18.8

ACT 963161069-26889.20.(11-20)-Eve-Smith-Silver Prime

Eve stared at the winding staircase leading up from the Dungeon’s depths. The entire structure led up like a demented screw socket peppered with adventuring parties. She was completely unimpressed with the Guild. They were allegedly the individuals who maintained order regarding the Dungeon and Adventurers. Where are the defensive emplacements? Why is there no railing? Who thought having the entrance open to attack was a good idea?

“I’ve seen that look before,” Finn said with a grin and glance at Gareth. He secured his spear across his shoulders and gave a wave at the rest of the party before leaping upward. Eve’s eyes widened as she realized the ramp was actually akin to stairs for higher Levels.

“I stand by my words the first time I saw them. Leaving the entrance so unguarded and hoping a Divine Aura will keep them from the surface is madness. Nothing but insanity to fail in building the most basic defenses." Gareth replied with visible irritation in his bushy beard. “Mark my words, one day the depths will rise and Oro Oro will pay the price!”

Eve found herself nodding along with the older dwarf. The trip from the Kobold section had taken mere hours with the Loki Familia. It helped they had a map and knew the path intimately once out of the Kobold’s Warren. She didn’t know why other adventurers didn’t have a map until Finn explained they were pretty rare. Most people just memorized the paths. Unfortunately, after feeding from them their brains were properly scrambled making Eve her own worst enemy.

The party’s speed of ascent had been astronomical compared to her past days of misery. Riveria had informed her that most Level Two and above could easily traverse the Upper Floors in mere hours instead of the days Eve had been taking. Now that a map is within the Crystal Core, exploration will go far easier!

“Will you need assistance going up?” Riveria said as the wind started circling her like a pet.

Eve shook her head and waved her hand negatively. “I’ll be fine following Mr. Finn up.” Riveria nodded and the wind swirled fiercely before carrying her up without delay like a bird given wings. Glancing at Gareth she received a negative headshake. “Lass, I’ll follow the second-string Support team up. Have to make sure no one messes with them.” Nodding she tensed her legs and bent down. Moments later Eve was bounding up the ramp-turned-stairwell. She took looks at the adventuring teams as she passed them.

The gear of everyone she passed was many and varied but one thing stood out. Enchanted gear was rare. Not just rare, it was expensive too. There were no common enchanted items like a Water Breathe Ring or a Space Bag. No, every enchanted item was almost exclusively a weapon. It was clear blacksmiths were extremely advanced in their craft. Armor and weapons were high priorities for surviving within the Dungeon. Still, no rings? Bracelets? Necklaces? Boots? More than the lack of defensive emplacements this is strange. There appears to be a dependence on Falna and none on actual technology.

Reaching the top, Eve was met by Finn and Riveria. She followed the Pallum after he gestured for her to do so. Moving through the large circular building Finn took her to one of the many teller counters lining a wall.

Eve had suspected joining the Guild was required. It was a place where the bravest and most skilled individuals came together to take on the most dangerous quests. That and drink at the nearby bar. Being powerful enough to explore the unknown was a required step in advancing forward. She had heard tales of the amazing treasures and powerful magic that could be found within its walls along with the fact that Ouranos kept it rather secretive from Riveria.

She mustered up the courage to step up to the teller’s counter within the Guild's lobby. The entire area was a large, open room with high ceilings and walls lined with signs directing where to go. At the center of the room stood a massive stone statue of a Wyvern, a dragon’s lesser cousin, its eyes glowing with a mysterious light.

Eve approached the front desk, where a friendly-looking receptionist greeted her with a smile. "Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild. How can I help you today?" she asked.

"She needs registration," Finns replied from the side, his voice filled with boredom.

"Of course," the receptionist said, "We'll need to record your Level and assign you a Mentor."

Eve was taken aback. "My Level? Why?"

"Your Level is a measure of your strength and skills as an adventurer," the receptionist explained. "It determines the type of quests you can undertake and the rewards you'll receive for completing them."

Eve nodded, understanding Finn’s clout she was quickly led to a room where she was tested on her abilities in combat, magic, and survival. The results were recorded, along with her current Level of One. Exact numbers were not taken down, just generalities.

The receptionist then introduced her to her Mentor, a seasoned Guild member known as Elena Deveraux. The mentor was an elf with a sharp business persona and a friendly smile. "Welcome to the Guild, Eve," she said warmly. "I'll be your guide as you begin your journey as an adventurer. Let's get started." Eve followed Finn out after receiving a basic outline of the Guild. She had finally achieved her dream of escaping the Dungeon, and she was eager to see what the future held. After the Loki Familia gathered together, they departed under the Pallum’s lead. As she left the Guild and stepped out into the bright sunlight, Eve felt a rush of excitement and anticipation. She was ready to try something besides cooked monster meat. There definitely had to be something consumable in Oro Oro!

Finn led the group to a tavern called Mama. After listening to her dietary requirements, the impressively large woman gave a grin. “Finn, you bring such impressive challenges to Mia.” Eve noted how the shorter individual rolled his eyes before saying, “That joke is as old as you Mia Gurando.”

Eve enjoyed an evening of food as Mama Mia managed to make a dish that resembled blood pudding. She was also able to combine blood and alcohol, as expected of a dwarven woman. The resulting food was delicious making Eve shout, “Five stars of deliciousness!”

Her outburst had led to explaining what the words meant and as the Loki Familia left Mama Mia was in deep thought. Eve expected that somehow the rather devious dwarf would make something of her innocuous comment. Pumping her blood magic combined with Witch’s Dust in her body removed the need for sleep. Instead, with Finn’s approval, she spent the night in the library plundering information from it. In any age information was the currency of improvement. This world is so large, but only a small portion of it has relevance to me departing it. The Dungeon is one of the few places with Mana on the entire planet!

Finn tracked her down to the library in the early dawn of the next day. Eve's first quest as an official member of the Loki Familia was a simple one: retrieve proof of experience from the Upper Levels. After consultation with Elena, her Mentor decided to accompany her, and as they made their way toward the cave, she shared some of her own experiences and offered advice on how Eve should handle herself in dangerous situations.

As they entered the First Floor, Eve was amazed by the sights and sounds around her now that she wasn’t focused on escaping. Stalactites and stalagmites formed natural pillars, and the air was filled with the chirping of bats and the dripping of water. It was dark, but Elena conjured a ball of light to guide their way.

Eve's excitement soon turned to boredom as they encountered their first obstacle: a group of goblins. They were armed and dangerous, but Eve was able to defeat them effortlessly and continue deeper into the Floor.

“That was a rather impressive display of combat,” Elena said.

Eve nodded, “Finn told me the Upper Levels wouldn’t be much of a challenge but they would be good to start farming Excelia on.”

As they approached the specific room where the Floor Boss was said to be located, they eventually encountered the powerful troll. Elena warned Eve to be cautious, but she was determined to retrieve the proof of experience and prove herself as a capable adventurer who could solo in the Dungeon.

“Trolls have high regeneration, correct?” Eve said dodging a blow from the large green monster’s stone club. It wasn’t hard to run rings around the slower creatures, but regeneration applied to the thing’s stamina as well. Perks of being a Floor Boss she figured.

“They do. Unlike common legends, fire will not stop regeneration on the Troll. It is theorized the Dungeon has adapted them with its own mana.” Elena said on the opposite side of the cavern from Eve.

Eve ducked behind a pointed pillar rushing out to carve into the Troll’s skin with her Jian. She hadn’t planned to use fire at all, anyway. It wasn’t like monsters couldn’t learn to resist what they were most known for being weak, too. In fact, if monsters followed the Darwin Theory, and considering the Dungeon made them, it was no surprise they grew to counter their own weaknesses.

She utilized her Blood Magic I too brutal effectiveness. Elena eventually realized something was fishy when the Troll didn’t stop bleeding. “I don’t think you can bleed it out?” Elena said confused.

“I can,” Eve said firmly without stating anything else. She appreciated her Mentor, but Finn and the others made sure that status secrecy was imprinted upon her.

The battle was intense, but Eve was able to defeat the troll after painting the floor red and retrieving the overly large Magic Crystal the beast dropped after death.

With the crystal in hand, they made their way back to the surface and returned to the Guild. The receptionist was impressed with Eve's bravery and skill, and she was awarded a generous sum of coins as a reward.

Eve’s feet immediately took her to Mama Mia’s. She had not only completed Finn’s task, but she had also proved to Elena that she was a capable adventurer. She felt grateful for the elf providing guidance and support, and she was eager for her next challenge. But delicious food came first, what was the point of having money if it couldn’t sate her Curses?

After the lunch meal, as she settled into her room at the Loki Familia, Eve couldn't help but think about all of the adventures that lay ahead. She was determined to become one of the greatest adventurers the world had ever known, and she was ready for whatever lay ahead. Level Ten was a myth, but she knew it was only a matter of time. Crystal Core calculated that she would be able to take the mana patterns created here alongside when she departed. That meant that power gained in other places without a System still had merit! If I can perfect the method of how Falna uses Excelia the possibility of creating something that works anywhere becomes viable. A multiverse mana processing method, perhaps?

With the Guild stamp of approval from defeating the First Floor’s Boss, she was able to begin soloing the next day. As she explored the Upper Floors at a rapid pace Eve encountered all manner of dangerous creatures, all cataloged from the Guild’s Bestiary. Nothing on the Upper Floor between one and ten was able to challenge her Jian leading to Excelia's gain being quite minimal.

She settled into a routine of exploration, crystal harvesting, money exchange, and eating at Mama Mia’s tavern. Eve was eager to go deeper but Elena warned her of the dangers that lay ahead.

“The most common method of dying, next to monster combat, is thirst,” Elena said at one of their Mentor meetings. “Those who can produce water in the Deep Levels are worth their weight in Valis.”

“I need to reach Finn’s level as fast as possible. What would you recommend?” Eve asked after a moment of consideration. She sat waiting in the comfortable chair as Elena gave her a long stare of calculation.

“The fastest way is defeating all the Floor Bosses you can. Each one provides an enormous amount of Excelia. The problem with that is self-evident though.” Elena replied after several moments.

Eve narrowed her eyes, “The chance of a Black spawn.”

“I don’t have any way to prove it, but I firmly believe when no one is looking the Dungeon cheats. It breaks established patterns and rules to secure a kill. Too many of our best and brightest seem to die when there is no one around to watch.” Elena said adjusting her glasses.

“If soloing is the fastest path to power, then I need to figure out a way around my main problem,” Eve muttered.

“Food.”

“…food, yes.”