101 – Weapon Master

Alexandra was climbing the final tunnel of the Troll Cave. She wasn’t sure if she’d killed all the trolls in the instance, but it had to be close. It took her close to an hour to find her way to the gate. She found it open and the base camp deserted. She’d stayed a full twenty-four hours inside the dungeon, focused on improving her combat skills.

It was night.

She stored the Axe and the Spear she’d borrowed from another team inside the camp, keeping only a dagger for herself.

She filled her gourd at the reservoir the regular dungeon divers kept near the entrance and sat near the surviving embers of a camp fire. Whoever had lit it was likely in the Troll Cave now.

These days, she didn’t need to eat much thanks to Photosynthesis and Solar Core. She still visited the dining hall now and then to eat with Willow and sometimes Haste. The food there was always delicious. Water, however, was still mandatory.

She wasn’t sure if she’d die from dehydration, but the feeling of a dry throat was something she preferred not to experience.

Alexandra put her gourd down and opened her journal.

Daily quests summary: Eight Quests Completed -> +80 exp, +2 STR, +3 DEX, +1 CON, +2 PER

Daily Quest Streak: 51 -> 59

Today’s quest had been quite simple, if time-consuming. She was able to do it inside the cave. All she needed was to flip a coin and have it land on tails ten times in a row. It took her two hours.

It was her second dungeon outing since reaching Bronze, and it was well worth the time invested. Training Quests were a fantastic tool to hasten her skill leveling. The upper levels of the uncommon rank started asking for Silver rank opponents, but that was only applicable to Inflict Weakness and Dark Bolt.

As for Aggressive Assimilation and Drain Life, they focused on diversifying her sources of lifeforce. As a result, despite using the skills in every fight, the Troll Cave wasn’t the best place to train them.

Inflict Weakness 11 -> 13

Dark Bolt 10 -> 13

Alexandra was already thinking about hunting a Silver rank monster. Upgrading her Defiance achievement was a somewhat low-hanging fruit. Though Silvers weren’t so easy to defeat. But, at least, it felt possible. She knew that upgrading her other achievements would be a challenge. Killing a Gold and a Platinum had been the result of extremely favorable circumstances that she couldn’t, and didn’t want to, replicate. And that was without mentioning a Ruby rank, which she would need to upgrade Rebellion.

As for her combat skills, even Dagger Mastery that she’d unlocked two days ago was already maxed out.

Sword Mastery 6 -> 10

Spear Mastery 6 -> 10

Axe Mastery 5 -> 10

Mace Mastery 5 -> 10

Dagger Mastery 1 -> 10

A few more of her skills had progressed without her focusing on them.

Reading 7 -> 8

A Face Among Many 6 -> 7

Running 7 -> 8

Alexandra closed her journal. Before standing up, she gathered her mana threads and restrained them within her core. She had decided to prioritize her training before starting the skill quest for Mana Concentration. Both Drain Life and Aggressive Assimilation needed her to extend her threads to use them. Between delaying a skill quest for a few days and giving up on the regeneration that made her abusing the dungeon possible, the choice had been easy.

Not keen on getting lost in the forest at night again, she tied the threads into a tight knot, hoping it would hold in her sleep, and lay down under a tent.

*

She was woken up close to sunrise, when a group of Bronzes exited the dungeon. Her threads had held, but she adjusted them anyway.

They came through the gate still arguing about something and stopped when they saw her.

She was lacing her boots.

One of them, stocky, a mace across his back, looked at the empty camp, then at her, then at the dungeon entrance behind him. She watched him.

“That’s her,” the woman beside him said quietly. Not quietly enough.

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Alexandra pulled the last knot tight and stood. They were four Bronzes, worn, one of them limping on his left side.

“You cleared it?” the stocky one asked.

“Most of it.” She wasn’t interested in discussing it. She picked up her pack and her gourd. “Are you heading back toward the library?”

They were.

She walked with them.

The Iron Library came into view before the walls of Kator. Alexandra and the group climbed the stairs to the hilltop and parted ways. She walked through courtyards, corridors, and past the tower into the Keeper side of the complex.

She didn’t cross anyone’s path until she reached the courtyard where she trained with Kashin. There were noises coming from within.

She smiled. The green-robed Keeper was there. She hadn’t been sure, but she tried anyway. Now that her skills were maxed, she couldn’t wait to get to the next step.

She pushed the door of the courtyard open and took in the scene.

A tall, black-haired, Bronze rank boy was fighting against her teacher. Well, fighting wasn’t quite the right term for what was happening here. He was trying, and she knew the feeling all too well.

The Emerald Rank Keeper was a true master. It was not surprising she or other students couldn’t faze him.

Kashin swept his foot behind the boy, sending him rolling to the ground.

Alexandra raised her eyebrows as she saw his face.

Zamar.

She was half-tempted to turn back. I’m a fucking adult. I shouldn’t be scared of a kid.