Chapter 6: The Fundamentals, Part Three
The dense fog of the haunted forest enveloped Zenith as she pressed forward, her footsteps muffled by the thick undergrowth beneath her boots.
The air was heavy with an oppressive silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant creaking of branches. Every sound made Zenith turn her head and squint into the darkness.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the mist ahead, its skeletal form illuminated by the faint glow of moonlight.
Level 2
MP: 10/10
Clad in tarnished armor and wielding a jagged spear, the knight skeleton loomed menacingly before Zenith, its hollow sockets fixed upon her with an eerie intensity.
Without hesitation, Zenith drew her greatsword. Her grip tightened around the hilt, knuckles whitening with determination as she squared off against the skeletal knight.
[Alright, bastard. Bring it on!]
The creature wasted no time in launching its assault, lunging forward with a swift thrust of its spear.
Zenith met the attack head-on, deflecting the blow with a well-timed block before retaliating with a series of strikes of her own.
[Agh, why am I so slow!?]
"Cause you're level 2," Tamira replied to her thoughts helpfully.
Obviously, she knew that. But, it was still frustrating.
Blow after blow, clash after clash, Zenith and the knight skeleton engaged in a fierce battle, each exchange pushing them to their limits.
The skeleton did not relent and did not tire.
Despite the unending assault of her opponent, Zenith remained standing firm, focused and determined.
With another block, she pushed the skeleton's spear out of the way and left it open for a climactic strike.
But just as victory seemed within her grasp, Zenith hesitated.
She could easily deal the final blow and vanquish her foe, but a thought nagged at the back of her mind.
What if there was more to gain from this encounter than a simple victory?
Zenith lowered her sword.
[Tamira,] she called out.
Tamira appeared in a swirl of ethereal mist, her form taking shape before Zenith with a knowing smile.
"What's up?" Tamira asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
Zenith wasted no time in getting to the point.
"Does fighting increase my skills?" she inquired, her gaze steady as she awaited Tamira's response.
Tamira nodded.
"Yeah, it does. The more you fight, the more you'll improve."
[So, this counts as "training", then.]
Zenith frowned, considering her next question carefully.
"And if I keep fighting the same enemy, will it slow down or stop my rate of growth?"
Tamira cocked her head to the side, considering Zenith's query.
"It depends," she replied after a moment. "Fighting weaker enemies might not be as effective for honing your skills. And, if it's clear you can kill an enemy at any point, you will stop gaining skill experience as well. Otherwise, you'd just find the weakest enemy possible and train for a whole day and you'd reach 100 in whatever skill you're training."
[Fuck, she knows.]
"But, facing an enemy on an even playing field as you for an extended amount of time? No, it won't impede your progress."
A determined gleam sparked in Zenith's eyes as she processed Tamira's words.
Without another word, she turned back to the knight skeleton, her focus sharpening as she prepared to put her new plan into action.
With unwavering determination, Zenith shifted her strategy, focusing solely on defense.
Every ounce of her concentration was dedicated to deflecting the relentless barrage of attacks from the knight skeleton. Despite her best efforts, the creature's strikes found their mark, its spear piercing her abdomen and slashing across her arm.
The pain was sharp and searing, but Zenith gritted her teeth and pressed on, refusing to yield to her injuries.
For a while, she endured blow after blow, her movements becoming sluggish as exhaustion began to set in.
But Zenith was going to give up easily. As her energy waned and fatigue weighed heavily upon her, she decided it was time to end this impromptu training session.
With a swift motion, she reached out and grabbed hold of the skeleton's skull, channeling the power of Death's Kiss through her fingertips.
MP: 0/10
A surge of energy pulsed through Zenith's body as the spell took effect, her wounds closing before her very eyes. But to her dismay, the skeleton remained unaffected, its undead form immune to the necrotic magic she had unleashed.
Undeterred, Zenith wasted no time in taking matters into her own hands.
[Fine. I'll finish you the old-fashioned way,] she thought, raising her sword to the sky.
With a mighty downward swing, she brought the weapon crashing down upon the creature's skull, the force of the blow shattering bone and ending its unnatural existence once and for all.
EXP Gained: 10
EXP: 15/20
WST Gained: 25
WST: 65
Then, Zenith collapsed.
Breathing heavily, she let go of her sword and planted her hands on the dirt.
[Holy crap,] she thought, panting. [I'm so tired. My muscles are screaming.]
"Endurance does not only affect your body's resilience but also your stamina. You went past your limits," Tamira explained to her.
[Ah... I see.]
Still, the training paid off.
Zenith's Blade skill went up.
Blade: 12
[Still got a long, long way to go.]
Picking herself and her sword up, Zenith wiped away some sweat.
[No time to waste, then. Let's keep this going.]
---
Zenith's boots thudded softly against the damp forest floor, the only sound in the stillness of the dungeon. Her eyes, sharp and unwavering, scanned the shadows ahead, searching for any signs of movement.
Suddenly, a twisted figure emerged from the darkness, its alien form contorted and grotesque.
"Please, help me," the creature rasped, its voice choked with desperation. "I-I'm wounded."
Zenith remained unmoved, her expression cold and impassive.
Level 1
MP: 10/10
Her questioning gaze lingered on the figure until she nodded to herself and moved to simply walk past it.
The creature's plea suddenly turned to aggression as it launched a surprise attack from behind, a bolt of energy hurtling toward Zenith with deadly intent.
Instinct took over, guiding Zenith's body into a sidestep as she narrowly avoided the incoming blast.
With a fierce battle cry, Zenith lunged forward, her blade slicing through the air with lethal precision.
The alien let out a strangled cry as Zenith's strike found its mark, sending it crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
But Zenith's fury was far from spent. Each blow she delivered was a release of pent-up emotion, a torrent of anger unleashed upon the fallen creature.
As the last echoes of her rage began to fade, Zenith forced herself to halt, her chest heaving with exertion.
The creature had died a while ago.
EXP Gained: 5
EXP: 20/20
Level Up!
WST Gained: 20
WST: 85
Sweat glistened on her brow as she surveyed the scene before her, the alien lying broken and defeated at her feet.
Taking a deep breath, Zenith fought to regain control of her emotions, pushing aside the storm of anger that threatened to overwhelm her.
[I leveled up. Now, what do I want to...]
Muttering to herself, she quickly went over her attributes and assigned the 3 Attribute Points she'd gotten to her Endurance and her Speed.
[Damage is important, obviously, but as long as I pick my battles right, nothing should be too hard to kill right now. And, being really slow fucking sucks.]
So, her Status looked like this now:
Level 3
MP: 10/10
EXP: 0/30
AP: 0
WST: 85
---
Endurance: 5
Speed: 3
Precision: 1
Strength: 1
Arcane: 1
With a steely resolve, she turned her gaze to the looming figure up ahead.
Something much, much larger than everything else.
[Am I at the boss already?] Zenith asked Tamira in her mind.
"Yep. Not a lot of enemies, right? Well, that's because it's just you. The number of opponents to clear in a dungeon is changed based on how many people try it. Unless you specifically tell me not to do that before you go in, if you're feeling like a masochist."
[Or, in case I want to grind.]
"Yep. Good luck!"
With that being said, Zenith walked forward.
She wasn't scared. She didn't hesitate.
If she couldn't win here, then she couldn't win anywhere, probably.
The dense, eerie forest seemed to close in around Zenith as she approached the boss's looming figure.
A troll.
Level 8
MP: 50/50
Its massive form cast a long shadow over the muddy ground. The stench of decay hung heavy in the air, mixing with the acrid scent of fear that prickled at the back of Zenith's throat.
[Level 8... Far more powerful than I am. I'll have to be cautious.]
With measured steps, Zenith closed the distance between herself and the monstrous creature, her eyes locked on its hulking form.
The troll's eyes narrowed as it caught sight of her, its thick lips curling back in a snarl of rage.
"AAAAAAAGGGRRRRRH" It exclaimed quite passionately.
Zenith's heart pounded in her chest as she prepared for the inevitable confrontation. She knew she was outmatched, facing an opponent nearly three times her level, but she refused to let fear consume her.
She needed this.
As the troll raised its colossal club high above its head, Zenith's muscles tensed, her mind racing as she calculated her first move, knowing that a single blow from that massive weapon could spell the end of her journey.
With lightning speed, or at least that's what it felt like for someone as slow as Zenith, the troll brought its club crashing down towards Zenith, the force of the blow sending shockwaves rippling through the air. Zenith's reflexes kicked into overdrive as she leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike.
The ground quaked beneath her feet as the troll's club smashed into the earth with bone-shattering force, sending clumps of mud flying in all directions.
Zenith gritted her teeth.
[I'm still so slow!]
But before she could recover, the troll unleashed another attack, this time channeling some kind of magical energy into the very earth beneath them.
MP: 25/50
The ground trembled violently as Zenith struggled to maintain her balance, her senses reeling from the sudden upheaval.
Caught off guard, Zenith stumbled forward, her breath catching in her throat as she fought to stay upright. In that split second of vulnerability, the troll seized the opportunity, swinging its club with brutal force directly at her.
The impact was like a sledgehammer to her chest.
The sheer force of the blow knocked the wind from her lungs and sent her sprawling to the ground.
"AHCK!?"
Pain flared through her body as she tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth, a dark omen of the injuries she had sustained.
But even as agony lanced through her, all Zenith could think about was how she'd progress past this.
With a defiant roar, she pushed herself upright, her eyes blazing with determination as she faced down her monstrous adversary.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Zenith drew upon the last reserves of her strength, her thoughts turning to Asuka, her steadfast friend who had always stood by her side.
[If you can't beat this asshole, you can't protect her. Get up!]
Focusing her energy, Zenith summoned the power of Death's Kiss, her hand crackling with dark energy as she reached out to touch the troll's hideous form.
The creature let out a guttural cry of pain as the magic seeped into its flesh, sapping its strength and replenishing Zenith's own vitality. Those skeletons were immune to necrotic magic, but this thing sure wasn't.
Even as she unleashed her attack, the troll refused to relent. With a thunderous roar, it swung its club once more, aiming to crush Zenith beneath its massive weight.
Dodging with lightning speed, Zenith danced away from the blow, her movements fluid and precise as she evaded the creature's relentless assault.
In a flurry of motion, Zenith lunged forward, her sword slashing out in a deadly arc as she targeted the troll's massive legs.
Each strike was like a hammer blow, the force of her attacks chipping away at the creature's defenses with unyielding determination.
[Come on, come on!]
The troll staggered under the onslaught, its movements growing sluggish as its strength waned.
With a final, desperate effort, Zenith delivered a devastating blow to its knees, causing the creature to collapse to the ground with a deafening crash.
Standing over her fallen foe, Zenith felt a surge of triumph course through her veins.
With a steely resolve, she raised her sword high, driving the blade deep into the troll's skull with a single, decisive strike.
As the creature let out one final, agonized roar, Zenith knew that victory was hers.
EXP Gained: 75
EXP: 75/30
Level Up!
WST Gained: 150
WST: 235
With her enemy defeated, Zenith spat out the blood that had accumulated from taking that damage earlier, which she'd healed away through Death's Kiss.
[... I was given some armor, even if it is weak as hell, a decent weapon, a useful spell, and I still nearly died. A lot.] Zenith sighed. [I wonder if others are even taking on these dungeons. With how difficult just this one proved to be, I wouldn't blame anyone for sitting around and letting others figure things out. But...]
Her mind went back to what Tamira had explained to her.
[Ah, so, this is what she meant. In a lawless land, the few people with the courage to take these dungeons on are probably not far from kings. Oh well.]
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone