System Change

Derek reappeared in the dungeon just as he had previously done. When he looked around, he was still in the enclosed stone room. The only difference was that he was alone this time. He slid the tomb door open and stepped out into the graveyard.

Looking around, Derek could see that the amount of skeletons he was going to have to fight was not nearly as abundant as they were when the dungeon was in ‘Extreme Overflow.’ He identified the closest skeleton to him and confirmed his suspicions. The skeleton was only level 96 instead of level 100. So, the overflow affects everything from density to levels.

When he previously raided the dungeon, everything in the dungeon was level 100 or higher. If the skeletons this time around were only level 96, then it was possible that the level 110 Ghouls would be weaker too. It was unfortunate for Derek, as he would already be taking a hit by only getting half XP per kill while in a dungeon he’d already completed.

Now, how do I want to do this? I may not be able to get the full XP, but I should still be able to get quite a bit of skill proficiency. I have to use magic to complete the kill, so Chain Lightning would still be the quickest way. One thing was certain, he didn’t want to sever a bunch of heads then have to gather them again.

At that thought, Derek decided to channel the void into his fists and aim for the head. He also activated Greater Meditation so he would be able to work on advancing three skills all at once. He was slow while using Greater Meditation, but it didn’t matter. The skeletons were mindless.

Derek walked forward and began crushing the heads of all the Skeleton Warriors. The Skeleton Mages and Skeleton Archers hung back and pelted Derek with spells and arrows, but they didn’t do much. They only left minor scratches and burns, which were all healed within moments through Greater Meditation.

Occasionally, a bad would swoop down and kill itself on Derek’s fist. In no time, all of the melee skeletons were dealt with. For the ranged skeletons, Derek disabled Greater Meditation and went to work. The fight was over in minutes. Finally, Derek focused on the remaining bats. As they were flying creatures, they were the most troublesome for him to fight.

Luckily, they were dungeon monsters, so they always ended up attacking. In total, it took Derek around 15 minutes to clear the first wave of the dungeon. He was disappointed in the amount of enemies this time around, but it was still better than searching in the forest.

Before the next wave began, Derek ran around collecting all of the bat corpses. He enjoyed the silk like material that came from skinning them. He would most definitely have Brandi make him a few more shirts once they got settled.

The next wave started with the ghoul attacks. Derek was still weary about the different toxins and acids they produced, so instead of fighting closely with his fists, he switched to Chain Lightning. The ghouls were all level 100 this time around. A vast difference from what they were previously.

Derek’s already high leveled skill made short work of the ghouls. In fact, they ended up dying off much quicker than the skeletons. When every enemy rushes to slaughter, it tends to make things much simpler.

Derek knew what was coming next before it even happened. He rushed over the mountain of dead ghouls and to where he had killed the lich previously. The whole ordeal saddened Derek. It almost seemed like he was a spawn camper. Alas, before the enemy lich could even cast one spell, his phylactery was in Derek’s hand, then crushed between his fingers.

That was the end of the level 110 lich and thus, the end of his first repeat dungeon run.

He was not rewarded with any items or even any notifications upon completing the dungeon. Instead, the dungeon orb made its silent appearance and Derek exited. Everything would have been for naught if Derek hadn’t gotten five levels for all the kills he made.

With a flash, Derek, with his face and head covered, appeared in the camp outside the dungeon. In an instant, the old adventurer was next to Derek.

“Y-you didn’t die?” The man muttered.

“Of course not.” Derek replied. He expected to be battered with question after question, but he had no intention of answering most of them.

“But… you were alone…” The man said.

At that time, the old adventurer wasn’t the only person who made their appearance. Derek was surrounded by half the dungeon camp, at least.

“How did you do it?”

“Where’s the rest of your team?”

“Are you the only one who made it out alive?”

“What was the boss? Was it an undead dragon?”

Question after question was yelled out one after another. Most people hadn’t seen Derek enter the dungeon, so they believed he was the only survivor in his team. They had all heard rumors of the enemies in the dungeon, but the only people who truly knew were the one team that managed to complete it.

“Back off, back off.” The old adventurer shouted.

With that, everyone went quiet. They all knew that the old man was sent by the Adventurer’s Guild to oversee the dungeon. He had arrived at the dungeon before them, and he would most likely be there long after everyone gave up.

“Sir.” The adventurer spoke, his tone more humble than before. “Would you mind telling me about the dungeon? It would help to have a firsthand account of all the enemies, traps, bosses, and anything else you experienced during your run. With more information, less adventurers will lose their lives.”

Derek shook his head. “You know better than that.” He said to the man. “We just talked about greed and what it does to people. Do you really think knowing exactly what is in the dungeon will stop people from entering?”

The man shook his head. “No, probably not. But it would at least allow those adventurers the chance to prepare. If they know exactly what they are going to face, it will allow them to build their party around it.”

“What about that team that completed the dungeon?” Derek asked. “Didn’t they give you all the information you needed? Why do you need it from me?”

The man shook his head. “No. That was a team gathered from one of the upper noble houses. Other than some rumors spread, they didn’t leave us with anything. And we don’t want to listen to those rumors because we don’t know what is real or fake. Just think about those people pelting you with questions. We’ve heard everything from a dragon being the final boss to it being an undead chicken.”

Derek thought about everything for a moment before answering. “Fine. I’ll give you the information.”

“Thank you.” A gleam appeared in the man’s eyes. “It’s a pity seeing so much death these days… So, what can you tell me about the first wave? I hear there are skeletons.” The man took out some paper and a writing utensil.

Derek chuckled. “I’ll tell you, but later. I still have stuff to do.” He reached over and placed his left hand back on the dungeon orb.

“You’re not planning to go again, are you?” The man asked with wide eyes.

Derek smiled under his mask but didn’t answer. Before long, the countdown finished, and, under the shocked gazes of all those around him, he disappeared again.

Derek’s new priority had changed from completing the dungeon to speed running the dungeon. His previous time had been just less than 30 minutes, he wanted to try to lessen that. When he appeared in the tomb again, he didn’t waste any time. He shoved the door aside and began.

Derek continued this time and time again. After three runs, he was able to get his completion time down to under 20 minutes. It had also gotten to the point where nobody bothered him outside the dungeon. Sure, there were a few times where a lower leveled person would ask him to take him in just to gather the information himself, but Derek always refused.

After his fourth run, the dungeon camp was no longer in any type of frenzy. Everybody sat in a daze staring at the dungeon orb, finally accepting that someone was able to complete this terrible dungeon solo.

After completing the dungeon for the fifth time, Derek got a notification he hadn’t expected.

You have succeeded in completing five dungeons alone.

New Award Earned

Derek was quick to check on the new Award.

Lesser Solo Diver

By completing dungeons alone, you have experienced the hardships that come with not having a team to back you up. You will be awarded with the following:

+2% Stat Boost to all basic stats while solo diving.

Ability to instantly begin a dungeon dive.

Note: Continue diving solo to increase this Award’s effect.

Awesome. Currently, the 2% stat increase wasn’t a game changer, but if he continued to complete dungeons solo and increase its effects, it could become amazing. Not having to wait at the dungeon orb was a nice perk too.

Derek exited the dungeon and entered again. This time, he vanished seconds after placing his hand on the orb. With this ability, he was able to cut the time it was taking to level even shorter.

Some time later, Derek completed his ninth solo run. With that, he received another notification.

You have completed the same dungeon ten times.

New Award Earned

That’s an odd reason to receive an Award. Derek thought. Then, he looked at his newly received Award.

Lesser Repetitive Dungeoneer

With monotonous boredom comes Awards. You have steeled yourself and completed the same dungeon ten times. You will be awarded with the following.

5% Chance to obtain dungeon rewards upon completion of the same dungeon.

Note: Continue running dungeons multiple times to increase this Award.

Woah. Five percent wasn’t a lot, but the ability to be rewarded made grinding a dungeon easier to withstand.

Before exiting the dungeon, Derek looked at his level. Level 98, one or two more dungeons and I will hit level 100. It had been far too long since his last class upgrade.