The Dragon's Wrath: Ashes of the Fallen

Chapter 47: Fourth Floor

(Sunday, May 30th Game Day / Friday, February 19th Real Day)

"How's the mask?" I asked as I sat down to recover my mana.

"Not bad, never gave it a thought," replied Barik enthusiastically.

Not bad might have been an understatement.

The bandanas weren't perfect but they certainly helped.

My eyes still burned but my nose and throat were markedly improved, and now that we were clearing through the fourth floor which was considerably worse than the previous floors, I was sold on its usefulness.

It wasn't anything special, not even close to an ingenious idea.

Mainly, it seemed like I was the only one to jump on it.

Perhaps others thought the same thing and were already wearing masks of their own. No one else had been advertising it or attempting to sell and make profit off of it to my knowledge. Though I would need to check with the store clerk to ensure sales were being made, I had little doubt now that I could turn a small profit.

I had invested nearly ten silver coins so far, and if that turned into fifteen silvers by the end of the week, I would be more than satisfied.

Well, that could all wait for later.

"So, this AoE comp we're running, all according to plan?" I questioned somewhat sarcastically. "I'm almost of the opinion that we could run four mages… sorry priest."

"Hah, I reckoned it would work, didn't expect this much though," he answered.

"You mean clearing each floor in under twenty minutes?" I said, laughing to myself.

To think we had already found a way to power through the dungeon by using three different types of Area of Effect magic. We started with the fire mage's [Flame Wave], then my [Chain Lightning] came next, and then the frost mage followed up last with [Freezing Rain]. Though it was a bit tricky to pull off, as soon as my AoE hit Barik would rush in and taunt them with [Call to Challenge] and then tank them inside the affected radius of [Freezing Rain].

It was an odd spell that did percentage health damage every half second, ramping up over time. The longer a target stayed inside the rain, the more damage it would take. There was a slow applied by the spell but it also needed time to build up, and the first two to three seconds were basically harmless.

Though, if one could hold a target inside for five or more seconds, serious damage could be done. By itself it was incredibly weak and hard to use. Even in conjunction with my one-second crowd control and Barik running in a second later, it was still hard to keep the targets locked together.

Well, at least the fights were ending in ten seconds flat.

It certainly sped the trash clearing up.

In an hour and a half we had already disposed of the fourth floor's trash mobs and were now resting before the boss. We had skipped the fourth floor last time I was here as the Aussies had to get some sleep, and from what Barik told me, the last party right before this one struggled with the third boss.

So, this was the heavy-hitter group Barik constructed to ensure forward progress. We were the best available, at the moment at least, and four of them were from the same guild. I was the only outsider, the not-so-random pug. Being the only pug was a bit of a misnomer though, seeing as the acronym stood for pick-up group, but that was how the internet worked. Language rules didn't apply to slang, really.

I had some pride in being a pug.

Not to boast, but I was a damn good find for a random.

I always carried my weight, and then some.

"Right, so what do we do 'ere?" asked Barik after everyone had finished recuperating. "This ain't looking like a piece of piss ye know."

I didn't really understand what he was saying, but I figured it had to do with the task at hand. The boss fight looked… rather difficult, to be fair.

"Same as before, she'll be right," chimed in the fire mage.

"You think you can handle two guards there, Barik?" I asked seriously, as I started to doubt if we could actually pull this fight off. The fire mage was brimming with confidence but I didn't share in his enthusiasm. The third floor's boss of one [Goblin Guard] plus three [Goblins] and one [Goblin Priest] wasn't that difficult but there was little room for error in that fight. Now, we had two [Goblin Guards], one [Goblin], one [Goblin Archer] and one [Goblin Priest]. The group composition changed, drastically.

Just the two [Guards] alone would be tough, let alone the rest of the changes.

I wasn't really sure of what to expect.

"Maybe Sigurd, unlikely though," replied Barik. "Yer getting spoiled here Ethan, lucked out that yer second trip takes ye to the fourth boss, this ain't going to be as easy as yer thinkin'."

"Ey it's just a goblin, nothing we haven't fought before," countered Ethan.

"We could AoE and then split-tank them," I suggested after some thought.

Two guards would be difficult for one person, even if he was a good tank. We didn't have the gear or level or proficiency yet to take on multiple guards. I was certain we could at least hold our own against one guard each though, so as long as the little guys fell quickly there wouldn't be an issue.

"I'm still pissed ye 'ave a better shield than me," said Barik with clear displeasure on his face. "How did ye luck out to get that, and I'm stuck with this 'ere cracked board."

"Well, that guard on the right looks like he has the same shield, you won't have to wait too long now," I replied, with a wink for good measure.

"Meh," he said somewhat laughably.

"So, want to give the same strategy a try?" I asked, as I looked around at the faces of the four other party members. "Start it with AoE, lead into freezing rain, and we'll tank them inside of it for as long as we can?"

"Give it a go," stated Barik without any hesitation. "We'll adjust if need be."

"She'll be right," repeated Ethan the fire mage.

"Oi, if you two take too much damage, I won't be able to split heal," said the healer after he had been silent for some time. "Take two big hits each and one of you is dying."

"It'll be fine Alan," said Barik with a nod, seemingly having recovered his confidence. "Let's give 'er a go then?"

"Yeah, start it up Ethan," I said as I stepped out and got into position.

Taking a deep breath, I exhaled slowly to relieve some of the tension that had been building. Barik and I were front and center with the two mages to the right, while the healer sat safely behind. The room we were in was much smaller than the third floor's boss room, and only a quarter of the size of the first floor's boss room... I didn't even want to think about the fifth floor. Everything had shrunk, downsized to the point where it was beginning to feel claustrophobic.

The smoke was thick and clouded our vision while the floor remained slippery from the abundance of moss; the air itself, was damp and overly humid considering the scenery.

Well, maybe it was appropriate after all.

We were four floors underground in a mining complex after all.

There was obviously some underground stream that was contributing to the excessive moisture in the air, and on top of that the torches and campfires that were constantly burning had thinned the air to the point where I felt starved of oxygen.

It was a weird mixture of dry ash combined with stagnant, humid air that was hard to get used to. But ash and smoke were the least of my worries now and the dim-lighting was decent enough.

It was the lack of oxygen that had started to get to me.

We were all breathing a little heavier than before, and being short of breath wasn't exactly conducive towards our victory conditions. This whole dungeon was rather unpleasant really, and I was of the opinion that once I finished farming it, I would never return.

The goblins still looked the same though.

They didn't care, oblivious to their surroundings, enjoying the warmth of the campfire and their rodent snacks. They were still disgusting to look at, creatures that shouldn't be witnessed in the light… but finding them lurking in the shadows was a whole new horror.

The goat-like eyes, the slit-like noses, the fangs, odd spade-like ears… that unimaginably wrinkly skin that was excessively oily and greasy looking. Even after I had slaughtered well over a hundred of them, I still wasn't used to being around them.

Plainly put, I didn't enjoy being in their presence.

They were revolting.

Ah, but this sound was comforting.

The sound of conjured fire swirling about as the man known as Ethan began a chanted verse of his most powerful explosive spell, [Flame Wave]. He worked the fire between his hands as if he were kneading dough, constraining then expanding, repeating, then finally, raising his arms and holding steady at chest-level.

He was a second away from releasing.

The other mage had begun his own process a blink after, as his hands glowed with a pale white hue, arms held above his head. The action wasn't where the hands were though. One look at the goblins in front of me and a small cloud of gray and white mist had formed above their heads, hardly noticeable unless you squinted and knew what to look for. He was a second away from releasing, as well.

Now, it was my turn.

I was already ready to go though, and just like that it started.

"Flame wave!" yelled out Ethan as he thrust both arms forward, and with a sudden surge the literal wave of flame rushed out in a conical form, completely washing over the goblins as they sat unaware. The smaller, normal goblins were knocked back from the impact and the intense heat as they screamed in sudden agony but the flames soon dispersed, leaving only the smell of burnt flesh and rising smoke as the raging goblins were left attempting to stand back up.

As they turned their focus towards the mage that had assaulted them, the grayish-white mist above them started to pour down on them. Small droplets of freezing rain fell and instantly froze on contact with the goblins, immediately turning into frost. As the single centimeter droplets soon began to double in number, the goblins could be seen visibly changing color before our very eyes, as their skin started to turn white as more and more droplets began to freeze on impact.

The goblins had already made it back on their feet, unfazed by the rain as they grabbed their weapons and began to charge. They managed a step, only to find themselves stuck in place as lightning arced through each and every one of them.

Temporarily paralyzed, the goblins found themselves struggling to move as the frost built up and slowed their movements. Realizing the critical nature of the situation, the goblin priest immediately attempted to start a healing spell but was soon hit with a small burst of flame that sent it tumbling to the ground.

And then as the other goblins regained their composure, I finished my second cast, a lightning bolt directly into the second goblin guard. It roared at me as it raised its shield and thrust its spear out, but I had already prepared as I easily blocked and counter attacked with my axe. With a quick swing I forced the guard to defend itself as I pushed it back, back into the freezing rain that was now pelting my skin.

Barik had managed the same as he taunted the goblins and used a [Shield Bash] to push his guard a step back. Out of the corner of my eye I watched as the goblin priest fell to another [Fire Blast] and turned my attention back onto the guard in front of me. A [Lunge] came at me in the blink of an eye as I twisted my core, narrowly avoiding the blow only to find an arrow hitting me in the shoulder.

I winced, but that was all I could afford.

A [Heavy Thrust] followed as I blocked it with my shield but the impact made my knees buckle as I instinctively braced with both arms. The spear nearly pierced the shield as I heard the distinct cracking sound of wood breaking inches from my face.

Another arrow landed in my chest but didn't pierce my leather and fur, as I readied my axe for another swing. I had started to shake from the cold rain as my body began to freeze and lock up, my movement already slowed and impaired.

I just needed to hold on.

Another blow came, this time easily deflected as it glanced off my shield and allowed for another counter. My readied axe itching to be released, I swung with a side-ways motion attempting to catch the exposed neck of the creature yet found myself smashing into wood a split-second later. The axe bounced as I nearly lost my grip, but I redoubled my efforts and thrust my shield into the goblin's own as we battled for positioning.

Digging my heels into the ground, I began to push forth with both arms behind my shield as the goblin guard was forced to do the same. Rain was continually pouring on the two of us as we struggled for physical superiority, unwilling to give in. Putting my head down and giving it another shove, I managed to overpower the goblin for a split second as it stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

In its desperation, it quickly lashed out with its spear, thrusting wildly and as rapidly as it could, only without any leverage or force behind it as it lay pathetically on its back. A quick step backwards and I was outside of the rain as ice cold water rolled down my face. I was completely drenched and nearly frozen over, but now, the frost had started to melt.

The goblin guard attempted to get back up as quickly as he could, but I had already prepared for this moment. With an outstretched arm and an open palm, I began a channel of electricity that connected the two of us. With the tether established, the lightning pulsated wildly as I watched the guard attempt to resist. The creature had a high willpower and was quickly regaining his composure, but it didn't really matter.

The goblin guard had been inside the freezing rain for almost ten seconds now, and it was nearly entirely white. Its movements slowed as it got to a knee, then as it attempted to stand up it stopped moving entirely. I ceased my channel as I surveyed the room, only to find that where five goblins had been leisurely enjoying their freedom less than a minute ago, there were now five frozen statues and a nearly frozen dwarf.

"You alright there, Barik?" I asked calmly.

"I'm a friggin' popsicle, damn," he replied as he stood there shaking.

I was shaking too, but it was only cold, nothing more nothing less.

The frost mage stopped channeling his [Freezing Rain] as the group gathered around the frozen goblins, eager at our prospects. It wouldn't take too long for them to defrost but they were kind of anxious to check the loot.

"That seemed, almost… too easy," I said after some time had passed.

"Told you she'd be right," said Ethan.

"Easy for you maybe, both of your health pools were dropping incredibly fast there at the end," spoke up Alan. "It wasn't that easy to heal you two."

"If I weren't so damn chilly after, I would be in love with that strategy," said Barik as he frantically rubbed his arms to try and warm up.

I had a better idea though, and reignited the campfire that the goblins had been using prior. It had been put out from the rain, but the wood was still usable.

All it took was a little fire magic to get it going again.

Not that I had sufficient control or proficiency in fire magic.

All I could manage was the equivalent of a strong lighter.

It wasn't too bad though; came in handy more often than not.

Warming up at the fireside, I already knew that the loot wasn't of any use to me. During the fight I was able to get a closer look at all of the items that the goblins used, thanks to my hyper-attentiveness recording all of the useless information that entered my field of view.

My memory was in shambles from all of the concussions, but strangely the more useless aspects still worked better than intended. I would rather be able to divide and do multiplication in my head without it taking a few minutes, only to question the results. That assumed I was even able to complete the problem in the first place, which wasn't really a guarantee.

Eh, nothing I could do about that though.

My brain simply didn't work normally anymore.

Normal, being a relative thing.

"Anything you want Sigurd?" asked Alan after he had started to pick through the items. "I think you already have all of these pieces… less you want a backup?"

"Nah I'm good, thanks though," I replied quickly and sincerely.

"Fifth floor?" Barik asked bluntly not more than a second after I had spoken.

"Should we return to the town first, to pick up the quest?" I added on top of Barik's question. "From what I've read, there's a bonus for the first group that completes the dungeon and the dungeon's quest chain. It would be worth it."

"You mean what that forum post was talking about, with that dungeon in the central kingdoms?" inquired Ethan as he playfully shot miniature fireballs into the campfire.

"Yeah, according to the guild that cleared it first, just two weeks ago, they received a huge bonus to their experience and reputation reward from the quest chain, along with some spiffy new title," I started to explain while stretching out in front of the fire. "I think it would be worth it to grind this out and be the first group to clear it, reputation bonuses are hard to come by in this game."

"Right, I agree," replied Barik succinctly. "Any other opinions from ya lot?"

"None here," said Ethan.

"I'm fine with that," said the frost mage that had been mostly quiet.

"It's such a long walk though," complained Alan at the end. "That's at least thirty minutes of our time just walking. I don't even think we can clear the boss."

"He has a point," chimed in Ethan with a disappointed look on his face. "I mean, we don't even know what the fifth boss looks like… it could be something outrageous."

Everyone had gone silent for a moment to think things over, as I started to wonder if there was any merit to what was said. It was true that we didn't know how powerful the fifth boss would be, and there was a good chance it might be too strong for us to handle. What worried me, was that there were two [Goblin Guards] this time around. That meant there could even be three next time, and three was one too many for me.

"I'm in favor of clearing the trash and taking a peek," I finally said, shrugging my shoulders as if it wasn't too important. "There is the chance it's too tough for us."

"I don't mind either way," replied the frost mage as he sat idly by.

Ethan nodded, as did Alan and now all we were waiting for was Barik who seemed to be lost in deep thought. He was definitely thinking of something, but it was taking far too long. And then he surprised us all with his random outburst, "bah this sucks, can't even bring a handle with me, if this were a computer I could have been drinking!"

Four pairs of eyes were locked on the man as we tried to hold in a laugh.

"What are ye lookin' at," said a puzzled Barik. "Got somethin' on me nose?"

"Uh right," I said with a confused expression displayed clearly on my face. "Let's clear the fifth floor then, shall we… I don't think Barik is mentally with us at the moment."

"What nonsense, I'm just a step ahead of ye all!" he bellowed as he confidently started to walk down the next passageway. The rest of us let out a laugh and followed suit. Heading down the narrow tunnel that led to the fifth floor… a floor that was in even worse condition than the fourth.

That was to be expected, though.

The air quality was horrendous and my eyes had instantly started to water as I could barely see what was ahead of me in the dark tunnel. A few steps further and I knocked my head on a low-hanging rock that instantly sent a sharp pain through my skull and deep into my neck.

I cursed under my breath and became pissed as I anticipated the oncoming massive headache and all of the other issues I was used to experiencing. Impaired vision, the ringing in my ears, clouded judgment, those were all things that had manifested and lingered after my previous head injuries… and now, I was so susceptible that the smallest impacts sent my mind a flutter.

But, nothing happened; the pain simply washed away.

"Ah… that's right," I whispered to myself.

We were in a game, my mind was fine.

I was still moody, angry that I had accidently hit something once again. I didn't consider myself a clumsy person, but when a little bump happened, it always seemed to end with the worst possible outcome. I faltered in that other boss fight and ended up stabbed and in ghost-form shortly after, from such an infinitesimal lapse in judgment.

Oh well, it is what it is.

It didn't take long for us to reach the first group of trash mobs on the fifth floor, but when we did… well, we were all a bit surprised. They were a step above the rest, and to call them trash was incorrect in every sense.

Yeah, even I didn't expect this kind of change.

"Can you believe it?" Alan asked while scratching his head.

"Nothin' surprises me anymore," said Barik while shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, we'll get plenty of practice in," I said casually as I looked over the situation. In front of us were a level forty-four [Outcast Goblin Guard], a forty-four [Goblin Priest], two level forty-five [Goblins] and lastly a level forty-five [Goblin Archer]. That lineup was essentially on par with the third floor's boss, if not slightly better.

There were also seven such groups on the way to the fifth and final boss now, which wasn't going to be a cake walk. Sure, it wouldn't be too bad, but we would have to take a break after every sub-boss fight… in the end, I was expecting it to waste a lot of our time.

And my expectations came true.

After nearly an hour of clearing through the seven groups we had finally made it to the fifth floor's final boss, the final boss of the dungeon. The fights were a lot harder than those on the fourth floor, and only a step below the previous boss fight. Barik broke three shields on the way, but was able to replace them every time with another [Cracked Aspis] off each [Guard].

We had actually amassed a rather sizeable collection of fourteen sixty-copper swords and seven spears from the trash on the fifth floor alone, plus the seven shields that were used to replace Barik's shattered ones.

It was quite the haul really.

The only thing I found disappointing was the bow that the [Goblin Archer] dropped.

It was a fairly basic bow, a [Crude Practice Reflex Bow] which was a poor quality, common grade item and was maybe worth fifty copper at the trade post. The only benefit to a Reflex bow was its shorter length compared to the Recurve bow I was using, which made it easier to use in the tight confines of the mining complex.

My [Old Hunter's Recurve Bow] was a decent quality, common grade item that was fairly good for the level and didn't cost me that much in trade. It had good range, was accurate enough, and if it did break, I wouldn't mind.

The cost to acquire it wasn't that bad really.

In the end though, there were hardly any items worth picking up as an upgrade and everything was considered vendorable. Ah, but we couldn't really complain, we were making a couple hundred copper each easily from the fifth floor alone. If anything, despite the harshness of the fights, the increase in experience and monetary value of the loot was certainly worth it.

Yeah, I had no complaints there.

Now, all that was left was the final boss.

"I'm thinkin', we've got no shot," said Barik to break the silence.

"Yeaaaaah, that looks impossible," followed up Ethan.

Alan and the frost mage just stood there silently, waiting for the rest of us to make our decision. I was in agreeance with them, as the goblins that were gathered in a line were beyond the normal scope of the dungeon. To say it deviated greatly wasn't an exaggeration… in fact, I'm not even sure why it changed so much.

The final boss' entourage had completely betrayed the style and theme of the dungeon. We had been fighting groups of five goblins from the very start, eight groups of five goblins per level, for four levels plus seven groups from the fifth. That was thirty-nine groups of five goblins… yet now, we were faced with a group that defied the dungeon's logic.

There were two rows of goblins, lined up on display.

The first row featured seven [Outcast Minor Goblins] at level thirty-five, then the second row featured seven goblins all at level forty-five. At the wings there were [Outcast Goblin Archers], one on either side. Then followed [Outcast Goblin Priests] just inside, one of each as well. Then came the [Outcast Goblin Guards] flanking the singular goblin at the center, the same ones that were considered the "boss" of the sub-boss or mini-boss fights prior.

Now they were actually living up to their namesake.

They were actual guards here.

That goblin that was in the center was special, it even had the name for it.

The [Outcast Goblin Chief] stood taller than all the rest and was clearly well-built and well-equipped in comparison to all the other goblins we had previously faced.

Goblins were short creatures, ranging from four feet tall to five feet tall, but this [Chief] was at least five foot six, with powerfully built shoulders and a weapon that truly stood out. The [Chief] was armed with a halberd, of roughly the same length as the [Old Dory] that a [Guard] used… only, instead of being a simple spear, it also had an axe-head on one side and a hook on the other.

A pole-axe with three distinct uses, at around seven feet in length, would prove problematic. It also had leather armor that covered its entire body, leg guards, arm guards, pants, vest, shoulder pads, and gloves and boots. The only thing it was missing was a helmet; it wore some kind of bone crown instead.

Thankfully, it didn't have a shield, but the guards on either side of him still had their shield and spear combo… and the three of them would pose quite a problem.

I, actually, didn't want to even risk it.

"I'm thinking we pass on this fight," I said with some regret. "Even if the fourth floor's boss was smooth, I don't have the confidence that we make it out here, not yet."

"This fight's a whole 'nother level," said Ethan while shaking his head.

"How strong ye figure that chief is?" asked Barik plainly.

"At least stronger than the guard," I replied quickly. "Creature hierarchy is almost always based on strength, especially seeing as their intelligence is quite low. I wouldn't be surprised if that chief had all the proficiency skills of both axe and spear."

It was needless to say, but I said it anyways.

The strong ruled over the weak in nature, and unless its intellect was vastly superior to make up the difference, there was a significant likelihood that the chief was easily twice as strong as the guard standing by its side. If it could utilize multiple skills, I'm not sure how we could even possibly tank it along with the two guards at the same time.

The most likely strategy that came to mind was to AoE bombard the creatures and have me take up two guards while Barik picked up the chief, but my AoE could only hit five targets. Seeing as there were fourteen targets, my chain lightning wasn't going to be all that useful.

I needed to increase my proficiencies… I needed my fourth tier lightning spell.

"I think we should grind this dungeon out a few more times," I said after thinking things through. "Get our fourth tier spells and come back and give it a shot. I've got another AoE that might help, and I'm going to see if I can find a proficiency trainer for shield-bearing and axes."

"Right, we'll need to be on top of our game for this fight," replied Barik with a nod.

"So we're done for today?" asked Alan seemingly out of the blue.

"Ah, yeah, I guess we are," I answered.

The group immediately started packing up all of the loose items and began to head out towards the dungeon exit. It was a bit of a walk but it gave us time to chat over the future prospects. Ending on a high-note wasn't such a bad thing anyhow, better than dying and losing experience needlessly, at least.

"Until we can safely clear the fourth boss with ease, I doubt we stand much of a chance on that fifth boss," I said while walking behind Barik.

"Might be a few days, a couple more levels," he replied calmly.

"Thinking at forty-five you can take them?" I asked.

"Ye know levels don't mean much, need to improve our skills first," Barik stated with confidence. He was right after all, levels weren't the singular focus in this game, nor was gear really. The game was based on ability, where proper strategy and teamwork, and inherent skill outweighed ten or twenty levels. Gear was important of course, but it didn't factor quite as heavily in the early stages of the game.

So for now, the most important aspect was to train our proficiencies, to learn how to utilize our abilities in actual combat, and to master the system. It wasn't easy to learn how to be a swordsman in a couple of weeks, but the game helped out a little there.

I couldn't explain it and I didn't really understand it.

The game had a way of speeding up a person's natural rate of absorption when it came to learning and acquiring new skills. One of the many things we tested in the Alpha and Beta phase was how rapidly we could learn something previously unbeknownst to us.

The rate was astounding… what would take someone months if not years could take weeks within the game, and after a few months of experience we were almost on par with an average swordsman who had spent half his life training.

That didn't necessarily translate outside of the game, but inside it, we were Gods.

My vague understanding of the system was of no matter though, for the end result was the most important thing. I could compete in close combat with melee weapons, I could utilize magic in unbelievable ways, and I had physical abilities beyond the normal scope of human limitations.

In this game, we were all well on our way to becoming superhuman.

And I loved every second of it.

"If you've got a few hours every day to grind this place, I think we should all do so, with the same group," I said as we reached the exit. "With this comp, we could probably start some serious speed runs and clear the entire place within two hours."

"If we knocked this place out in two-hours… that's at least two levels per run," said Alan. "I mean, it would slow down eventually, but we could hit level fifty in a week at that rate. I'm in, every evening I'll make myself available."

"Yeh, no better way to grind proficiencies than 'ere anyways," said Barik.

"Same time?" asked Ethan.

"Yeah, I'm good with that if you all are," I replied while glancing at the frost mage that rarely spoke. "How about it, think you can make it?"

"No problem, I'll be on," he stated calmly as he stood by the portal, waiting to exit.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow then ey?" I stated more than asked as I gave a half-assed salute-like wave goodbye. As the group parted and exited one by one, I went through the dungeon portal last and found myself standing amongst a dozen parties looking to enter.

Three of our five members were wearing masks to cover our mouths and noses while inside the dungeon, and a quick glance at the crowd gathered in front of the portal brought a smile to my face. We weren't the only ones wearing masks here… that most likely meant I had made a small sum of copper coins back in town.

I was succeeding on multiple levels at the moment and that made things exciting.

Especially the fact that we were progressing so smoothly through the dungeon, having finished the fourth boss and to now be on the fifth part of the quest chain… that was something I never expected when I first set out to answer the Call to Arms.

Ah, the thought of being able to hit level fifty within a week was tempting.

I wanted to grind nonstop until I couldn't grind anymore, but there was little reason to do that. No one had reached level fifty yet, though the leader boards showed quite a few nearing it at forty-seven. I was only thirty-four at the moment, though in effective level I was much higher thanks to the attribute bonuses of the Ultra-Realism program.

Even so, I was still woefully behind.

Barik was already forty-one, as was his healer friend Alan. The frost mage was at level thirty-eight and Ethan the fire mage was already thirty-nine.

That left me at the bottom, so to speak.

I wasn't holding them back any, but I was somewhat behind considering my advantages. Well, I couldn't complain, I invested so much of my time on extra-curricular activities while they all focused on their levels.

So, in reality, I was still way ahead of the curve.

What bothered me though, were the ones at the front of the leaderboards, the ones from the large guilds that were clearing through dungeons and claiming territory at a breakneck pace. It wouldn't be long before they started to attempt to conquer the surrounding weaker territories… the time was coming, everyone was aware of it, it was a question of when, not if.

That was human nature… and that was one of the large draws of the game. This was never meant to be a game with only a Player versus Environment aspect to it, Player versus Player was supposed to be equally as prominent. Of course, there was the whole immersion aspect as well, which I personally found the most enjoyable.

To me, this game was an adventure game, an escape from my pathetic reality first and foremost. Secondly, it offered me the things I couldn't have in my real life… and then lastly, there was the entertainment factor. The game was all-encompassing, and so far, I had no complaints.

My only wish, was that I had a bit more time in the day to do everything that I wanted. There simply wasn't enough time… but that was life in general.

Oh well, one step after the other.

I'll get stronger first, then focus on building my kingdom.

Well, maybe I'll work on my kingdom a little too. A little change of scenery, a short break here and there, was good for the soul after all. Maybe I could take a day off and check out some livestock… I did want some goats and cows for my farm.

I had seen enough goblins to last me for a while anyways.

Yeah, that sounded like a plan.