Dungeon Salvation

Breathe in; slide to the left, kick. Breathe out; slide back, block. In and out, high and low, surging and retreating. He danced, flowing from one movement to the next in an endless stream, like waves in the ocean. Each breath he took built upon the last, gathering momentum as surely as the rising tide. The cycle was endless; he was–

“Ouch!” Elias snapped out of his trance as Peter cuffed him in the side of the head, abruptly ending their spar.

“Pay attention. You lost yourself for a while there,” said Peter sternly. “Remember, we are trying to emulate the rhythm of water. Not the sea, not rivers–just water.”

“Did you really have to smack me on the side of the head?” complained Elias. It didn’t hurt, of course, but he was getting really annoyed at this kind of thing. It was like getting shaken awake all over again.

“No, I didn’t,” said Peter, smirking down at him. “I chose to, and it was just a love tap. Now stop being a baby and tell me where you failed this time.”

Elias grumbled but did as he was told, reflecting on his mistakes from their recent spar. If training with his mother was all about “no pain, no gain,” training with his dad was an obsessive pursuit of perfection. The man truly was the enemy of good; in fact, he captured good, beat it up, and buried it in a remote desert somewhere.

No mistakes were tolerated. Not one.

Having mastered the rhythm exercises Peter drilled him through, they had finally moved to the next step of his training. This involved emulating the rhythm of different mana types–such as water, fire, and air–instead of set rhythms like before. The Meditation (Common) Skill was a crucial aspect of this training, acting as both a metronome and a tuning fork, providing the connection to the element he was mimicking.

One moment he had to be aggressive and destructive, like fire, and the next elusive and ethereal, like air. However, it went beyond pretending to be the element; it was deeper than mere acting. He had to become the element he was emulating. He was using his Spirit as a conduit to attune his body and mind to a mana type, a concept.

When emulating water, he had to breathe like water, think like water, and act like water. His body needed to be fluid, his strikes slippery, flowing seamlessly from one movement to the next. His mind needed to be clear and pure, constantly adapting to everything around him.

Elias thought long and hard on where he went wrong, drifting away from the concept of water during the spar. Suddenly, the answer came to him, and he groaned in frustration. His mistake had occurred closer to the beginning of the spar, rather than towards the end.

“I drifted from the adaptability of water into the cyclical nature of waves, and it just spiraled out of control from there.” Peter nodded in approval at his statement but gestured for him to continue. “And… I think that’s it, isn’t it? Hum… Oh! You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You repeated your movements to make me go down that path!”

“Correct. Good job, Eli. I wanted to show how a person can be manipulated into acting like you want them to in this way of fighting. Water that gains momentum can become a stream, which has its own advantages and disadvantages. You’re far from being able to use these concepts effectively in a fight, much less manipulate them to your advantage. I just wanted you to experience it, at least once, so you can recognize it in the future,” explained Peter.

Like it’s not hard enough as it is.

Incorporating a mana type into one’s fighting style is a high level technique, but despite the difficulty in accomplishing it, the boost in power was well worth it. The purpose of this exercise was to prepare him for mastering this technique when he succeeded in attaining a mana type. It also helped him gain insight into the different mana types, training his Meditation (Common) Skill and Spirit attribute.

The first step in getting the Skill to work properly had been to make his body more conductive to mana. It allowed him to restore his mana pool at a fast rate. However, the Skill truly showed its worth in the next step, enabling him to attune himself to a specific mana type. Of course, the way he was using the Skill now went far beyond its intended use, like using a tuning fork to play a jingle.

“Alright, one more time, then you switch with Rebecca. This time, we’ll do fire instead” said Peter.

Peter walked towards a small white column with a basin that stood quietly to the side of the ring, barely past hip height. The bowl overflowed with shimmering water, which seemed to evaporate before it could flow through the column to wet the floor. Elias used Analyze on it.

*******

Basin of Elemental Conflagration

Rare

Sculpture

This intricate basin, perched on a white marble column, serves as a potent training aid. By providing it with energy crystals of up to tier 3, the basin converts unaspected mana into the desired type, acting as a reliable source of elemental mana.

*******

Suddenly, the basin erupted into dancing flames as Peter softly slapped its side. Before extending his spiritual senses to the tier 1 fire mana source, he looked to where Isabela and Rebecca were sparring.

Vivian ended up relenting to letting Isabela do a bit of combat training with them, in a rare display of indulgence. Elias suspected that it was mostly because she was such a good sparring partner for Rebecca.

Despite the large strength and age gap, the two were quite close in fighting capability. They were both talented, but his sister had been training with actual trainers for longer, while Rebecca had more experience. Surprisingly, they both adopted similarly roguish fighting styles, with a few crucial differences.

Isabela fought more like an acrobat, relying more on reflexes and quick movements, while Rebecca fought like a cold-blooded predator, relying more on planning and explosive execution. If Isabela fought like a cat, Rebecca fought like a snake.

Satisfied, Elias concentrated on Meditation (Common), letting his senses brush over the flames of the basin. The flames swayed gently to an unseen breeze, yet every movement was made to completion. Beyond the visual display, he could feel the heat within, the barely contained energy fueling the flickering dance.

Elias began to jump up and down gently, slowly, but every movement carried all of his strength. He let the feeling of the flames burn in his eyes, the determination and drive filling him. He made the first move, jumping into his father’s guard like a cannonball with a frontal kick. He received a retaliatory punch to the gut but let it glance off by swaying gently like the flames.

The punch burned on his skin but he kept on the offensive, undeterred. His heart was aflame and sung to an unheard melody of defiance. His blood boiled as his vision narrowed to the enemy in front of him. His muscles burned with exertion and power. It didn’t matter. His opponent would burn too. Everything burned.

*******

Everything burned. His arms, legs, torso, and even his hands and feet burned as his mother pushed his body to failure. Still, he didn’t complain. It was nothing compared to what Rebecca was suffering through beside him.

Her body was bleeding from hundreds of tiny cuts, like she’d been made to roll on top of a mound of razors. Just as fast as the cuts appeared on her skin, however, they healed over with the help of her Minor Regeneration (Common). Elias was sure as hell glad that he didn’t have to be part in that particular torture. His own torture was far milder in comparison.

He was made to exercise to the side while wearing a red and black collar his mother had provided. The accessory made his body feel like it was on fire, like he’d spend the last few days running through the desert without rest. Every movement hurt and burned, reminding of the time he started training, when he still had a level one Vitality. Once again, he analyzed the collar he wore, as well as the one on Rebecca’s neck.

*******

Collar of Exhaustion

Uncommon

Necklace

This red and black collar uses fire mana to simulate extreme fatigue, making the wearer feel as though they’ve endured days of strenuous activity. Designed to push physical limits, it helps train the Vitality attribute and is specifically made to train the Recovery (Common) Skill.

*******

Collar of Bleeding

Uncommon

Necklace

This light yellow and black collar generates cutting winds that cover the wearer's skin in hundreds of tiny cuts. It is an intense training tool for those with regeneration abilities, particularly enhancing the Minor Regeneration (Common) Skill. Designed to push the limits of pain tolerance and healing speed, it’s a true test of endurance and resilience.

*******

Elias focused once more on his Skill, channeling more mana to counter the collar’s strain. The heat intensified, making it a losing battle, but victory wasn’t his aim. Each minute of training brought slight improvements to his Skill, enabling it to convert more mana and accelerate his recovery.

They took turns training their Skills, one by one, and had just started on their physical ones. It came as no surprise that training the Vitality Skill was the most painful of the lot. At least he wouldn't need to train the Meditation (Common) Skill, since he had covered that with Peter’s training yesterday, or his Charisma Skill, which was already at the Uncommon rank.

…I’m an idiot.

Thinking of the soul weapon, he suddenly remembered that he had enough Salvation Points to buy a new effect. He had been so excited to test out the other effects he had bought that he forgot about it. He still had 357 Salvation Points left and needed only 200 to purchase a new effect. Now he just had to choose between the Attraction or Repulsion effects.

There was no way of truly knowing what each effect did before being purchased, other than guessing based on the name. All things considered, Elias purchased the Attraction effect. He would soon have enough points to purchase its twin effect as well, anyway.

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

Elias’ mind was filled with the knowledge of how to use his soul weapon’s new effect, and he immediately activated it. There were no visual indicators of the effect being activated, but he knew to expect none.

Elias activated the Golden Palm effect of the bracelet and brought his palm down in a powerful strike. When his hand was just a palm away from the ground, it accelerated downwards as if magnetized. The attraction force increased to an incredible degree as his palm approached the floor until it collided with a resounding slap, shaking the ground from the impact.

Well… Now this changes things.

Both his mother and girlfriend snapped their heads in his direction at the sound of his strike. If the floor weren’t made of high-grade materials, he suspected he would see the imprint of his palm in it. The strike had been far more powerful than anything he was capable of before.

“Ahem, I’m just testing out a new effect of my weapon,” said Elias to the two startled women.

“Well, what is it? Super punch?” asked Rebecca incredulously, looking at him with raised eyebrows and her mouth slightly open.

“It’s called Attraction. It allows the bracelet to exert an attractive force. I guess it’s stronger than I thought it’d be,” answered Elias.

“Uh-hum, and that excuses you from interrupting training because?” asked Vivian innocently.

Elias gulped. Oh, boy.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! I was just–” Elias cut off his attempt at begging for mercy when he saw his mother’s withering glare.

“Don’t worry, you can make up for this time while Rebecca is training her Charisma and Spirit Skills. If training your Vitality is so easy that you can occupy yourself with other things, I’m sure you won’t mind a few extra hours of it,” said Vivian with a flint in her eyes.

Elias groaned.

*******

“Finally, we’re free! Seriously, you told me training with your dad was easy. That was not easy,” complained Rebecca for the umpteenth time. Once again, any seriousness she might have wanted to convey was ruined by the soft smile on her lips.

Elias squeezed her hand in compassion, knowing Rebecca was just exhausted from training with his parents for two consecutive days. They both were, but she just wasn’t used to it yet. Plus, her training had been harsher than his the last couple of days, especially with Peter.

I think dad might have taken Rebecca's poor fighting skills as a personal affront.

“He’s usually a lot more relaxed than he was with you. I think it’s because your fighting skills still kinda suck,” said Elias, shrugging.

Rebecca stared daggers at him.

“I don’t ‘kinda suck’,” she said, making air quotes with her fingers. “You lot are the ones that have a twisted view on what’s normal. Even Isabela fights like a little beast.”

“I get it though, training with them two days in a row is harsh, even if we’re switching trainers. How’s your dad doing, by the way?”

Rebecca flinched at the mention of her father, glancing around as if checking that no one was listening before answering in a hushed tone. “He says it’s going well, and that he’s seeing a lot of improvements and all that–but man, he does not look good. I barely saw him the last few days, and the times I did, he looked about dead on his feet.” Unable to hold herself back, she giggled and continued, “Actually, I think Peter might be going harder on dad than Vivian, if you can believe it. I think he’s starting to regret neglecting his combat skills for so long. All these years, he only focused on his actual Skills since improving them is the greatest requirement to ranking up.”

Elias laughed as well, imagining his father’s face when he realized that Lucas, a Journeyman adventurer, didn’t know how to fight properly. The man was in for a world of hurt.

The couple took their time strolling to the Beginner ranked zone. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet when they arrived at the Temple, so there was no reason to hurry. Elias was actually considering putting some points into Spirit this time to help with his training efforts with his dad.

The technique he was taught, using his Spirit to emulate a mana type in combat, was fascinating, and he wanted to get better at it. In the back of his mind, he imagined himself fighting relentlessly in the middle of a horde of monsters. Every punch exploded like fire, yet when the beast tried to retaliate, he would dodge by the smallest margins, ethereal like the wind.

He sighed. One day…

Compared to training with his parents, their dungeon dive felt like a stroll through the Temple. They stayed on the outskirts of the jungle, where the monsters were weaker. This allowed them to set a relaxed pace and still easily meet their goal of gaining a single level. With all the training they had done, they were more proficient with their Skills as well, making it easier to kill the monsters.

Elias was very interested in testing the new Attraction effect of his soul weapon in actual combat. He chose a tough-looking, ape-like monster as his test subject, similar to the first monster he had killed with his Golden Palm. When he punched the beast, the damage was devastating. Previously, the monster’s head had snapped back violently, but this time, its cranium practically caved in from the impact.

Afterwards, Elias looked at his hands in amazement and satisfaction, impressed by the display. All things told, Soul’s Salvation was an Uncommon ranked weapon, and this ability finally showed its worth beyond acting as comfortable gloves.

I can’t wait to get the Repulsion effect or find out what Ambivalent Surge does!

The pair continued killing monsters well into the night until they accumulated the needed experience to level up. They didn’t even return to the clearing for lunch, as it took too long to get there and back, eating from the bars and snacks they had packed.

Congratulations! Your Spirit has risen to level 11.

In this fashion, days passed. On their dungeon-delving days, they would stay up late into the night until they met their daily experience goal. At least their teamwork was improving immensely, with Elias working as the front liner and Rebecca as the damage dealer.

Congratulations! Your Wisdom has risen to level 11.

Congratulations! Your Spirit has risen to level 12.

Congratulations! Your Agility has risen to level 11.

Congratulations! Your Vitality has risen to level 12.

Congratulations! Your Strength has risen to level 11.

During their training sessions, they worked hard to enhance both their Skills and combat abilities. Rebecca, in particular, was improving her fighting skills at an alarming rate, making Elias’ dad inordinately proud.

Occasionally, Elias and Rebecca would even stop by the clearing as they returned from the dungeon. They made a lot more money as Beginner adventurers, and the food there was amazingly good. It was the perfect place for the occasional date. One day, however, as they passed by the food stalls, they spotted Marco sitting by himself, eating a cheeseburger.

“Marco! How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while. How was the trip?” asked Elias, suddenly in an even better mood.

“I’m good, I’m good. How about yourself? Man, and here I thought it'd be hard to get a hold of you. I was planning on stopping by your dojo tomorrow to let you know that I’m back. What a coincidence to meet you here,” responded Marco with a smile of his own.

“Hi, I’m Rebecca. We’ve met before, a while back,” Rebecca interjected into the conversation.

Seeing his girlfriend, a mischievous spark entered his friend’s eyes.

I have a bad feeling about this.

“Oh, right! You’re the girl that Elias has a crush on, right?” Marco’s innocent-sounding words were undercut by the mocking grin on the man’s face as he looked at Elias. Little did he know that this time, he was outmatched.

“Elias, you had a crush on me all this time? Why didn’t you tell me?” Rebecca gasped, feigning surprise at the revelation. She put both her hands in front of her mouth and even widened her eyes to a comical degree. “How else could I have possibly known?”

“I can’t hold it in anymore, Rebecca. It’s true! I have always liked you,” said Elias, playing along as he grabbed her hands in an emotional display. “Please, be mine. I cannot live without you!”

“Yes, yes, yes, I will, Elias, I will!” Rebecca exclaimed loudly as she leaped into his arms. He caught her into a spinning embrace, and they kissed passionately. It was a scene straight out of a romance, despite their exaggerated acting.

Marco stared in disbelief and astonishment at the scene playing out in front of him. His mouth hung open, his eyes were wide, and his eyebrows were threatening to jump off his forehead. For all the world, he looked like a man thinking, What’s going on? This can’t be happening! Then, both Rebecca and Elias burst out laughing, adding to his confusion.

“Oh man, you should see your face,” Elias said, still chuckling. “Anyway, you’ve been gone for quite some time, and Rebecca and I started dating a while ago. Where have you been, by the way? There’s no way a trip to improve your foundations took more than a month.”

“Alright, I get it, very funny. Settle down now,” Marco said after a long moment, joining in with an amused chuckle of his own. Elias and Rebecca fist-bumped smugly. “Anyways, it took me a while to return because I wasn't just improving my foundation–I perfected it.”

Marco paused for effect after making his declaration, clearly expecting a bigger reaction from the pair. Elias was impressed, but in truth, he had already expected something like this. The man's father was a late-stage Master, after all. Realizing he wouldn't get a better reaction, Marco cleared his throat before continuing. The twinkle in his eyes hadn't disappeared.

“I have also gained a tier 2 mana type.”