Chapter 63: Recompense

Chapter 63: Recompense

Whitney, Kurt, Roderick, and Dewi sat around a small table in the Adventurers Guild. There was quite a lot of activity in the building, with people trying to make sense of the situation, rumors and gossip buzzing in the air, and some even making bets.

"It's almost been two days," Whitney said while impatiently tapping her foot.

"Her guild tag says she's still alive. Don't worry so much." Kurt replied, "You should have seen her blasting through the dungeon. I doubt a few undead could stop her."

"Are we sure she's even in the dungeon?" Whitney snapped back.

"The guards said that she entered, and they warned her to stick to the first floor," Roderick answered.

"To think she'd trigger a Dungeon Trial. I didn't even think that was possible in a beginner dungeon." Dewi murmured, scratching his chin, "Clearly, I have an eye for talent if the Gods even agree with me."

"I can't believe you're joking about this. She could be dying right now. Why did she go to the dungeon by herself? It's so stupid. Ugh!" Whitney raged and threw her empty mug at the wall, causing some of the other occupants to curse at her.

"Look. Tabby says she's still alive, so have some faith in her. When we were partied up, we didn't even take a single injury. She's got a water shield spell, and she can blast those undead to pieces without breaking a sweat." Kurt said, trying to reassure her.

"The guards will report to the guild as soon as the dungeon reopens," Roderick added.

"My theory is that she hit thirty, and it triggered the Trial. And if she followed my advice with her ascension, she could burn her way through the undead." Dewi postulated.

"That reminds me, you said Water was shit. I think all the undead she killed would beg to differ." Kurt said, pointing at Dewi.

"I mean, can you blame me? The only caster with Water Affinity is Evan, and he uses it to fill canteens. Besides, nothing beats a good old Fireball."

"I dunno... Those water flails looked really cool."

"Greetings, Syl. Congratulations on evolving. I hope your talk with the Great One was riveting."

"Thanks, Simon," I replied, and he visibly shuddered.

"Please... Don't call me that." He interrupted, and when I stared at him in confusion, he explained, "Fear the mighty Dreadlich Simon. It just doesn't invoke fear. The Great One refuses to allow me to change my profile, says it's too amusing."

"Sorry, I didn't know. I guess that's why you only block your name, which I had no idea was even possible. I can only disguise my profile or block it entirely."

"Oh, that's rather simple. You merely identify yourself and focus on the part you wish to obscure. Since you no doubt have a mimicry-related trait, you can probably manipulate it more than simply blocking it."

I identified myself, which I had no idea I could do.

Then I focused on my name, thinking block.

"Thanks," I replied, then returned my profile to normal.

"You've been unconscious for just over two days. I'd advise you to keep this in mind for your next evolution and ensure you can find somewhere to seal yourself."

"Two days... Shit. How am I going to explain this to them."

"If I were in your position, I'd just kill them all. But, the Great One says you could claim you received a Dungeon Trial, which is when one of the Gods orders us to trap an individual or group inside as either a test or a culling."

'Culling!? Gramps is more ruthless than I thought...'

"If you don't mind me asking, what is your role?"

"I'm the caretaker of this dungeon. I managed the ambient flow of essence in this region and utilize the excess into monsters and treasures, which the adventurers try to claim."

"But why? I think you could singlehandedly destroy the entire town."

"Indeed, but as a caretaker, I'm prohibited from attacking them directly. I am getting something out of this ordeal that makes the effort worthwhile."

"I see..."

"Yes. Now, about your reward for beating the dungeon and your compensation for... Killing you."

A chest appeared in the room, which I opened and found a bow.

"Huh."

"Yes... I wasn't sure what to give a slime, but considering you carried a bow, I figured this might be useful. For an insignificant amount of mana, this bow can generate a nocked arrow when drawn."

"Thanks," I replied, pulling back on the string, and an arrow appeared.

"Unfortunately, I'm limited to what I can spawn. As for your compensation... The Great One suggested I spawn a monster to consume and offer you some skill training. The former, I'm again limited, and the latter, I'm unsure of what I could train you on as I do not sense Necrotic Mana within you."

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"Can you spawn any slimes?" I asked enthusiastically.

"I'm limited to nothing above Blue and Green."

"I'll gladly take a Green slime. As for skill training, I have an idea."

"Let's hear your idea then."

"Can I shoot arrows at you to raise my proficiency? I have an emblem that gives me bonus experience when fighting higher-level monsters, and you meet the criteria."

"I see... Unorthodox, but I suppose I can accept that. Those arrows can't harm me."

I spent the next while firing arrows at Simon. He was correct in that they couldn't harm him. I triggered [Slime Conversion] to get some bonus experience and had [Mana Sight], [Lowlight Vision], and [Thermal Vision] all active. I certainly took Gramp's advice to heart and made some considerable gains before Simon lost his patience and ended our training session. I had hoped he would have let me cast [Acid Dart] at him. I looked over my gains.

'Time to finally fuse them! Having one skill for all my attacks together is much preferred, and since the new trait doesn't differentiate between attacks, I can feel confident it would apply to my slime attacks as well.'

Becomes Skill: [Attack Mastery (Lesser) LV 6].

[Sub-Core Gamma LV 4]

[Consuming Osmosis LV MAX]

Mimic:

[Chimeric Mimicry LV 5]

[Chroma Shift LV MAX]

Mana:

[Mana Circulation LV 5]

[Mana Reinforcement LV 5]

[Slime Conversion LV 3]

Attributes/Other:

[Soul Mastery LV 6]

[Enhanced Vitality LV 4]

[Magic Resistance (Lesser) LV 4]

[Defy Death LV 3]

[Prodigy]

Senses:

[Olfactory Sense]

[Dark Vision LV 3]

[Mana Sight LV 4]

[Thermal Vision LV 1]

Trait Points remaining: 4

Skills:

General:

[Universal Language]

[Equipment Swap]

[Dissection LV 5]

[Mapping LV 3]

[Tracking LV 1]

[Identify LV 3]

[Multitasking LV 1]

Combat:

[Evasion LV 3]

[Attack Mastery (Lesser) LV 6]

[Affliction Master LV 1]

Magic:

[Water Magic LV 3]

[Fire Magic LV 3]

[Corrosion Magic LV 1]

[Mana Manipulation LV 3]

[Mana Suppression]

Sneaky:

[Vanish LV 5]

[Sneak Attack LV 5]

[Identity Block LV 5]

[Acting LV 4]

Skill Points remaining: 4