Dungeon Salvation

Patrick winced as he ripped off the bone spike that was lodged in his shoulder. The barbed projectile dealt more damage on the way out than it did coming in. The thing was dripping with blood and a thick purple-black oil. A moment later, a golden ball of light dove into his body through his back, gathering at his shoulder and glowing increasingly brighter.

He could feel the healing spell neutralizing the chimera’s necrotic poison circulating in his veins. Soon enough, the glow diminished and vanished, leaving behind only unblemished skin. He threw a grateful look at his wife and saw his own exhaustion mirrored in her expression.

“That creature was much stronger than what we were led to believe,” stated Vanessa, gaze growing hard. “If it hadn’t been exceptionally weak against my light magic, we would both have died. There’s no way they could have mistaken an Artifact rank beast with a Legendary rank one. We were set up.”

Patrick nodded, agreeing with his wife, but decided against commenting for now. He always had trouble speaking his mind clearly when he got too angry and right now he was furious. They would definitely be having a ‘talk’ with Jack when they got back. For now though, he just watched the huge monster in front of them slowly turn to ash like a pile of autumn leaves scattering from a soft wind.

The dungeon reverts the corpses of the monsters killed within itself into energy, disintegrating them until there is nothing left behind. It then reclaims the majority of that energy for itself and crystallizes the rest into an energy crystal. Sometimes, a phenomenon occurs in which the reverted energy begins to resonate with itself and the environment in an unstable crescendo of power. When all that energy reaches a critical mass, it implodes, culminating into the creation of a single item. Far more valuable than energy crystals, the items formed in this manner came to be known as loot.

The value of an energy crystal is determined by the amount and type of energy it contains, which is in turn determined by the monster that energy came from. The energy contained in these crystals are used by all kinds of crafters in a myriad of ways, such as creating magic items and magically enhancing food. The broad scope of uses and insatiable demand resulted in this energy being adopted as a unified global currency.

The System classifies the different energy and mana types into a hierarchy of tiers that range from tier 1 to tier 10. Tier 1 mana types are the weakest and most basic of elemental mana such as fire and water mana. Below that is unaspected mana, popularly known as tier 0 mana, which can only be found in the weakest of monsters. Tier 10 mana, on the other hand, represent the pinnacle of power and embody cosmic and metaphysical concepts such as Order and Primordial Chaos. Due to the difference in rarity and power, the values per unit of different energy types vary greatly. In fact, even mana types of the same tier may have a significant difference in value due to a difference in demand.

Monsters and items are also classified into tiers of rarity, which are Common, Uncommon, Rare, Arcane, Epic, Ancient, Legendary, Artifact, Mythical, and Divine. Monsters of a higher rarity tier are much stronger than those of lower tiers and are more likely to utilize higher tiers of mana. Consequently, the energy crystals formed from higher tier monsters are typically more valuable than those formed of lower tier ones. Not only do they possess greater amounts of energy due to the monster’s greater power, they are more likely to contain energy of a higher tier. Powerful monsters are also far more likely to trigger the formation of loot.

It was with bated breath that Patrick waited for the dungeon to finish disintegrating the monster they had just slain. While the energy crystal formed from such a monster would undoubtedly be valuable, he couldn’t even begin to guess at the value of the loot such a monster might produce. It would be an Artifact rank item, at the very least, and dungeon loot tended to be more powerful and valuable than crafted items of the same rank.

Soon, all that was left of the corpse of the powerful Cursed Soul Chimera was a churning haze of pitch black and deep purple energy, inlaid with streaks of a pure gold. Nothing happened for several tense moments until slowly, the golden streaks began to converge, forming twenty splotches of golden power within the malevolent haze.

The golden energy then began to compress in on itself, glowing increasingly brighter the smaller it became. Soon, the small spheres of power were glowing so bright that they began to agitate the black and purple energy like a wind forming waves in the ocean. The waves of energy grew more violent by the second and their pattern turned chaotic. Those closest to the blinding lights became so volatile that they began to burn.

The golden energy slowly consumed its burning counterpart until it suddenly exploded in brightness and power, sucking more and more of the sinister energy towards itself in a violent maelstrom. When the black and purple energy was fully consumed, the golden spheres aligned themselves into a circle and drifted closer and closer until their edges touched. Finally, like an angel descending from the heavens, the circle floated down into the ground and fizzled out.

In direct contrast to the extravagant light show of moments ago, the loot formed into an innocuous dark bronze bead bracelet. Its aged and weathered appearance belied the immense power that went into its creation.

For the life of him, Patrick couldn’t sense any traces of energy from the thing. In fact, the bracelet’s only noteworthy feature was that the beads were joined like magnets instead of being strung. With anticipation, he gingerly picked up the bracelet and used the System Interface’s Analyze function, obtaining the item’s description.

*******

Soul’s Salvation

Artifact

Soul Weapon

20 beads formed from the remnant energy of the Cursed Soul Chimera, a powerful monster capable of using the energy of curses to strengthen itself greatly. This monster accomplished this feat by utilizing small traces of tier 8 Absolution mana to consume the curses it cultivated. However, during this item's formation, the Absolution mana consumed great amounts of curse energy, evolving into the tier 10 Salvation mana.

Upon binding this weapon, the following changes will take place

Replaces the Skill Bind Weapon with Soul Weapon.

Weapon rarity is lowered to the rank of Common.

Bonds to user’s System Interface, activating the Weapon System Interface

Absorbs negative energy directed at the user and may strengthen itself through the Weapon System Interface

Beads of Salvation is a soul bound weapon and binding to it will be permanent.

This weapon may be upgraded up to the rank of Divine.

*******

Soul weapons were highly coveted among weapon user types because of their ability of molding themselves to be perfectly compatible with their wielders. Once bonded, they regress to a Common rank weapon in every respect, except for their potential to evolve. With each evolution, the bond between weapon and wielder strengthens. For this reason, these weapons became increasingly prevalent among the strongest users despite their rarity.

The method and requirements for a soul weapon to evolve can vary greatly, but they have inherent limits in their natural growth potential. Upgrading them beyond these limits is several times more costly than simply obtaining higher ranked weapons. As a general rule, soul weapons can naturally evolve to the rank they were before bonding. However, the weapon Patrick held in his hands was an exception; it could be naturally upgraded to the highest possible rank.

Sharing a concerned look with his wife, Patrick wrapped the precious artifact in a green napkin and put the bundle in his pocket. While this weapon was an incredible treasure, neither of them were weapon users and something this valuable could get them killed. Therefore, they made the sensible choice and decided to hide it until they found someone they trusted to bind it.

*******

Unbeknownst to the couple, a hooded figure had been watching them since before they began battling the chimera. This figure was none other than Jack, who had plotted to have the couple killed by a monster far beyond their ability to handle. Then, if the opportunity arose, he would swoop in and finish the beast off. Now, he gritted his teeth in frustration and envy.

Jack was one of the few weapon user types in the world who specialized in curses rather than melee combat. A soul weapon formed from the energy of a Cursed Soul Chimera? It sounded like it was tailored to him, not to mention its terrifying ability to reach the Divine rank.

He knew that the Divine rank existed, of course, but had never seen a weapon, Skill, or monster at that rank. Just the prospect of wielding a Divine rank weapon was enough to send shivers down his spine, to say nothing of it being soul bound to him. He swore to himself then and there that he would acquire that weapon, no matter the cost.

Jack wanted the married couple dead for reasons that were completely divorced from robbing them. The healer had been bringing far too much attention to some of his more illegal business ventures. The dungeon’s depths were the only place beyond the reach of the world government, so he needed to take care of the issue here. Well, technically, they did have jurisdiction here as well, but guilt only mattered if you were caught, and even they had to abide by their own rules. The couple had to die, and now was the perfect moment to strike—exhausted and unaware as they were.

Jack gathered all his power for the strongest strike he could muster. It was all or nothing now and he went as far as to sacrifice a Mythical ranked treasure, using its energy to empower this single attack. He had to kill the couple here and salvage the situation, or they would return to the surface and accuse him of setting them up. Such accusations would finally give the law enforcement agencies the pretext they needed to investigate him, something he could not allow. After all, while he was a Grandmaster, they had a Sage. One that already hated his guts to begin with.

Jack’s bonded staff trembled with the power of the tier 7 Cursed Fate mana he channeled through it. He unleashed his strongest Skill, Curse of Damnation (Artifact), upon the couple before they could react. Countless pitch-back spheres of mana shot out from his staff at incredible speeds. Half the spheres adjusted their trajectory in midair, targeting the woman, while the other half curved toward the man.

The man reacted immediately, hastily activating a Skill to intercept the spheres of cursed energy by raising his enormous shield to absorb the attack. Most of the spheres had their trajectories altered in midair once more, this time directed toward the shield. However, despite the man’s valiant efforts, Jack knew it would be futile. The remaining spheres were more than enough to deal a devastating blow to the healer, who should have little to no mana. The tank would likely die outright after intercepting such a powerful attack.

The woman attempted to dodge the attack by using a Skill, flashing to the side, but the spheres simply adjusted their trajectory accordingly. When she ran out of mana a few flashes later, the attack struck her and she fell limply to the ground. It was only a small consolation to what happened when his attack struck the man’s shield.

The majority of the attack's energy seemed to be absorbed by the man’s pocket, greatly lessening the damage accrued. The weapon Jack desperately coveted was helping his enemies, causing him great frustration. The worst part was that the man remained in good enough condition to continue fighting even without the healer.

Jack, on the other hand, had exhausted all his mana in that attack and, most importantly, revealed his position. Therefore, he made the only logical choice given the current situation and ran away. Fleeing meant he could always try again another day and the Skill he used was not as straightforward as it seemed.

*******

Vanessa woke up lying in her bed, muscles clenched and eyes wide with panic. She abruptly jumped out of bed and immediately regretted it. Her muscles felt weak and her mind hazy, something truly remarkable given the value of her attributes. Her whole body hurt. She sat down on the bed after realizing she was not under attack and tried to calm down. She called out to her husband and immediately heard steps coming from the kitchen.

“Good morning love, how are you feeling?” Asked Patrick with obvious worry, a warm cup of tea in hand. He offered her the potent medicinal beverage and sat down beside her, interlacing his fingers with hers and squeezing lightly. She accepted the tea and the affection with a soft kiss. She took a sip of the drink before answering and felt it immediately reinvigorate her body and spirit.

“I’ll be fine soon. I can sense that bastard’s curse lingering in my body but my condition is stable. It should be well within my capabilities to dispel it now that I’m awake.” She was a healer after all and the curse had somehow been weakened since the attack. This was very surprising since she knew Jack specialized in curses related to karma, allowing him to feed them after infecting his victims. In fact, examining her body with her Skill, Starlit Fate (Legendary), she could feel the curse being strengthened. However, she could also feel something draining the curse energy. Vanessa allowed her senses to follow the draining effect to her left pocket, where she palpated a small bracelet made of metallic beads. She realized what this meant and understood just how lucky she was to be alive. She also noticed one more thing while examining her condition that made her smile.

“How long did I pass out for?” She asked, suddenly in a better mood. It was clear that for her state to have stabilized while she was unconscious, she had probably been in a coma for a while. Not to mention that Patrick would have needed to carry her out of the dungeon for her to be here now. That couldn’t have been fast or easy.

“You have been asleep for nine days since the attack,” he said, sighing in relief at his wife’s seeming lack of worry. “I carried you out of the dungeon as fast as I could, but it still took me several days to reach the surface. Those days were the worst, as the curse seemed to only get stronger, even with the beads continuously draining some of the energy. When we got back I immediately asked Hager for help in healing you. It took days of constant healing for the curse to stabilize with the help of the beads. He said that he needed you to wake up in order to remove it completely, as curses were not his specialty, but that you shouldn’t be in danger any longer.”

“He was right, of course. I am the best. Who could possibly be more suited to removing this curse fully?” Said Vanessa with a smirk and winked. She handed the cup of tea back to Patrick and got up from the bed, bouncing up and down slightly to pump herself up for what came next. The healer gathered every last drop of her tier 8 Celestial Starlight mana and with a grunt of effort, cast the Skill Stars of Celestial Light (Artifact). Several spheres of blinding light formed on top of her head like a halo made of stars. The lights dove into her body, making it glow brightly for a few seconds until it subsided. The healer then smiled at her husband and spoke in a happy and chipper tone. “All done baby! Now, let's go grab some food, I’m starving!”

The dumbfounded look on Patrick’s face was incredibly endearing at that moment. It was like his mind couldn’t figure out whether he should feel relieved, joyfull, or weirded out that Vanessa was taking this so lightly. She, on the other hand, was positively bouncing up and down with giddiness. After all, while examining her body earlier, she noticed an unusual concentration of vital energy in her abdomen. After years of trying to no avail, she was finally pregnant!

*******

Months passed in a blur of activity and while Patrick and Vanessa prepared to become parents, Jack was forced to watch as everything he built crumbled to dust around him. As he expected, that damnable couple brought the scrutiny of the police on him, who began investigating his illegal operations. Before they found any damnable evidence, Jack decided to flee into the dungeon with many of his associates in order to avoid arrest and, most likely, death.

He began his criminal career in the dungeon with robbery more than a century ago, when the world government was still in its infancy. Since then, he expanded his operations significantly. Today, his criminal network had dozens of powerful and influential members, and he was actively running robbery, assassination, and smuggling operations on a daily basis. He had built fronts in most cities for distribution and a web of influence to ensure he wasn’t bothered. An impressive feat given the rigid and System enforced rules of the world government.

Most of his operations depended heavily on discretion to remain unnoticed, and Vanessa had been rather loud in her criticisms of how some of his businesses were run. The worst part is that she likely had no clue about what these businesses were fronts for. Rather, they were minor complaints that just so happened to likely result in his businesses getting investigated. Therefore, he concocted his plan to rid himself of the healer permanently, bringing him to the current state of affairs. At least he had managed to form a karmic link with the healer in order to continue strengthening his curse.

The first few days after cursing her, he spent considerable effort into entrenching it so deeply in her system that removing it fully would be impossible. Jack believed he had succeeded in his task, a conclusion further supported by information he received from his informants. Vanessa had barely left her home since their fight. Therefore, he continued to feed his curse whenever he had the mana to spare.

Jack planned to use the curse as a way to blackmail Patrick into handing him the Artifact soul weapon. He hadn’t actually been able to see the weapon before the other man had hidden it since he was too far away. Therefore, it'd be a lot easier for him to obtain the item if they accepted his proposal.

Jack had failed to save his criminal empire, but despite everything, he was never one to care overly much for revenge. He did, however, care about power, and he couldn’t stop thinking about that soul weapon since that fateful day.

*******

Vanessa held the child in her arms with immense sorrow and guilt. She had no idea how, but that despicable bastard had somehow managed to infect her son with his curse through her. The boy was born on the verge of death and it was only thanks to her and Hager’s Grandmaster healing that her child still lived. Even then, it would not have been enough, if not for Patrick forcing a bond between the newborn and the bead bracelet as a desperate measure.

The curse weakened her baby's Vitality immensely and even Grandmaster Skills couldn't increase a person’s attributes for them. That much, at least, could be rectified when he turned 18 years old, and was able to level his Vitality attribute normally. Still, he would be marked by a weak constitution until then and she couldn’t imagine how this would affect his childhood. The bond to the soul weapon would be permanent as well, robbing her son of an important choice in the future. He would be forced to become a weapon user type of adventurer, the Skill linked to his Charisma attribute chosen for him.

Worse yet, even the bond along with Grandmaster ranked magic was not enough to dispel the curse. It seemed like Jack had continued to strengthen his curse throughout the entire course of her pregnancy without anyone noticing.

Months ago, she and Patrick had received a message from the curse user stating that should they surrender the bracelet obtained from the chimera, he would dispel the curse on her. Back then, they found the message strange as she had already dispelled the curse and decided to ignore it. Now they couldn’t even take the deal since the bracelet was permanently bonded to the boy.

Their only hope now lay in finding a treasure powerful enough to enhance her magic to the extent that it could heal her son. Months later, they found a clue as to such a treasure. An acquaintance had sold them information about the ripening of an Artifact rank Heavenly Tears Stargazer Lily somewhere in the dungeon. They prepared for the last dungeon dive they would make for quite some time, leaving their son with Hager until they got back.

Patrick and Vanessa decided to name their son Elias as a prayer for deliverance from his cursed fate.

*******

As the days passed, Hager took care of little Elias as best he could. The boy was already six months old and was learning to crawl, if barely. He had even bought a baby bottle that magically copied the mothers breast milk and was slowly introducing food into his diet. More importantly, he cast powerful healing magics on the baby constantly in order to stave off the curse. One day, however, he cast a healing spell and it took, completely eliminating the Grandmaster curse from the baby.

Hager was jubilant at this development and believed that the villain Jack had died, weakening the curse significantly. Even though his friends hadn’t left to kill the man, he heard that Sage Ethan of the world government was trying to hunt him and his cronies down. However, as the days passed and his friends failed to return from the dungeon, he grew increasingly worried. Then, he one day got a visit from Sage Ethan himself, bearing the news of his friends’ demise.

Jack had sprung another ambush on Patrick and Vanessa with his cronies, resulting in a fierce battle. Ethan had been tracking Jack and was able to sense the commotion, hurrying to their location. When he got there the battle was already over, having ended in a world shattering explosion of light that killed most of the ambushers and heavily injured the rest. The survivors scattered from the scene but the Sage managed tohunt down and kill most of them. However, some of the better prepared ones were able to use single-use life-saving items to flee, Jack among them. Patrick and Vanessa were nowhere to be seen, likely evaporated by the explosion.

It was decided after a long and heated discussion that Elias would be put up for adoption. The deranged villain Jack was still on the loose and would be desperate to find the soul weapon Elias had bonded. A Divine weapon would be the man’s only hope of contending against a Sage in combat. Ethan, on the other hand, could not allow for such a potentially powerful weapon to fall into the hands of a criminal. The only way in which they could guarantee the boy's safety now was to put him under the surveillance of powerful Grandmasters, like his late parents, or the Sage himself. All of these options were no longer viable.

Hager himself was a Grandmaster, but he had also only recently broken into the rank, while Jack was very close to breaking through to the rank of Sage. Also, unlike Vanessa, he was a pure healer, meaning his combat power was actually closer to a late stage Master. Therefore, it was with a heavy heart that Hager agreed with the Sage’s plan to leave Elias at the orphanage.

Arrangements would be made for him to be adopted by a couple whom the Sage trusted. Knowing Elias's future location would at least allow Hager to discreetly keep tabs on him. The couple owned a dojo in a fairly peaceful city and never managed to have children of their own. He hoped they were making the right decision.