Dungeon Salvation

Elias laughed in maniacal relief. The past few moments had been so desperate, he wasn’t sure if the cat remembered the plan at all. Why else would she make him work so hard? Perhaps she was annoyed at being used—or maybe she just enjoyed the game of tag. He couldn't be certain.

He heard the moans and groans of disappointed voices all around him. A mob of people streamed out of the jungle, looking haggard and dejected. He hadn't received any Salvation Points from them yet, but he hoped that would change soon.

Once a crowd had gathered, he marched dramatically toward Isabela. The cat purred loudly in his arms, looking smug and self-satisfied. Elias resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her antics. He did his best to draw attention to the procession, laughing boisterously and raising the cat like a trophy for all to see.

“Isabela, your big brother has rescued Kitty from the dangers of the dungeon, you need not cry any longer. Your beloved cat is safe now!” Elias lifted the cat higher into the air, showing his sister and everyone else the truth of his words. Then, he slowly lowered Kitty into Isabela’s arms. He was aiming for a dramatic, moving performance, and his sister understood the assignment perfectly.

“Thank you, thank you! You’re such a wonderful, amazing big brother. You’re my hero!” Isabela leaped into his arms, hugging him tightly, then fussed over the cat. Her eyes were still wet with tears, and her cheeks flushed a bright pink. Even Elias was moved by his sister’s performance. His back straightened, and his eyes glistened slightly. The Salvation Points began rolling in.

+1 Salvation Point from Agnes Cortez

+1 Salvation Point from John C. Cord

+1 Salvation Point from Monica Green

[...]

Elias didn’t have to pretend to be emotional and proud—he was, though for reasons different from what people thought. He looked proud because his plan had succeeded and emotional for having gained so many Salvation Points. Hundreds upon hundreds of points flowed in, both from the adventurers who had offered help and from the onlookers.

Elias paraded with his sister around the clearing, thanking everyone who had tried to help. This simple gesture earned him even more points. He felt like a politician, constantly shaking hands and greeting people he’d never met before—except he had already gained what he wanted from them. Now, he was genuinely thanking them for their assistance. He was surprised to recognize many of the adventurers who had joined the ‘cat hunt’ from the day he’d pulled a horde of monsters while leveling.

“You just can’t stay out of trouble, huh?” Leandra asked, patting him on the back.

“What can I say? It’s not like I go out looking for it, but here we are,” Elias answered with an embarrassed chuckle. In this case, he had actually gone looking for trouble, but saw no reason to tell her that.

“Good! What’s life without a little excitement?”

More and more adventurers continued to trickle out of the jungle, most providing him with a Salvation Point when they learned what had happened. He even resorted to mentally blocking the new prompts to avoid distraction. However, he couldn’t block the special feeling that came with every point he received.

As he had expected, most of the Salvation Points carried the feeling of hope and admiration. But that wasn’t all. With so many people providing the points, there were all kinds of sensations mixed in. He felt the warmth of love triumphing over hate in people’s hearts. Some points gave the impression of renewed resolve and perseverance, like a tree’s desire to keep growing after a harsh winter. Those he shook hands with and thanked carried the undertone of humility and dignity, of a worthy cause and satisfying conclusion.

Through it all, Elias gained a deeper understanding of what the Salvation Points really were. They were the positive feelings of other people directed towards him. Some were stronger and more complex than others, but all were genuine. He noticed the strongest feelings carried complicated undercurrents, often coming from the older folks in the clearing. Those were barely about him at all.

Surprisingly, he noticed a pattern within the points that didn’t make much sense to him at first. He was garnering a significant amount of goodwill, especially from those that had helped him. This puzzled him for a while–it didn’t make sense that he would be gaining goodwill from them instead of the other way around.

Shrugging, he concluded that it could only be because his actions were bringing the community closer together, even if for something as ridiculous as his scheme. Watching Leandra and the many adventurers who had helped him chatting amicably and excitedly, he saw the truth of it. He also felt goodwill towards these people, though he had no convenient way to measure it.

When the flow of Salvation Points began to slow, he checked his soul weapon’s interface to see how many points he had gained. He already had more than a thousand points. It wasn’t enough to buy all the effects available to purchase and upgrade his weapon yet, but it wasn’t too far off either. Elias smiled to himself smugly.

Yeah baby, I’m loaded!

"Agnes, thank you so much for helping us. I'm not sure if we would have been able to find Kitty without you. We only met yesterday, yet you’ve already helped us so much. I don’t know how to thank you," Elias said, speaking from the heart, moved by how decisively the older woman had acted.

“Don’t you worry about that, young man. Us old folks need to help you youngsters now and then. How else will we get you to help us when we need it? Trust me, I’d know,” Agnes said with a humorous laugh and a wink. “Remember, always help people when you can, Elias. It has a way of coming back to you. In my day, we didn’t even know if karma was real, but now it’s even a mana type.”

“More importantly, why are you still here? Many people ventured into the dungeon to help you, and not all of them have returned yet. You’d better go get them,” Agnes said in a slightly admonishing tone. Elias’ face flushed with embarrassment.

“Oh yeah, I forgot!” Elias briefly explained to Isabela where he was going, then ran back towards the jungle, leaving his sister with his energy card as he left.

Elias searched for the wayward people, shouting that the cat was found as he ran in concentric circles around the clearing. With each pass, he expanded the radius by over a hundred meters until he eventually stopped finding more people. It was surprising how many groups hadn’t yet returned from searching for the cat.

His Kinesthesia (Common) Skill had been invaluable in maintaining a consistent distance from the center of the clearing during his radial search. Thankfully, it was easy to know when he stumbled upon someone, as he usually received a Salvation Point from them. These points carried a strong undertone of relief and gratification, the feeling of a job well done.

Elias admired the determination, perseverance, and kindness of those who had helped, even though the situation didn’t directly affect them. He made a point of thanking them profusely and promising to treat them to lunch sometime. After more than an hour of searching, he decided it was time to return. He hadn’t found anyone new in a while and had come across several people already returning to their grind.

Arriving back at the clearing, Elias finally grabbed lunch at Lucas' stall with Isabela. He was starving. True to his word, he paid for lunch for all the groups who stopped by as well. Although he was the one who captured the cat, by the end of the day, he had spent nearly all his accumulated wealth.

Don’t focus on the money, Elias. You got what you wanted. Don’t focus on the money. All these nice people chose to help you.

“Come on, pops, you could at least give me a discount! That’s almost a hundred burritos I’m paying for,” Elias said with a grin. Lucas’ nose twitched at being called "pops," and he shot Elias a sharp look.

“Call me ‘pops’ one more time, and I just might charge you extra. Screw around and you’ll find out, son. Now pay up,” the older man said, staring menacingly. Elias laughed at his choice of words.

Be strong, Elias. Take deep breaths. Don’t poke the bear.

“Now you’re getting it!” Lucas narrowed his eyes dangerously, and Elias could feel the man’s presence begin to envelop him. He started sweating, already regretting his words.

“I’m kidding. I’m kidding,” Elias stammered, quickly paying for the meals before Lucas actually lost his patience. But once the payment was done, Lucas simply grinned and chuckled.

“Ha! I would have given you a 10% discount! That’s what you get for being a brat.”

That little—he played me!

“Come on, pops, I can’t believe you’d do this to me! I’m going to tell Rebecca,” Elias teased. Lucas just laughed, unbothered.

“Kid,” said Lucas, pointedly avoiding calling him son again, “you’re lucky I’m in a good mood and your sister’s right there, or I’d have smacked you a few times already.”

“I don’t mind, pops,” Isabela chimed in from the nearby table. Elias turned to glare accusingly at his traitorous sister, who stuck her tongue out at him. Thankfully, Lucas didn’t actually take her up on it.

“What, so she can call you pops?” Elias asked.

“Yes,” Lucas answered.

Fine, I give up. For now…

Elias and Isabela said their goodbyes to their new acquaintances and friends—at least those still in the clearing—and headed home. He had a lot of Salvation Points burning a hole in his pocket, just waiting to be spent.

The anticipation is killing me.

Unsure if upgrading the weapon would have any visual effects, he knew he needed to do it at home. As soon as he arrived, he went straight to his room, opened the Weapon Interface, and purchased every effect he could afford. Right now, that was all of them.

Congratulations! You have purchased Soul’s Salvation effect: Mana Storage.

Congratulations! You have purchased Soul’s Salvation effect: Energy Storage.

Congratulations! You have purchased Soul’s Salvation effect: Golden Palms.

Congratulations! You have purchased Soul’s Salvation upgrade to the Uncommon rank.

Please wait while Soul’s Salvation upgrades to the Uncommon rank.

For a long moment, nothing happened. Elias even tried reopening the Weapon Interface, but still, nothing. Then, the bracelet on his wrist began to heat up, glowing like the filament of a light bulb. He bit down on his pillow to stifle a scream as his wrist felt like it was burning.

The pain lasted only a few seconds before subsiding, and Elias gasped for breath. He quickly checked the bracelet and his wrist, amazed to find them both unchanged. The bracelet still had its aged appearance, and his wrist, which had just felt like it was on fire, looked perfectly healthy.

Not wanting to waste time on wild guesses, he opened the Weapon Interface.

Let’s see what changed.

*******

Soul’s Salvation

Uncommon

Soul Weapon

Salvation Points: 357

Effects:

Mana Storage

Energy Storage

Golden Palm

Forms:

Bracelet (Common)

Twin Bracelets (Uncommon)

Shop:

Attraction (200 Salvation Points)

Repulsion (200 Salvation Points)

Ambivalent Surge (600 Salvation Points)

Requirements: Attraction, Repulsion

Upgrade Soul’s Salvation (2000 Salvation Points)

Upgrade to the Rare rank

Requirement: All attributes at level 20 or above

*******

The first thing Elias did was test the new effects of his bracelet. He was most curious about the Golden Palm effect, though he knew he’d likely need the dojo to test it thoroughly. That effect was his greatest hope for using the delicate-looking bracelet in combat. So, he decided to start with the Mana Storage effect.

Focusing on the bracelet, Elias tried to channel his mana into it, much like he did when using the Imbue Weapon (Common) Skill. However, instead of letting the mana flow into the weapon, it felt like he was injecting it inside. It was like inflating a balloon; the more he added, the harder it became to add more. When he tried to draw the mana back out, it flowed into him effortlessly. As its name implied, this effect allowed him to store mana in the bracelet for later use.

Next, Elias tested the Energy Storage effect. He pulled out his energy card and held it close to the bracelet, just as he did when absorbing energy from an energy crystal. The bracelet effortlessly absorbed all the energy from the card. Strangely, there was no visible indication of the stored energy or mana; the bracelet neither glowed nor showed any outward sign. However, when he focused on the Weapon Interface, he could see the amount of energy stored under the Energy Storage effect.

Energy Storage:

8034 Energy (Tier 0)

Unlike with energy storage, the amount of mana stored in the bracelet didn’t appear on the interface, though he could sense it easily enough. He found the bracelet’s storage capacity for mana to be impressive, holding as much as his own body, effectively doubling his mana. However, through testing, he discovered that converting the stored mana back for use wasn’t perfectly efficient; some was lost in the process. Having recently spent nearly all his money, he was also unable to test the bracelet’s energy storage capacity.

Now, for the fun part.

Arriving downstairs at the dojo, he activated the Golden Palm effect. The skin of his hand began to take on a coppery gold hue above the wrist, as if it was being spray-painted in slow motion. He shook his hands, trying to detect any changes, but noticed nothing aside from the altered color. Approaching a punching bag, he threw a punch and immediately noticed that his hands felt harder than before, more resilient.

He realized that the Golden Palm effect significantly increased the durability of his hands, making them feel more like iron than flesh. Clapping his hands together, he heard a dull, hard sound, like rocks colliding. In a moment of inspiration, he used the Imbue Weapon (Common) skill on his golden hand, which began to glow softly with added mana. He threw a casual punch at the punching bag and watched as it bent backward in the middle as if it were made of paper.

Now we’re talking! I can finally use this bracelet as an actual weapon.

Next, Elias activated the new Uncommon-rank form of his soul weapon, the Twin Bracelets. Half the beads on the bracelet disconnected and shot over to his left hand, more than doubling in size before rejoining to form a matching bracelet on each hand. The entire transformation took only moments, leaving Elias staring in amazement at both his hands. When he activated the Golden Palm effect again, both hands took on a soft golden hue. He went wild on the punching bag, testing the limits of the skill to his heart’s content.

No matter how hard he punched, his hands remained unharmed, while the punching bag began to show signs of damage. He decided to stop for now, as the punching bag wasn’t sturdy enough to truly test his weapon’s new capabilities—especially when combined with his Intelligence Skill, which added magic damage to his punches.

It was time to return to the dungeon and test his new powers and skills on something tougher.