Thirty unassigned stat points winked at me from my status screen, like tempting little devils whispering promises of future wizardly power. My inner Gandalf screamed, "Save them for the pointy hat and sparkly spells!" But the more immediate, less glamorous reality of thirty-odd angry skeletons, a mage, and a soldier was screaming louder. Survival first, epic wizardry later.
And the free skill points? They practically had "Great Sun Inner Energy Upgrade" tattooed on their digital foreheads. That measly +1 HP and SP regen per minute wasn't going to cut it against a skeletal horde. Time to invest.
First, the Great Sun Inner Energy skill. Level 2 required a mere two skill points. Spent. Level 3? Another three. Gone. Level 4? Four more. So long, future spell slots. Level 5 demanded five. Ouch. Fourteen skill points evaporated in the blink of a digital eye. But the reward? Oh, the reward was glorious:
[Great Sun Inner Energy Lv. 5]
[Passive Effect: +5 HP, +5 SP, +0.5 MP every minute.]
[+5 Vitality]
[+5 Strength]
Bingo. Not only was my passive regen now five times better, but the extra Vitality would boost my overall HP, and the Strength? Well, that aluminum bat wasn't going to swing itself.
I took a moment to assess the new, slightly sunnier me:
Kyle (Lv. 10)
HP: 172/280. (Still nursing those bony bruises)
MP: 250/250 ( useless for now )
SP : 154/250 (Slowly creeping back up)
Stats:
* STR: 15 ( +5 from Great Sun inner energy ) ( 20 )
* VIT: 15 ( +3 from arm guard ) (+5 from Great Sun inner energy ) ( 23 )
* DEX: 18 (+1 from title)
* INT: 15
* WIS: 14
* LUK: 27
Att: 30
Def:24
Eva: 19
* Unassigned Stat Points: 30 (Still resisting the urge!)
* Unassigned Skill Points: 33 (14 points used, but for a good cause!)
Okay, so I was still battered, but the passive regen was a game-changer. Now, about those thirty unassigned stat points… my inner wizard was weeping softly, but my inner survivor was doing a little jig. What stat needed a boost the most to not become skeleton chow?
Alright, stat points allocated! Three more notches in the Luck department – maybe I'd suddenly find a legendary sword lying in the dirt, or perhaps the skeletons would all trip over their own feet. A guy could dream. But the real game-changer was the twelve points dumped into Dexterity. Suddenly, in my mind, I was like a caffeinated squirrel – zipping, dodging, a blur of slightly-less-clumsy movement. Maybe those skeletal scythes wouldn't feel quite so… inevitable now.
I took a deep breath, feeling a sliver of something akin to confidence. Less like a newborn giraffe on ice skates, more like… a slightly more coordinated newborn giraffe on slightly less slippery ice. My movements felt quicker, smoother, at least in theory. And with my Luck stat now hitting a respectable 30, who knew what might happen? Maybe I'd find a twenty-dollar bill. Maybe a friendly ghost would offer me advice. Maybe the red skeleton mage would accidentally set its own robes on fire. (Please let that happen.)
Kyle (Lv. 10)
HP: 172/280. (Still nursing those bony bruises)
MP: 250/250 ( useless for now )
SP : 154/250 (Slowly creeping back up)
Stats:
* STR: 15 ( +5 from Great Sun inner energy ) ( 20 )
* VIT: 15 ( +3 from arm guard ) (+5 from Great Sun inner energy ) ( 23 )
* DEX: 18 (+1 from title)
* INT: 15
* WIS: 14
* LUK: 30 (+3 added)
* Unassigned Stat Points: 15
* Unassigned Skill Points: 33
Att: 30
Def:24
Eva: 31.5
(Congratulations on achieving slightly less face-planting. You're moving up in the world!)
Okay, new and (hopefully) improved me was ready-ish. Time to introduce the local undead population to my newly enhanced reflexes and moderately improved chances of not getting turned into a pile of bone meal. Let's do this. (Please let me survive this.)
Thirty minutes of semi-peace in the dusty shack, punctuated only by the gentle tick... tick... tick... of my HP and SP bars refilling thanks to the Great Sun's surprisingly effective passive boost. From critically low to full in half an hour? Not bad for solar-powered inner energy.
Stepping back out into the moonlit village felt a little less like a suicide mission. My enhanced Dexterity tingled with anticipation. Time to test these newfound reflexes on some unsuspecting boneheads.
And wouldn't you know it? The remaining twenty plus skeletons seemed to have organized themselves into neat little groups of five, spread out across the village. Talk about convenient. It was like the dungeon was saying, "Here, have some bite-sized undead snacks!"
The first group shambled into view – five rattling figures, their empty eye sockets glowing with that familiar eerie light. This time, it felt… manageable.
I darted forward, my movements feeling noticeably quicker, more fluid. A rusty scythe swung wide, and I actually managed to sidestep it with a degree of grace that would have made my pre-dungeon self weep with envy. My aluminum bat whistled through the air, connecting with a skull with a satisfying crack. Bone dust. One down.
The other four weren't much tougher. My improved Dexterity allowed me to dance around their clumsy attacks, each swing of the bat finding its mark. Thwack! Crack! Crunch! Four more skeletons dissolved into piles of inert bones.
Five down. Seventeen more to go. Maybe, just maybe, I could bat my way out of this bony mess.
This was almost… easy? Too easy. My inner alarm bells started to clang. This dungeon probably had a few more tricks up its dusty, undead sleeves. But for now, I was enjoying the feeling of not being constantly terrified and actually… winning.
The next group of five met the same fate. They were just more animated piles of calcium, easily dispatched with a few well-aimed swings.
The last skeleton crumbled into dust, and a notification pinged in my mind:
Ding!
[New Passive Skill Learned!]
[Blunt Weapon Mastery Lv. 1]
[All blunt weapon attack +10%]
"Sweet!" I breathed, a surge of adrenaline mixing with relief. My trusty aluminum bat just got a ten percent damage buff. Against a horde of boneheads? This was definitely a step in the right direction.
Ten more down. Only twelve skeletons left standing between me and… well, whatever came after the regular skeletons.
My HP and SP were still near full, thanks to the Great Sun's steady trickle. My cardboard armor was surprisingly intact, a testament to my slightly improved dodging skills (and maybe the skeletons' terrible aim). I was starting to feel like I could actually do this. Take on the remaining skeletons, the mage, the soldier… maybe even get out of this creepy place with all my bones intact. (Fingers crossed. Metaphorically, of course, since my fingers were currently gripping a baseball bat.)
Creeping through the shadows of the deserted village, I finally located the remaining undead congregation. Twelve of them, gathered in the dusty village square. My Appraisal skill went to work immediately:
[Skeletal Mage (Lv. 12)]
Crap. That's dangerous.
[Skeletal Warrior (Lv. 9)]
[Skeleton (x10) (Lv. 7-8)]
My earlier confidence took a nosedive. A level twelve mage? That was way above my pay grade. The skeletal warrior, clad in bits of rusty armor and looking surprisingly menacing with its sword and shield, was no slouch either. And the ten regular skeletons? Levels 7 and 8. These weren't the tutorial trash mobs anymore.
But then, a glimmer of hope:
[Skeletal Entities (All Types)]
[Weakness: Blunt Force]
"Okay," I muttered, gripping my bat tighter. "Blunt Weapon Mastery versus a whole lot of bony faces that are apparently allergic to aluminum. Let's see how this goes." This wasn't going to be easy. Not by a long shot. But that weakness… that was my only real shot. Time to go full baseball bat berserker.
I took a deep breath, aimed for the mage's brittle skull, and charged. Years of gaming had taught me: mages are glass cannons. Hit them hard, hit them fast. My aluminum bat connected with a sickening crack. Bone shards flew. It worked! The mage staggered, its red glow flickering, but it was still standing. Curses.
Its bony hands clawed at the air, and a ball of fire erupted from the tip of its staff. Not a little spark either – a full-on, cartoonishly large fireball. My newly acquired Dexterity finally earned its keep. I reacted on instinct, leaping sideways just as the fireball whooshed past, leaving a trail of heat in the air. I landed awkwardly but immediately swung the bat again, connecting with the mage's skull a second time. This time, the crack was final. The red glow extinguished, and the skeletal mage collapsed into a pile of lifeless bones and a clattering staff.
Then, my Luck stat apparently decided to throw me a bone (pun intended). As the mage's body hit the ground, the residual magical energy of the dissipating fireball erupted in a small, uncontrolled explosion. And wouldn't you know it? The blast radius just happened to perfectly encompass the armored skeleton warrior, who was lumbering towards me, sword raised. The explosion wasn't huge, but it was enough to send the armored skeleton clattering to the ground in pieces. Guess even rusty armor wasn't fireproof.
I stared at the two piles of bone dust, slightly singed and definitely surprised. "Well," I muttered. "That was… efficient."
The remaining ten tougher skeletons were still advancing, but their mini-bosses were gone. They were definitely stronger and faster than the early dungeon fodder, but without their magical support and armored leader, they just felt… manageable. Time to clean up the rest of this bony mess. My aluminum bat was still feeling surprisingly enthusiastic.
The remaining ten tougher skeletons advanced, but without their mage and warrior, they were just more animated bone piles. My aluminum bat sang its song of blunt force trauma, and one by one, they crumbled into dust. It wasn't easy – they were definitely stronger than the first wave – but my improved Dexterity and Blunt Weapon Mastery made the difference. Dodging their clumsy attacks and landing solid hits became almost routine. Thwack. Crunch. Dust. Repeat ten times. Finally, the last skeleton fell. Silence descended upon the dusty village.
Ding!
[Emergency Quest Completed!]
[Rewards: Assorted Rusty Weapons (may spontaneously disassemble), Tattered Armor Pieces (guaranteed to chafe), Various Bones (surprisingly lightweight), 360 Ancient Coins (currency of a long-dead civilization, vendor acceptance not guaranteed), 172 Soul Shards (do NOT lick), 3 HP Potion (F Grade) (may or may not be water with red food coloring), 3 MP Potion (F Grade) (tastes vaguely of static), 3 Stamina Potion (F Grade) (gives you a burst of energy followed by intense regret), Skill Book: Basic Mana Manipulation (congratulations, you can now wiggle your fingers fancily), Permit to Exit Dungeon Acquired!]
[+$300 (spend it wisely, adventurer! May we suggest a hazmat suit?)]
[+500 XP (you're getting stronger! Soon you'll be able to carry even MORE rusty junk!)]
[Level Up! (your knees crackle with newfound power!)]
Sweet freedom at last! I was pretty sure I'd coughed up a lung made of bone dust, and my cardboard armor was now held together by sheer willpower and the faint hope of escape. But the loot! Oh, the loot. Ancient coins, creepy shards, and enough questionable potions to host a very sad medieval pharmacy.
And then there it was: a Skill Book! "Basic Mana Manipulation." My inner wizard did a little happy dance. Maybe those saved stat points wouldn't go to waste after all . Maybe I could finally learn to make things glow.
Plus, actual cash and a level up! Not bad for a night that started with me trying to find a midnight snack. Time to use this "Get Out of Jail (Undead Edition)" card before the system decided I needed to fight a skeletal tax collector. My bed, bless its non-ancient heart, awaited.
Kyle (Lv. 11)
HP: 340/340.
MP: 260/260
SP : 340/340
Stats:
* STR: 16 (+5 from Great Sun inner energy ) (21)
* VIT: 16 ( +3 from arm guard ) (+5 from Great Sun inner energy )( 24 )
* DEX: 31 (+1 from title)
* INT: 16
* WIS: 15
* LUK: 30
* Unassigned Stat Points: 20
* Unassigned Skill Points: 38
Att: 31
Def:25
Eva: 32.5