There’s a precedent for spending any stat points the moment you get them during a delve. But I don’t know what to expect from here on out.
So instead, I fall back on the significantly more questionable but wonderfully modular strategy of ‘wait and see’.
Still, I narrow it down to two possible plans, depending on what’s behind that weird door. The first is simple and safe: dump everything into Constitution. It’s both my lowest stat and governs how hard I am to kill. Very important.
The second idea? Put the points into Wisdom.
It’s more of a gamble, for a few reasons. Over the years, I’ve learned that each stat has “milestones” where they get significantly stronger. The first one kicks in at one-hundred points. For stats like Constitution and Wisdom, that milestone literally doubles their effectiveness—from ten health or mana per point to twenty, and half a percent in regeneration per ten points to a full percent.
For the others, it’s a more literal upgrade. Intelligence improves memory, Dexterity ramps up reflexes and flexibility, and so on. There’s nuance to all of them, but for my survival, only Strength might come close to being useful.
Point is, I did the math. At level four, I’ll have twelve points to spend. If I drop just nine of them into Wisdom, I hit that first milestone. Given that both Arcane Strike and Arcane Regulation scale off of my mana pool, doubling it this early would be a massive boost.
Honestly, it’s almost always better to prioritize Wisdom just for those skills alone.
But there’s one glaring issue. If my health pool stays low, no amount of regeneration will save me from getting turned into paste.
At the same time, I’ll reach the milestone at level six without spending a single point—thanks to Manaborn doubling the stat outright. That fact alone is wild, because most people don’t hit a milestone until at least level fifteen.
Either way, it really just comes down to desperation. If I need power, I’ll invest in Wisdom. If I need to not die, Constitution.
With a plan in mind, I decide it’s finally time to move on from this space. There's where I see another problem.
All of my gear is gone.
The potions in my belt were shattered—either from being blown away or the landing. Even my clothes were all but tatters thanks to the countless rips, tears, and holes.
The realization and the clear state of my immodesty brings a flush to my face, but I quickly brush it off. If I’m seen like this, so be it. There’s nothing I can do about it right now, and it’s not important anyways.
The worst news is that my pack is nowhere to be found, and with it went all of my supplies. And my book.
Sure, I’d memorized every word, and filled its margins with notes, theories, and doodles that I then also memorized. But it wasn’t just a book. It was the only place I ever let myself dream. It held every wild hope, every desperate plan, every scrap of who I wanted to become.
For as long as I can remember, it’s been there. A balm to my aching soul. An escape. Losing it hurts more than I want to admit. But somehow it also feels right.
Maybe it’s an omen. A sign that I don’t need it anymore. I’ve already taken the first steps toward becoming the girl I used to write about. I could let the loss break me, or I could let it prove something.
The thought steels my resolve. The book was where I went to dream of a girl who had it all. Now that I have the System, and incredible boons besides, nothing will stop me from bringing my scribbles to life.
I can become that girl.
No more hesitation. Any issues with supplies I have, I’ll resolve as soon as the opportunity arises. For now, I wasn’t hungry or thirsty. I didn’t need potions because I could heal myself. My state of dress, while embarrassing, was not life threatening.
So I move.
The moment I take my first step towards the door though, a sense of foreboding wells up in the back of my mind, roiling and poisonous. Only when I’m reaching for the latch do I notice how badly my hands are shaking. At the same time I see that, I understand the feeling that’s been oozing down my spine.
It’s fear.
Not the fear of danger. Not even the fear of death. This is the fear that none of this was real. That everything I’ve felt, everything I’ve gained, was nothing but the delusions of a dying girl. A beautiful lie to stave off a terrible reality.
So, for the first time in over thirteen years, I offer a real prayer to the Gods.
“Please… don’t let this be a dream,” I whisper.
Then I lift the latch, and pull.
At least, I try to. Instead of the mechanism moving, a notification appears before me. The air thickens as it does, like the room itself is holding its breath.
Dungeon Discovered!
Temple of the Fallen
Difficulty: Moderate
Participants: 1 - 5
Restrictions: Overridden.
Enter the dungeon?
Yes / No
Notice
With the update of the System, all wild magic zones have been contained and transformed into Dungeons. Each Dungeon has added restrictions based on their difficulty.
WARNING!
As the System Waker, you are exempt from any such restrictions.
Beware.
The restrictions are in place for a reason.
The warning is just about as ominous as it gets. It’s a clear reminder that my actions had rewritten the rules, even if I had no idea what that really meant in the grand scheme of things. Still, I was starting to think the System Waker Title hiding my identity in System notices would prove to be invaluable. Being "the System Waker” was starting to have more implications than I’m ready to handle.
But that just means I need to get stronger, and fast. My focus narrows on the prompt, and I select the only real option.
Yes.
Then, I’m suddenly somewhere much brighter. The sight before me takes my breath away. I stand on a large hill, overlooking a massive forest. The trees are so abundant that their canopies mingle with one another, an eclectic mix of greens, reds, and browns adorning each.
A light breeze tingles against my skin as I gawk, bringing with it the scent of nature and the rustling of countless leaves. The air is warm and inviting, and I look up into the clear sky, trying to understand what exactly I’m seeing.
The sun stands proudly in the sky—but not the sun I know. Its bright green glow spreads over the horizon, infecting the blue sky in the distance and imparting its strange hue onto the clouds. It’s beautiful, but also… wrong.
When I look back down, a new notice captures my attention.
Quest Alert
Complete your acclimation trial.
Objectives:
Clear the forest of goblins.
Rewards:
Level up x10
Combat and Profession Class slots unlocked.
One magical item of matching rarity to your rarest Class.
Well, that definitely settles it. There’s no way I’d refuse the chance to obtain a Legendary quality item. I wasn’t sure how I’d fare against something at or above level 5, but I was certain that I could at least survive.
Besides, the higher the level, the faster I’ll level up.
I stand there idly wrestling with my tail and admiring the alien beauty of the view for nearly a full minute before I catch sight of a small stream of smoke rising into the sky. It shocks me out of my reverie, and an all new kind of excitement overtakes me.
A campfire, or maybe even a chimney. Either way means people, of a kind, and if it’s the goblins I’m after, then all the better. I straighten myself out and step from hard stone to soft grass and set out in the direction of the smoke. After a few steps, I look back to the door, only to find it’s no longer there.
So no backtracking, then. Got it.
I release my tail and let it flick to and fro. A breeze brushes by, the wind catching in my fur and sending a pleasant tingle up my spine.
It feels so nice that for a moment I just luxuriate in the feelings of nature playing across my skin, only for it to remind me that I’m significantly more exposed than I’m comfortable with. A slight warmth invades my cheeks as I force myself to get moving again.
Not long after I enter the forests edge, the vegetation quickly proves to be a massive pain in the ass, forcing me into an ever changing path. I almost lose my way mere minutes into the trek, but thanks to my new and improved claws, I easily climb a nearby tree.
Once I’m high in its boughs, overlooking much of the forest, I take a deep, calming breath. My breathing is coming slightly faster from the exertion, and a small trickle of sweat beads on my forehead. But I feel alive, and my tail swishes to match my good mood.
I could have never climbed a tree before, but I found a surprising amount of joy in the act.
From up here, it’s a simple matter to relocate the smoke trail and continue my journey. Still, my mood sours slightly after hours of navigating the woods, climbing trees, and getting turned around. I couldn’t complain though. I'm having too much fun with my new abilities.
In the midst of my thoughts, a scent in the air reaches me. Like fire and oiled steel. Before I can even begin to figure out what it is, a stabbing pain explodes in my right leg.
When I see the source of my pain, I almost freeze in shock. The feathered shaft of an arrow is buried deep into the meat of my thigh, cleanly punching through to the other side.
Although I have Pain Tolerance, it only helps slightly. The feeling of a foreign object piercing my flesh is still nauseating, and the pain—even dulled—is still very much there. Trained instinct from delving kicks in, and I throw myself behind a nearby tree using my good leg to propel myself.
I almost stumble from not just the pain, but also the unexpected use of my left leg. While it is healed, I’ve still not gotten used to using it in tense situations. Another thing I’ll need to rectify sooner rather than later. Still, I manage to half-leap, half-roll behind the tree, gritting my teeth through the pain and letting out a quiet whimper.
Just in time, too, as another arrow thumps into the tree directly behind where I stood just moments before, right around chest height. That would have killed me if it was aimed at my heart. Probably. Maybe?
Actually, I’m not so sure. How long would it take someone to die from having their heart punctured? Can I out-heal that with Arcane Regulation?
I decide that I’d rather never find out.
Once I’m situated behind the tree, I use Arcane Regulation transferring all of my mana regen into health regen. When seconds pass with no changes, I realize how idiotic I am.
The arrow is still inside my leg.
With a few quick, deep breaths, I twist the feathered end of the arrow shaft and snap it, the action sending a wave of hot pain up my leg and darkening my vision. It takes everything I have just to not scream, though my effort to stay quiet likely doesn’t matter. Whoever was shooting at me already knows where I am.
Still, no point in giving up my exact position.
It takes a couple of seconds to recollect myself from the bout of dizziness that came with the pain, but when I’m ready I move on to the next step. A quick shift in position gives me enough room to pull the arrow out through the back in one smooth motion.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
A sickening squelch accompanies the action, and I almost fail to hold back the rising bile at the feeling. Arcane Regulation, still having been active this whole time, makes quick work of the fresh hole in my leg.
Not a moment too soon either. I hear several pairs of footsteps approaching the tree I’m hidden behind, so I peek around the tree. What I see makes me want to both curse and thank the Gods.
Goblin Fighter
Level 6
Goblin Ranger
Level 4
Goblin Ranger
Level 5
Goblin Mage
Level 9
Four wiry little green men with ugly snarls glare my way. They don't appear to see me yet, but it’s still not great. I doubt they missed me hopping behind this tree, so I try to do a quick analysis.
The bad news is it’s four on one, and they all out-level me. The good news, at least to me, is that I can now see the tags of other beings. So that’s nice.
Still, I don't feel like this is impossible. Goblins aren’t exactly strong, and I’ve even killed a few myself over the years within the tunnels. They’re kind of all over the place, and even when they out-level you they aren’t that deadly until they start overwhelming you with numbers.
While I’m not overwhelmed by just four goblins, I’m definitely at a disadvantage. They have numbers, they have levels, and they have ranged attackers and a defender in the form of a buckler wielding Fighter. I try to come up with a plan of action, but I’m out of time.
The level 4 Ranger is pointing right at my tree.
“Well, shit,” I curse under my breath.
The other Ranger loudly sniff the air before chuckling, a disgusting throaty sound laced with foul intent. They say something in their strange guttural language, and they fan out a little as they approach my tree.
Now or never.
I use half of my mana regen to enhance my health regen, because even if I can heal myself from just about anything over time, at this moment quicker is better. Then Enhance Body takes the other half, maxing its effects out and leaving me no mana regen. I don’t worry about that though, thanks to the over three-thousand Mana I’m storing.
In a burst of speed, I round the tree and charge the nearest goblin. Thankfully, they didn’t expect me to come to them, so the two on the right side of the tree are caught completely flat footed. The Mage even stumbles as they backpedal, wide eyed.
Just a second of sprinting brings me in front of the level 5 Ranger, my fists already charged with Arcane Strike and on a collision course with his head. Every ounce of leverage I can muster guides my strike, and to my surprise, there's a loud crack as I send the goblin ass over teakettle into his Mage friend.
The lack of resistance leaves me off balance though, and combined with my lack of familiarity with my body, I end up wasting precious seconds.
But… one down. Maybe two. Hopefully permanently, but I'll take what I can get.
Before I can charge towards the Mage to finish them off, I’m forced to dodge, leaping to my left with a roll to avoid a savage sword swing. The level 6 Fighter rushes me, his short sword and buckler poised to strike or block as needed. The other Ranger isn’t far behind, an arrow nocked and aimed right at me.
Hoping it’ll take at least a few seconds for the other two to get back up, I devote my full attention to the warrior before me. My body moves into a practiced stance, further guided by Arcane Combat to make small adaptations here and there. It doesn’t do much to counteract my old habits yet, but every little bit helps.
When the fighter reaches me, he swings his sword in a clean sideways arc, aiming at my leg. To my surprise, the swing isn’t too fast for me to see—even though he’s level 6. I just about match his speed. So I step back just enough to avoid his swipe and send an Arcane Strike enhanced fist into his sword arm as it cleaves through now empty space.
The strike connects almost perfectly, but instead of dropping his blade, he just screams in rage and pain and recoils, bringing up his shield. The mana invading his arm clearly had an effect, but I wasn’t certain how much it really did. Before I can capitalize, the still standing Ranger looses his arrow, the telltale twang of a bowstring acting as my only warning.
With no time to think, I let instinct take charge and spin. I’m not fast enough to dodge outright, but I did ruin the shot. Instead of hitting me in the chest, it slams into the back of my shoulder mid spin and gets stopped dead when it strikes bone. I let out a scream of pain and anger, but I don’t let the wound distract me.
Instead, I use the momentum of my spin to empower my next attack on the fighter, who's currently stepping in to take advantage of the opening his Ranger buddy made. His shield is slightly lowered, his sword poised for a powerful thrust.
It was the perfect opening for me as well, and I wasn’t going to miss it even if I get stabbed a little.
My new claws rake through his throat just above his shield at the same time his sword thrust slides right past my belly, only a fingers width away from skewering me. I managed to shift my hip to the side, putting me in an awkward stance.
Still, the momentum, Arcane Strike, and the sharpness of my claws part the flesh of his neck as easily as it would dirt. Shock and terror morphs his features, his blade tumbling out of his hand as he attempts to staunch the bleeding with a hand.
I’m already on the move, charging the Ranger and making it halfway to him before his shaky hand places another arrow on his bowstring.
Suddenly, an explosion of flames rips a scream from my throat and I’m sent careening into a nearby tree. A sickening crunch echoes in my head as I slam into it with the small of my back, the feeling in my lower body suddenly gone and replaced with agony.
Still, I don’t panic. Arcane Regulation is active, and I turn off Enhance Body for a moment to focus entirely on healing. The shifting of bones in my spine forces a whimper of pain from me, the skill and my natural regeneration putting in serious work to restore the damage. What’s worse is the fire constantly burning my skin as it heals.
I had forgotten the Mage.
A quick look at my health shows me at just over half and swiftly climbing. Thankfully, the skill seems intent on mending the worst injuries first, so it takes just a few seconds to get feeling back into my legs, the familiar pins and needles sensation letting me know that the job is done.
Well, done enough.
In that time, I frantically roll behind the tree and pat myself down in an attempt to douse the flames. I get most of it, but I’m forced back to my feet when the Mage rounds another tree nearly twenty feet away. Suspended above their staff is an orb of roiling flames.
He points his staff at me before I can so much as move, sending the new ball of flame towards me in a blur. In an act of desperation, I jump.
I clear nearly twice my own height, surprising myself. Even though it was spontaneous, I’m flying through the air in a mostly clean arc right towards the mage. I land hard, rolling with the motion.
With the force of my landing, I’m curious how I didn’t just face-plant the dirt, but decide to chalk it up to Strength and Dexterity. More importantly, I’m less than five feet away from the Mage now.
He stumbles back with a scream, attempting to create some distance, but I’m faster. With a brutal kick, I sweep his legs out from under him. When the leg I struck shatters, I'm more confused than anything.
He screeches and wails as he falls to the forest floor, but I don't give him a second chance.
My foot, charged with another Arcane Strike, connects with his head, only to be deflected by a shield of flames. Mentally, I prepare myself for the pain, knowing that this is the tipping point of the fight. If he isn’t dealt with now, I might actually die here.
So I followed my kick up with a stomp, pushing directly through the flame shield with everything I have. My entire leg is set ablaze, the angry fire consuming clothes and flesh alike, the smell of burning meat reaching me almost instantly. But I can ignore the pain.
My flame covered foot connects squarely with his head and sends his skull crashing into the dirt, eyes spinning as he feebly tries to regain his bearings. Dazed as he is, he fails to maintain the barrier, so I pounce on him and begin raining claw swipes and punches down on his head, preventing him from recovering.
Three attacks in, he stops moving. But I don’t stop until I’m certain he’s dead. When I’m done, his head is a mess of jagged claw marks and gore. The pain of my leg still burning is distracting, but I look around for the two Rangers, only to see the one the Mage saved sprinting through the trees, fleeing. The other, the one I struck first, hasn’t gotten up from the ground where he and the Mage landed.
Knowing that I have a few moments at least, I roll off the Mage and quickly stifle the flames before stumbling over to check on him, and find he’s just unconscious. Exhausted, I sit on his chest to pin him before I open his throat with my claws.
He wakes up and thrashes a little, but it doesn’t last long. When I’m sure he’s dead, I finally collapse to the forest floor. With everything but Arcane Regulation disabled, I greedily gasp for air, ignoring the several notifications that await me. For the moment, I just lay there and recover, uncaring of how precarious it might be.
Goblins are smart enough to call for help, and the one who ran away is no doubt doing just that. Even so, I have a moment.
When I’m certain I’ve fully recovered, I get back to my feet with a groan and approach the nearest tree. Climbing it quickly, arms still shaking with exhaustion, I reach the top. When I look in the direction I saw the goblin running, I see the smoke trail.
A goblin camp then.
With a sigh, I lower myself back into the tree, finding a spot to rest where a thick branch meets the trunk at the perfect angle for me to lay on. Then I check my notifications.
You have leveled up! X2
Stats gained:
+2 Strength
+2 Constitution
+6 Dexterity
+4 Intelligence
+8 Wisdom
+4 Charisma
+6 free stat points
Congratulations!
Through experience, you naturally gain the following Skills:
Fire Resistance
Fire Resistance
General, Passive, Body
You are more resistant to fire and its effects when used against you.
+3% fire resistance per level.
Pain Resistance has leveled up.
Level 3 -> Level 4
Fire Resistance has leveled up.
Level 1 -> Level 2
While I’m not happy with burning away most of what was left of my clothes, I am happy with the levels. The fight is a bit of a wake up call though. If I were a little faster, I may not have gotten hit by the second arrow at all, or I could have finished the fights too quick for the Ranger to flee.
Now that I know vaguely what I’m up against, I figure it’s best to spend my points and give myself the best shot possible. With nine points to spend, I throw six into Dexterity right away, then the last three go into Constitution. It’s still my lowest stat, and if I can bring it up to at least match my Strength I figure it’ll be worth it.
With a grin, I pin my struggling tail to my chest and check my status.
Status:
Name - Emilia
Race - Faefox
Age - 19
Level - 3
Health - 245/245
Health Regen - 34 per minute
Mana - 1470/1470
Stored - 2940
Mana Regen - 394.5 per minute
Stats
Strength - 19 (26)
Constitution - 17 (24)
Dexterity - 36 (50)
Intelligence - 23
Wisdom - 73
Charisma - 20
Available Stat Points - 0
