Elias chatted with Marco jovially as the two of them made their way to the very heart of the newbie zone. He had been gradually delving deeper into the jungle as he grew stronger, following the limit testing strategy his parents had taught him. However, despite his much improved physical attributes and his abnormal fighting skills, he hadn’t delved that far yet. He simply had too hard a time taking down the larger monsters, since he didn’t have a weapon.
The deepest Elias had delved over the last few days was where the monsters ranged between levels 3 and 8. He could still go deeper if he really pushed himself, but that would likely mean getting injured occasionally and having to use potions to heal himself. Even though his parents had given him those, and they weren’t nearly as expensive as the recovery potions he used regularly, he didn’t want to be wasteful with them. Plus, relying on potions for healing was a horrible delving strategy–they should be kept for emergencies.
As a swordsman, Marco’s strategy for moving through the jungle was far different than Elias’. Instead of slipping through the jungle foliage where he could, his friend would use his training sword to beat a path through it. Elias supposed that this would also serve as great training for a swordsman, but he felt a bout of laziness just thinking about having to swing a sword all day just to get around. Not only that, but they were also moving at a far slower pace than what he was used to.
On the other hand, dealing with the monsters that they came across was far easier as a duo. Whenever a small monster appeared, Elias would deal with it easily enough, allowing Marco to continue beating a path for them uninterrupted. Then, when dealing with the larger monsters that he usually had trouble with, he would serve as a distraction while his friend struck at it from behind, resulting in a quick and effortless kill.
The experience gained from the monster they took down was shared equally among the duo. Somehow the System was able to correctly identify whenever people were working together in the jungle. So, the experience ended up being shared even when Elias took down a monster by himself. However, as Marco had said before they left, the higher levels of the monsters they were facing, as well as their higher concentration, resulted in his experience gathering rate remaining roughly equal to before teaming up with his friend.
It took quite a few hours for the pair to reach the core area of the zone. Despite the fact that they were moving fairly slowly, the time it took for them to get there was still a testament to just how vast the jungle really was. Even if Elias were moving at his top speed, he would have only been able to cut down on the time it took to reach it by an hour or so. More importantly, he would have likely accumulated several injuries from facing the stronger monsters.
By the time that they reached the core area, Marco had already gained the exp he needed to level up his Intelligence to level 10. Therefore, all of the experience that they continued to gather started to be funneled into Elias alone, skyrocketing his experience gains. As a result, he had already accumulated 13,940 exp before they even arrived at their destination.
While this amount of exp wouldn’t be enough to level any of his physical or mental attributes, it was enough to level his attribute with the lowest level: Charisma. Of course, he could have simply kept the exp and waited until he had enough to raise the level of one of his other attributes, but Elias decided that he had neglected leveling his Charisma long enough.
Charisma is the attribute that governs a person’s ability to obtain insight into themselves, the first step in the journey of self discovery. Increasing the attribute widens a person’s perspective on their own experiences, helping them gain a better understanding of their own identity, values, desires, and motivations. This insight then allowed them to more easily attain personal growth, making them more confident and self-assured–more charismatic.
Despite the fact that everybody wanted the final result of improving this attribute, some people, like Elias, were apprehensive about what they might discover about themselves by leveling the attribute. Particularly, he was afraid of finding out that all of his social troubles, the years of having no friends and feeling lonely, were all his fault. The mere thought of that happening made him feel stressed and anxious.
People are incredibly good at avoiding stress by simply not thinking about things that stress them. Elias knew that increasing his Charisma would force him to reconsider many aspects of his life and he doubted it would be an emotionally painless process. However, as he trekked through the dungeon with a friend for the first time, a real friend, he realized that he wanted the benefits of a higher Charisma sooner rather than later.
He wanted to grow as a person and to better understand his own thoughts and feelings. He was also afraid of screwing things up with his new friends due to having poor social awareness. He wanted a better social life, and all of the other benefits that came with increasing the attribute. Hells, he wanted a girlfriend too! Therefore, Elias spent the 11,000 exp he needed to level the attribute, promising himself to continue leveling it until it was at least about equal to his other attributes.
Congratulations! Your Charisma is now level 6.
After leveling the attribute, Elias felt a strange burning in his chest that made all of his hairs stand on end, a sensation that was strangely reminiscent of heartbreak. His chest seemed to tighten and he was overwhelmed by a sudden desire to fall to his knees and cry. However, just as he felt himself doing just that, the feeling vanished as suddenly as it came.
Elias was left dazed after the experience and only remembered to pull himself together when he heard Marco engaging a strange monster in combat. Before helping his friend, he tried to quickly feel what had changed with the attribute increase, but was surprised to find that it seemed like nothing had. So, without further ado, he used Analyze on the monster and engaged it.
*******
Sharpclaw Anteater
Level 10
Common
*******
The beast was the perfect example of why it was better to hunt monsters in a party. It had very sharp claws, as its name suggested, and could whip its regenerating tongue at its opponents to distract them. It was really slow at making turns, however, which allowed the pair to take turns striking it from behind. This way, there was nothing that the monster could do about them.
You have gained 200 exp.
“Man, it’s so much better to do this with some company! Going around and killing these monsters got boring really fast after a few days of dungeon delving. It’s all just so monotonous, you know?” Marco said as he eagerly collected the energy stone of the monster they had just defeated.
“I know what you mean. I was starting to think the same thing, but the deeper zones are supposed to be different–more exciting. My parents say that the dungeon gets more interesting the deeper you delve, with the newbie zone being the only really monotonous part… I think they used the word ‘predictable’, though,” Elias said.
Marco passed him the energy crystal of the monster that they had just killed and he added it to his card. They had noted down the amount of energy that he had in his card before they began their delve, so that they would be able to calculate how much more they had earned. Later, they would use all of the energy they earned together to buy food and beers in the restaurants in the clearing.
“My dad also told me something along those lines. Man, I can’t wait to go to some of the places that I’ve heard him talk about. To be honest, I’m half convinced that some of them were made up. I mean, he once told me of a zone that was full of floating volcanoes that spewed massive clouds of steel dust into the air and dripped lava down into a sea of the substance. It just sounds too surreal,” Marco said with a shake of his head and a dreamy smile.
Marco’s eyes had a far-away look as he spoke, as if he were imagining himself in these distant and fantastical places. Elias understood his friend well and he let a small smile form in his own face as he thought about the magical places he’d heard about over the years. Then, he remembered the stories he loved listening to as a child and his eyes widened.
“That’s nothing! What about those zones you read about in adventuring stories? I used to love those when I was younger, but the description of some of them were downright ridiculous. In terms of what is surreal, those places beat the places I’ve heard people talk about by a large margin,” Elias said, letting out a light chuckle as his eyes glistened in fond remembrance.
“Come on, that’s not a fair comparison and you know it!” Marco retorted with an amused laugh as he rolled his eyes at Elias. “The places we hear adventurers talk about are at least supposed to be real. Well, they pretty much swear by it at least. I’m sure the people that write stories to children take a few artistic liberties.”
The pair of friends continued to walk and discuss some of the dungeon zones they’d heard about. However, what had begun as a lighthearted discussion soon devolved into a competition of who had heard about the most absurd of places. Their little game became so heated that Elias even suspected that Marco had made up some of the places on the spot just to make it more interesting–so he started doing the same. Eventually though, their conversation petered out as the jungle foliage began to grow sparser, indicating that they were close to their destination.
The jungle vegetation continued to grow thinner until it suddenly opened up to reveal a glade with a large circular pool of cristaline water within. At the center of that pool was a small island in which an enormous bearded fig tree stood upon, its roots flowing over it to slump on the water and dig into the earth beneath. Moreover, the many vines hanging from the tree’s canopy flowed downwards to brush against the water’s surface. It looked like a much smaller version of the titanic tree that stood on the Hanging Vines Temple just outside the dungeon.
Water bubbled up from a multitude of natural springs that surrounded the pool from all sides. However, there were two types of springs, one which contained water so hot that a thick screen of steam rose up from it, while the water coming from the other side was so cold that a thin layer of mist settled atop it. Moreover, the two types of springs were clearly separated around the pool, with each type being located to one of its sides. As a result, when the water flowed out of them and into the pool, it seemed like the pool was being split into two equal halves: a cold side and a hot side.
Where the hot and cold water touched, the steam and mist met and weaved together in a mesmerizing dance, like the collision of two armies fighting for dominance. Yet, the collision was confined to a narrow line atop the pool, as both sides failed to gain an edge over the other. Furthermore, in that same spot, the two types of water joined together and flowed out of the pool through a natural drain, forming a creek that flowed into the rest of the jungle.
Having lived near this jungle his whole life, Elias obviously knew about this place from hearsay due to the supposedly magical properties of pool’s water. From what he heard, soaking in it would bring about many benefits to the adventurers that managed to reach this place. Supposedly, the hot water could heal wounds and relax the muscles, while the cold water energized and strengthened the body.
The real magic of this place lay in where the two types of water met. For some reason, they refused to mix like oil and vinegar, and this behavior somehow improved their effects several fold. The water in that spot both heated and cooled, relaxed and energized, healed and strained. Simply bathing in it could bring about miraculous benefits to the body, mind, and spirit. In fact, there were spas in the city that provide this very service at a high cost. It served the same purpose as a recovery potion and exercise, all in one, albeit at a much slower rate. If paired with training, however, the effects were multiplicative.
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The glade wasn’t truly free of monsters, but few ever approached, as if repelled by the beauty of the place. If a monsted did appear, they wouldn’t pose a threat unless they were an aquatic species anyways, but Marco and Elias still left their things on the island where the fig tree was rooted. This way, they wouldn’t have to fight their way to their equipment in case a dangerous monster did appear. Afterwards, the two friends marveled at the sight before them from atop the roots of the fig tree for a few minutes before jumping into the hot side of the pool.
Elias felt the hot water seep into his skin and relax his muscles as if he were receiving a massage and lowered his body further into the pool until only his head was sticking out. He could only see a couple of meters in front of himself because of the steam that rose from the pool, but he didn’t mind. Either way, he could hear his friend and talk just fine. He didn't need to see what was in front of him, and in the unlikely event of a monster showing up, he would hear it coming.
“Oh man, this water is even better than advertised! How come people don’t come around here more often? I mean, with how good it feels to bathe here I’ll definitely be coming back, even when I’m stronger,” Marco said languidly, before letting out a deep moan of pleasure that Elias did his best to ignore. Suddenly, he was glad that he couldn’t see the other man, as he was pretty sure that he would see him making faces of pleasure if he could.
“You might not know this but there are pools similar to this one in all of the zones of this dungeon. They become larger and the water in them becomes more potent as the rank of the zones increases. It all culminates into a huge pool that is in the Temple located in the middle of the Journeyman zone,” Elias explained.
Similar to the Temples in
“Oh? So people would rather go to the other pools instead of this one? That makes sense,” Marco said thoughtfully.
“Pretty much. The problem with coming to this pool specifically is that it takes too long to get here in the first place, so few newbies like us bother coming here often,” Elias said.
“I’m actually hoping that my parents are planning on bringing me to the Temple in the Journeyman rank zone when I get all of my attributes to level 10. The water there is said to be so potent that it’s supposed to be able to help you perfect your foundation. I also heard that the place is incredibly beautiful,” Elias said with a hopeful smile. As peak Expert rank adventurers, Vivian and Peter were both strong enough to escort him there if they wanted to, so it was a real possibility.
“Come on man, you’re making me jealous over here. I already feel like I’m in heaven. I can’t imagine what it feels like to relax in a place that is even better than this. Actually, do you think I could bring some of this water back with me?” Marco asked, his voice getting louder and more excited as he spoke. “I could get someone with a spatial ring to take a bunch of it so I could bathe in it everyday. Maybe I could even make a business out of it. I’m sure–”
Elias laughed as his friends continued to talk with growing enthusiasm, an amused smile glued to his face. However, while he was glad that Marco had liked this place so much, he could only shake his head at the idea of transporting and selling the magic water–it simply wouldn’t be possible.
“I hate to tell you this, but your idea just isn’t going to work. This water loses its magical properties when it’s taken out of this glade for some reason. Plus, if that weren’t the case, someone would have already done what you’re suggesting. Trust me–a lot of different people have tried,” Elias said, interrupting his friend’s rant before he started working out the logistics and costs involved in transporting and selling the water.
“I guess that makes sense,” Marco said in a disappointed sigh. For some reason, Elias imagined his friend sulking and blowing bubbles in the water–a mental image that made him chuckle a little.
“Tell you what… Why don’t you stick around until I’m level 10 so that we could go to the Temple I told you about together. It’s a really good place to work on your foundation, even though it’s not really well known internationally. Actually, we could even make it a group trip out of it and bring Rebecca with us. That way, we would all reach the Beginner rank together,” Elias suggested.
Elias had started speaking softly with the intent of confronting his despondent friend, but he grew more excited at his own idea the more he spoke. By the end of his suggestion, he was standing and was speaking loudly, his hands gesticulating energetically even though Marco couldn’t see him.
“Yeah… While I really appreciate the invitation, I don’t think I can come with you. Like I said before, my dad has already made plans to take me somewhere else to perfect my foundation,” Marco said awkwardly.
“Oh, that’s fine. It was just a suggestion anyways. I mean, it sucks that we won’t be able to hang out while you’re gone, but you gotta do what you gotta do,” Elias said reassuringly. In truth, he hadn’t really expected Marco to agree, though there was a little hope that his friend would, so he really wasn’t disappointed.
“Thanks for understanding, man. To tell you the truth, from what my dad told me about what he had planned, it’s an incredible opportunity for me. If that weren’t the case, I would have definitely been down to go with you,” Marco said sincerely, before his tone became slightly awkward once more. “I even asked him if I could bring you and Rebecca along with me, but he said “no”. Also, I really can’t tell you any more than that, since he asked me not to tell anyone about where we were going.”
By the end of Marco’s explanation, Elias’ eyebrows were raised and his mouth was hanging open slightly. He really hadn’t expected his friend to try and share what he considered to be an ‘incredible opportunity’ with people he had only met a short while ago. Even though he wouldn’t admit it, he was moved by the other man’s thoughtfulness and generosity.
For Elias, inviting his friends to come with him to the Temple in the Journeyman zone, if his parents were really taking him there like he hoped, wouldn’t really cost him anything. After all, the real cost of reaching that place was in hiring an escort powerful enough to guarantee their safety. However, it wouldn’t really make a difference for most escorts if they brought one person with them or three. Most such escorts would still charge per person they were responsible for, but that wouldn’t be the case if his parents were the ones doing the escorting. Plus, he didn’t think his parents would mind him bringing his friends with him.
On the other hand, it seemed to Elias that the opportunity Marco was talking about would be costly in some way. For Marco to even consider footing the cost of such an opportunity for his friends… Well, other than what that said about him as a person, it also meant that he was a lot wealthier than Elias had previously thought.
“Wait, so you’re telling me that you’re actually rich and you still made me pay for–Hold on, I actually did pay for the dueling ring by myself that day!” Elias exclaimed in indignation, doing his best to glare at Marco hard enough so that it would be felt through the steam of the pool. Unfazed by his outburst, Marco burst out laughing.
“You’re the one who wanted to fight so much, and you did offer to pay. Who am I to say no?” Marco asked as he burst out laughing, to Elias’ disbelieving ears. Then, when Elias said nothing, still in disbelief at his friend's gall, Marco continued cajolingly, “come on man, don’t be like that. You did actually win that sparring match in the end. But yeah, while I don’t like talking about it much, my dad is a pretty strong adventurer. Among other things, that means that we’re really well off financially.”
“Anyways, let’s go to the cold side now,” Marco said suddenly before getting up and making his way to the other side of the pool. Elias narrowed his eyes at his friend’s obvious attempt to change the subject, but decided to let it go since Marco was clearly uncomfortable with it. Well, he let it go after sending one last glare at the other man’s retreating back.
As soon as he switched to the cold side of the pool, Elias’ eyes opened wide and he sucked in a deep shivering breath. He could feel his skin tightening rapidly from the abrupt temperature change and his muscles beginning to involuntarily contract. Even his breathing, which had been relaxed only moments before, now came in short and heavy breaths.
While the hot water had been relaxing and rejuvenating, like a massage, the cold water was strangely energizing. It felt shocking, like waking up to a bucket of cold water. He felt more awake, more alert. It was as if his brain, his muscles, and his senses were all in a state of hypersensitivity.
Taking a deep breath and gathering his courage, Elias dove under the surface of the water in an attempt to get over the thermal shock faster–It didn’t work. The magical properties of the water made it feel a lot colder than it truly was, so he wasn’t really getting cold in the sense of his body temperature being lowered. Instead, the cold sensation seemed to be limited to just that–a sensation. However, despite how the water tingled uncomfortably against his skin, he couldn’t deny the fact that he felt amazing.
“Wow, that’s cold!” Elias exclaimed as he resurfaced. Then, he began to laugh loudly while Marco looked at him with a dumb expression.
“You’re crazy. And I’m getting out of here,” Marco said, stuttering all the while. Without another word, his friend began swimming back to the hot side of the pool, making Elias laugh even harder.
Now alone on the cold side of the pool, Elias lowered himself until only his head was poking out of the water and closed his eyes. There, he remained unmoving for a while, letting the water tingle against his skin like currents of cold electricity: shocking and re-energizing. Eventually, he grew tired of staying still, opened his eyes, and started to make his way to the middle of the pool–to the spot where the cold and hot sides met.
Whereas soaking in the hot and cold halves of the pool were very interesting experiences on their own, doing so where both sides met felt truly magical. Since the hot and cold waters didn’t merge, Elias could feel both types embracing him at the same time like they were warring for territory over his skin. Every single spot on his body was being contested and would switch from feeling hot to cold, or vice versa, at random. What’s more, due to the contrast between the two water types, the hot water felt hotter and the cold water felt colder, and somehow, this contrast amplified their effects as well.
Elias felt like his body was expanding and contracting, heating and cooling, relaxing fully and tightening, all at the same time. His muscles seemed to be vibrating with barely contained energy yet were also the most relaxed they had ever been. He felt powerful, but his senses were being bombarded with mixed signals–it was overwhelming. Therefore, he closed his eyes and retreated into himself, controlling his breathing and entering a state of meditation.
As he began meditating, Elias immediately noticed that sinking into that state seemed effortless. The alternating signals of the hot and cold water on his skin had overwhelmed his senses to such a degree that his mind had given up on trying to keep up with what his body was feeling. It was effectively treating his body as if it were numb, allowing his mind to focus inwardly with greater ease. This realization brought a newfound appreciation of the waters, as it meant that it would even be useful in training the Spirit attribute. Of course, he wouldn’t really benefit from that since his effective level for that particular attribute was already maxed out from his years of training.
Regardless, Elias remained in meditation, letting the magical waters of the pool blanked him as he simply relaxed. He heard Marco join him at some point, but the other man only let out a groan of appreciation before going silent as well. And so, the pair stayed in companionable silence like that for a while, until they heard the high-pitched sound of a woman’s voice approaching from the jungle.
Before he even opened his eyes, Elias grimaced and ‘tsked’ once in annoyance. Though he was surprised to hear it here of all places, he recognized that voice, and was not looking forward to meeting its owner again. When he finally opened his eyes, Marco was already looking at him with a raised eyebrow, but Elias could only sigh. There was no time to do anything else before Melinda, John, and another man arrived.
Melinda was the first to arrive, using her thin rapier to cut through a clump of vines and stepping over them and into the glade. She was soon followed by John, who stumbled out of the jungle and nearly collapsed on top of his shield in obvious exhaustion. The last of their group was a dark-skinned, sharp-eyed older man holding a pair of black machetes. He spotted Marco and Elias through the steam of the pool as soon as they came into his line of sight.
Before the unknown man could say a word, John let his large metal shield fall to the ground and it clattered loudly as it hit the roots of a tree. The sudden noise startled Melinda, who jumped in place and immediately turned to glare at the large man. Undaunted, John began shaking his hands dramatically, letting out a loud groan of relief.
Watching the scene unfold, Elias wondered how John managed to fight with his shield if he was having such a hard time carrying it. He wasn’t surprised that the man had trouble lugging it around the jungle, but he also didn’t understand why the man was using such a large shield in the first place. There was a reason why people didn’t carry such large shields in this kind of terrain: they’re too heavy and unwieldy.
“Oh, don’t be such a baby John. Can’t you even handle a little walk through the newbie zone’s jungle?” Melinda said in a huff, her eyes boring into the man condescendingly.
“This shield is too heavy!” John protested. Melinda snorted unsympathetically at his comment and turned away, causing the man’s expression to turn aggrieved. Then, while her back was turned to him, he shot her what Elias could only describe as a resentful look. “Where did you even find this thing?”
“Hey, you’re the one who said you wanted to be a tank, and it’s only a Common rank item!” Melinda snapped, narrowing her eyes at her companion. “What kind of tank can’t even carry his own shield?”
“Yeah, I want to be a tank, but my attributes obviously aren’t up to the task of carrying this thing for hours at a time through a freaking jungle. If it’s so easy, why don’t you try carrying it?” John shot back. Melinda’s eyes widened at his rebuttal, but before she could say something to make their debate even more heated, the man accompanying them cleared his throat loudly. Then, when the quarreling pair turned to look at him, he pointed to Marco and Elias, who were watching the scene in silence.
Both John and Melinda turned towards Marco and Elias at the same time, and their angry expressions shifted as soon as they recognized who they were looking at. John’s body tilted back a little, his eyes widening even as his mouth opened in surprise at recognizing Elias.
Meanwhile, Melinda recognized Marco first when she spotted the bathing pair. Her eyes widened in surprise like John’s, but her mouth formed into a pleasant smile. However, when she turned her eyes from Marco to Elias, her expression became confused for a moment, before breaking into an affronted scowl.
