, something strange happened. The two Jadari met the blades of shadow by crossing their limbs, and the strange iron-like material coating the claws and arms seemed to glow. A moment later Alan’s eyes widened as two shadow blades flew toward him. They were slow and weak but they were unmistakably a copy of his own.

Now that is something I can appreciate.

The attack patterns of the Jadari changed instantly. The two creatures started running around him, making full use of their nimbleness and speed, and raining shadow slashes on him. He took them all head-on, unwilling to run in the face of his own skill.

Were my first attacks too strong to copy? Or did they need time? It seemed to have something to do with the material coating their limbs. The Jadarin Ore was the crystal, then was the steel the refined version of it? Was it what the kobold smith was working on? Could it store skills?

He cast [Void Pierce], but the movements of the warriors were too rapid and fast for him to aim the skill well. It had a lot to do with understanding space, range, and size, and foreseeing an opponent's destination. Alan didn’t have that much target practice. Most of his targets so far had been standing still or had been quite large.

Alan decided that some more exploration was in order. He mentally thanked his opponents, then without hesitation used [Void Step] to approach the first one. [Sacrificial Attack] was becoming a staple as it made all of his other skills absolutely devastating. Even a normal swing of his [Shadow Creation] daggers was equivalent to a skill because in a way it was.

Without feeling any of the drawbacks of the skill, or having to unleash the rampaging energy, it was much more manageable. The only issue he found was that using another’s vitality affected it a bit, and made it harder to achieve the desired effect unless he really focused.

Still, the Jadari warrior he attacked seemed ready to meet his attack, only for its arms to become a mangled mess of flesh and ore. The next attack stabbed the creature in the throat, before Alan dashed away and to the side.

You have slain Jadari Warrior (175)

He stopped a distance away and tried [Void Pierce] on his remaining opponent again with little success.

That was something to consider for the future. The skill in itself was not very potent against opponents of similar level or attribute as himself.

It took him another ten seconds or so to kill the last warrior as well.

Level up!

You have reached level 103 in Tier Two [Shepherd of the Broken]

+5 Attribute Points

+5 to Mind, Will, Magic

He took some of the broken-off material after the fact and examined it closely. The little pieces felt hollow and devoid of mana much like the void he had spent so much time in. However, now that he understood void better he realized it was just a different type of mana – one that swallowed the other types or affected them negatively. True emptiness was very different, and what he felt from the material was something like that.

I need to focus on my studies a bit. I’ll finish that dungeon, fulfill my oath, and go back to the Sanctuary. Mr. Muge might make some good stuff with this ore once he figures out what it is. Just for the sake of it, Alan took out the identifier and looked at the piece of iron.

Jadarin Iron

It meant nothing, but considering how some of the larger pieces were still slowly birthing the raw crystals he had seen the kobolds carry out from the tunnels closer to the entrance, it was most likely the refined version of the crystal ore.

Putting it away he went deeper still. The fight had given him another level, bringing him to 103. Each level gave him way more attributes than at tier one, but he still saved the free ones. There was no need to rush, and a mere 15 points were not that much of a difference for the current him.

The tunnels grew wider and darker, illuminated only by the occasional wall of raw ore that glittered in the darkness. He ran into two more groups of the Jadari Warriors and dispatched them without much issue. It was disappointing that he didn’t level up again.

Attacking with weaker shadow slashes allowed the strange creatures to copy his skills, but anything stronger seemed beyond their abilities.

The remains of strange structures soon made appearances, but they were no more than stone dome-shaped huts or rooms with doors and windows dug into the walls free of crystal. Alan finally stopped in the middle of a large cavern that seemed almost like it had once served a purpose. The ruins were many here, with carved columns and large pieces whispering of civilization strewn all around.

There were no creatures – at least none he could see. His senses weren’t helpful here. The ceiling was almost fully compromised of the Jadarin Ore. He entertained the idea of mining it himself, but it seemed boring and unwise, considering he was yet to understand the full dangers of the place.

His previous experience led him to believe that what were considered ‘bosses’ were intelligent beings, put to serve in their Dungeon by the system, and this looked like a perfect place to put one. He didn’t know the limits of the system when it came to creating sentient life nor did he understand the need for it.

A thin thread of crystal drew his attention and he stepped further into the hall. It blended in with the darkness and lacked the glow of the ceiling and the walls, but still reflected some of the light. Soon his eyes saw many more, crossing like a web between the ceiling and the ground he was walking on. His heart skipped a beat and he cast [Void Step] the moment he saw it tremble. Just as he was about to rush into the tunnel he had come from, a large piece of ore crashed into the ground and blocked the exit.

A monster made of raw ore and Jadarin iron and ore slowly fell from the ceiling, leaving a hole of dark stone where it had blended with the ore. He couldn’t sense it nor could he determine its strength. By the looks of it though, he had found one of the bosses.

I asked for a challenge, and I found it. Did it have to be this though…

It was a spider-like thing with an elongated body and about ten limbs. It stood silent, staring at him and waiting.

“Hi,” Alan said. The creature tilted its head. There were no eyes on the crystal, but for some reason, Alan got the sense that he was being thoroughly observed. His [Shepherd’s Shroud] burst around him, coating his body in waves of darkness, and his will started spreading, taking what little color remained in the world.

It was in the next moment that a whip of threads crashed at him from the side without warning, and broke the shadows that automatically blocked the attack.