Ch 118

  As Matt selected "Hope of the Hopeless," he felt a sudden influx of power that it brought with it, although it was nothing compared to the sensation when he reached D rank. This surge of power came with an update to his status page, which he glanced at intently.

  Matthew Pierce.

  Level 18

  Strength: 1074

  Dexterity: 1090

  Durability: 1080

  Stamina: 1438

  Spirit: 3154

  Mind: 450

  HP: 3406

  MP: 647

  Luck: 61

  Species Human hybrid(D)

  Bloodline: (Undocumented, has high adaptability and survivability, possible Prime bloodline)

  Path: Hope of Hopeless (Increase Spirit by 120%, Stamina by 60%, Durability by 30% and Dex by 15%)

  Titles: Integrated, Front runner of species (5% boost to all stats), Lord of the Tomb of the Restless Defenders (Control the accessibility of fort associated with dungeon such that those within can enter and leave with or without challenging the dungeon. Can also relocate/repair the fort and dungeon associated with dungeon if needed resources are gathered.), King slayer (Increase in distrust from those who serve a monarch not allied with you. Deal double damage to any monarch and those in the line of succession), Lucky (Unlocks and doubles hidden luck stat), Defier of Fate (Your life was meant to end, and it didn’t, Fate will work to correct this) Rank crosser (Fighting those above your rank will be slightly easier).

  Skills: Auto translate, Cellular Regeneration, Injury control, Essence of selflessness, Essence of determination, Luck’s Essence, Adaptive body, Essence of hope.

  Seeing both his spirit stat and HP surpass the 3,000-point threshold was surprising to him, though as he pondered it, he realized he should have expected it. It reminded him just how powerful adding a new aspect to a path could be. This realization hit him hard as he contemplated what challenges they would face upon reaching the level 18 area, following Yumiko’s warning. Still, there was nothing to do but press on, and after sharing his gains, they did just that.

  As they progressed, the rest of his party began reaching level 18 and selected their paths, with the most notable changes coming from Yumiko, Apricity, and Bob. Yumiko added magic to her path, evolving into a balanced arcane bowwoman. She instantly developed the ability to imbue her arrows with pure magical force, enhancing their damage. However, this also reduced the number of arrows that remained intact after use, once more creating the challenge of her only having 20 good arrows a day. She was hopeful she could eventually create arrows and possibly even a bow out of pure magic.

  Apricity added the aspect of the unknown to her path, becoming an experienced hidden guide. She was already finding ways to alter their path toward ideal monsters, although this task was draining. She was striving to discover paths to boss-like monsters, such as the formidable segmented centipede they had faced before. Determined to identify weaknesses and abilities before they were known, Apricity was relentless in her pursuit of becoming indispensable to Matt.

  Then there was Bob, who had elevated his stealth abilities to new heights by incorporating a hidden aspect into his journey. He transformed his path into that of the hunter's elusive companion, and it was only a matter of hours before he began to toy with Matt using his newfound ability. As long as he remained out of Matt’s line of sight, he could vanish completely, thanks to taking the aspect of silence for his path at E rank. This allowed him to spring surprises on Matt as a playful joke, which he relished while maintaining a constant stream of communication. This playful banter was what ultimately kept Matt from shifting into full battle mode in response.

  Although Matt found Bob's antics to be quite annoying, he also recognized the training potential they offered. He quickly encouraged Bob to apply the same tactics to the rest of the party. Matt forewarned them about Bob's mischievous behavior, but that didn’t significantly reduce the thrill when Bob would randomly growl right next to someone’s ear. The situation became especially hilarious when he patiently waited for the perfect moment to lightly brush against someone’s leg, causing them to jump in surprise. To Bob, this was an exhilarating game, and it soon became his favorite pastime, with Emily proving to be the easiest target for his playful tricks.

  Bob would, of course, come to a halt anytime they neared monsters, which Apricity—the only one consistently capable of tracking Bob—would alert them about. On one such occasion, Apricity sensed something was amiss and called for everyone to stop. She lingered for a few moments, her expression turning into a frown before she spoke.

  "I think we are about to have our first level 18 fight," she announced, her voice carrying a hint of concern.

  "And?" asked Greg, raising an eyebrow. "We were expecting it soon. So, why do you look worried?"

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "The spike in danger that I'm feeling is more intense than I anticipated," Apricity replied, her tone tinged with annoyance. "I think, like us, they received a significant boost from advancing their path."

  "Sounds like it will be a good test to see if we can expect the smooth sailing that Greg thinks we can," commented Eleanor, her eyes gleaming with a mix of excitement and caution. "Anything else you can tell us about them?"

  "Only that they have long, snakelike bodies," Apricity answered, shaking her head slightly. "But they could just be massively oversized bugs."

  "Not sure which is worse," Emily remarked, with a hint of unease. "Still, Matt, are you ready to initiate?"

  "Yeah," Matt affirmed without a moment's hesitation as he charged forward. Suddenly, massive, earthworm-like monsters began to materialize before him. Each creature stretched over 15 feet in length, their entire bodies sheathed in metallic armor, yet they moved with the fluidity of whips. These were no ordinary whips, however; they were three-foot-wide behemoths. Matt was immediately knocked to the side, barely managing to block the first attack—he was clearly outmatched in terms of sheer weight and strength. Despite this, he quickly recovered and surged back into the fray, though he struggled to see how he could inflict any damage on these formidable creatures. The only option that seemed viable was the use of magic, evidenced when Greg's fireball streaked through the air, capturing the attention of one of the monstrous worms and leaving Matt to contend with just one adversary.

  Even so, Matt found himself on the defensive, scanning for any opening that would allow him to triumph in a one-on-one confrontation. The sole strategy he could identify was to outlast his opponent, a battle of attrition. While this approach was straightforward and within his capabilities, it was not acceptable to him. He yearned for a method that would enable him to win such battles single-handedly, a necessity if he ever hoped to stand independently. A part of him felt selfish for desiring this, especially with a team ready to support him, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that reaching the highest echelons often meant standing alone. His instincts whispered that, despite not intentionally driving his teammates away, the path to the top was a solitary one.

  Testing the waters, Matt began to blend his essence of determination and hope, striving to find a way forward. Initially, it seemed as though his efforts were in vain. However, each time he endured a setback and pushed back, he sensed something stirring within. Sure enough, he noticed a small detail: there were gaps in the metal covering the worms. These gaps only appeared when the creature used its body like a whip, causing the segments that comprised its body to no longer overlap and briefly expose the vulnerable areas. Despite this challenge, Matt found it to be enough. He transformed his hand into a bone blade, tipped with the same resilient enamel as his teeth, and propelled his arm forward with precision.

  As he felt himself being slammed violently against the wall, a sharp pain shot through his arm as it became entangled, buried up to his shoulder, resulting in a fracture from the awkward angle of the impact. Surprisingly, his hit points (HP) had only decreased by five percent, and he quickly worked to heal the damage, even though the HP remained diminished. He deftly shifted his arm within the worm's body, transforming it into a massive hook. This transformation meant that as the worm recoiled from the wall, it still had Matt clinging onto it, and its frantic attempts to shake him off proved futile.

  Though the worm's thrashing caused him considerable pain, Matt felt an exhilarating sense of triumph as he noticed its balance faltering; it could no longer build the momentum it needed to throw him off. Additionally, the gap in its armor created by his arm provided an enticing opportunity. With a surge of determination, he shifted the part of his arm lodged inside the creature into a wicked blade. In one swift motion, he sliced open its side from top to bottom, feeling the warm ichor splatter against him before being violently shaken loose.

  While the worm hadn’t died from that alone, the attack was enough to force it to curl up on itself, attempting to fend Matt off by thrashing its other end, but to no avail. From that point on, the battle felt like simply waiting for the creature to bleed out, as Matt managed to land several minor cuts where the gaps in its armored plates were exposed by its frantic movements. Although none of these cuts were more than an inch deep, they hindered the worm’s ability to recover quickly. By the time Greg's powerful magic overwhelmed the other creature, Matt was confident that he could have won a fight against one of them alone. However, the realization that he would have likely lost against both was frustrating, especially as the others charged in to finish the fight.

  "That wasn’t so bad," commented Greg, wiping a smudge of dust off his tunic.

  "Yeah, all you had to do was sit back and cast magic," retorted Zara, rolling her eyes. "To you, every fight is the same as long as we can keep the monster from reaching you."

  "Thus, it wasn’t so bad," argued Greg with a shrug.

  "Let’s not fight," stated Eleanor, stepping between them. "Matt, can you get these corpses onto the exchange so they can be processed?".

  "Don't just change the topic!" shouted Zara, her voice echoing off the cavern walls. "You were there with me, and I know you saw Matt getting tossed around like a rag doll."

  "Yet, we were able to handle it," Eleanor replied firmly. "Had Matt called for help, I would—"

  "Zara is right to be upset with Greg," cut in Matt, rubbing his sore shoulder. "He isn’t considering what it’s like to be on the front line, and I have to say, that isn’t like him."

  "I think he's just being defensive," suggested Emily, looking up from her spellbook. "Since Kal has grown, she's even more sure of her inevitable victory, and well, Greg is a bit touchy right now."

  "Whatever it is, these fights weren’t as easy as we thought they would be," stated Matt, glancing around at the weary group. "That is both a good and bad thing, depending on how you look at it. It’s good because it will help us sharpen our skills, but bad as I think it completely tosses Greg’s 100-day plan out the window."

  "It might still be possible if we could split into two groups of five, each maintaining our normal pace," argued Eleanor, her voice echoing slightly in the dim, musty air of the dungeon. "The problem is, we don’t have a second Greg, and there are six who would refuse to even think about not being in Matt’s group."

  "We are not splitting up," stated Matt firmly, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the group. "At least not while in this dungeon."

  "Is that you promising not to go off on your own one of these days?" asked Emily, raising an eyebrow in skepticism.

  "No, just that I won’t do so in here," replied Matt, turning away. He efficiently placed both worm corpses on Scattered Stars' exchange before leading the group forward, his steps confident and purposeful.

  The rest of the day was a grueling series of four more battles against unexpectedly formidable monsters, each encounter leaving them more exhausted and on edge. Finally, they stumbled upon a safe room, a welcome sanctuary amid the chaos. As they sat in the dim light, considering the implications of their journey so far, Matt felt frustration gnawing at him. Beyond the group of six they had encountered and finding Kal, their time had been consumed with relentless fighting and futile attempts to ignore their harsh reality. Just when they thought they could quicken their progress, they were abruptly grounded by the weight of their circumstances. It was during this moment of contemplation that Tempormr's presence brushed against Matt's consciousness once more, rekindling his determination to seek some answers.