Dungeon Salvation

“Alright everyone! Since today is my birthday, we’re going to have a special training session!” All of the kids in the class smiled at Elias when he said that, making it harder to hide his smirk.

“Today we’re going to be doing flexibility training followed by resistance training.” They all groaned in concert and looked at him sadly, disappointment evident in their eyes. Having crushed the hope out of the bunch of twelve year olds, he finally allowed his smirk to bloom on his face, making no effort to hide his schadenfreude.

His cute little sister looked like she was about to incite a rebellion. Seeing the scene in front of him only made his smirk grow into a full blown smile. He let out a laugh, “Come on, it’s going to be fun!”

“Teacher, why don’t we do some sparring? We haven’t all week, and you don’t have to worry. We’ll go easy on you. You don’t have to be afraid…” said Lucas.

So it has come to this.

The comment was an obvious attempt to goad him into changing the training. The boy had even changed his tone of voice when he said ‘afraid’ and would probably be making chicken noises if incentivised. Not goaded in the slightest by the twelve year old, Elias put on a serious frown and waited for the betrayal that was sure to come next.

“Yeah Eli, you used to be so much cooler! Why are you being like this?” Said his little sister, to the animated agreement of her fellows. Her comment was delivered with the cadence of disbelief, like he was betraying her.

The floodgates opened then and several comments of “let's spar” and complaints of “stretching hurts” followed. Elias withstood the barrage with a stoic facade.

“Fine, does everyone want to spar?” He asked the class and was answered by a chorus of “yes!”. All of the kids perked up and smiles bloomed on their faces like a field of wildflowers. His sister, however, knew him too well.

Her eyes widened and she sucked in a deep breath of air to try and stop the catastrophe that was about to unfold. She was far, far too late. Before she could speak a word, someone asked the inevitable question and assured his glorious victory in this battlefield.

“Really?” asked Lucas. It was poetic that the voice which started this fated battle would also bring it to a close and, smiling once more, Elias answered.

“Of course not, now pair up and get to stretching!” The group of children looked like they were stretching their eye sockets with how far their eyes widened.

Having successfully quelled the fledgling rebellion, the class proceeded in moderately controlled chaos. Admittedly, that was as good as he would get in a class full of twelve year olds, especially with his sister present. The children got into a much better mood when they found out that there would be birthday cake after class.

Hours later, Elias sat with his sister on the couch, his belly full of pizza and cake. The cat was loafing between them and he could feel its soft purring through his legs. Kitty was much closer to his sister than him in truth, so it was quite remarkable that it was cozying up to him instead of her. It was like it knew today was Elias’ birthday, feeding his suspicions regarding the cat's intelligence even further. He stroked Kitty’s soft fur.

His parents entered the room with a rectangular box wrapped in red gift paper and a gold ribbon. His mother presented the box to him with another “happy birthday” and a kiss to the forehead. His mother had a pretty face and a bright smile to go along with her unceasing energy. His father’s bulging muscles and stern visage were paired with a soft heart.

Both his parents had brown hair and were physically fit, as expected of trainers and ex-adventurers. They often bragged that they were in the peak of the Expert rank in order to attract trainees to the dojo, so their attributes should be above level 55 at the very least.

Elias carefully undid the lace and tore into the wrapping paper with his nails until an ornate wooden box was revealed. His sister was leaning closer in anticipation and curiosity as his parents nodded in encouragement. He undid the clamps at the side of the box, revealing a well crafted pair of black-green machetes. The weapon's opaque black blade was straight and sharp, curving slightly at the tip. Elias used Analyze on the weapons.

*******

Jungle Breakers™

Common

Dual Machete

These trusty blades have been processed using tier 2 steel mana to increase its durability. This is a product of Krammer’s and Koll’s Smithing Company.

Pouring mana through the handle will fix minor damage to the blade.

*******

Elias couldn’t decide on whether he should hug his gift or his parents as he stammered out a “thank you”. They eventually hugged and his father even let a quiet tear fall off his face.

His sister tried to sneakily grab one of the blades when she thought no one was looking but he just slapped her hand away with a mouthed “mine”. She pouted and Kitty joined her in glaring at him.

Meh, I’ll let her play with it later.

The quality of the weapons and equipment produced by the Krammer’s and Koll’s Smithing Company were only matched by their incredibly expensive pricing. These weapons exemplify the best an adventurer under level 10 could wield. Only after gaining Skills and becoming a Beginner rank adventurer would he then be able to equip Uncommon rank items. He doubted that the blade would dent even if he were to swing it full force at a rock wall. He knew for a fact that this smithing company only accepted smiths of Expert rank and above.

Elias dreamed of becoming a famous adventurer from a very young age and has trained with his parents to that effect for years. His mother, Vivian, was a meditation, physical conditioning, and survival trainer. She also had a bit of a sadist streak when it came to training that only worsened when it came to training him. She drilled him until he was dripping with sweat and panting like a sick cow, only to then force him to try and meditate while she stretched him. At least survival training was mild and fun, where he was drilled on monster types and how to beat them, how to find yourself in the dungeon, and other general information.

His father, Peter, trained him in weapons and hand-to-hand combat. Despite his calm and gentle demeanor the man was a perfectionist when it came to fighting. He tolerated no mistakes in footwork or form, and has forced Elias to learn to wield numerous weapon types. He had specialized in dual wielding machetes for melee range combat and throwing knives for long range.

Elias’ choice of weapons was largely influenced by the fact that the nearby dungeon was jungle themed. The Beginner, Novice, and Journeyman rank areas of the dungeon always follow the theme of the dungeon entrance’s Temple. The nearby Temple looks like the ruins of an old Mayan temple that was heavily and aggressively claimed by a forest of roots and vines. Four gigantic stone pillars stood 200 meters tall, forming a square around a bearded fig tree that towered over them all. Each of the pillars were a different color: blue for water, red for fire, brown for earth, and yellow for air. Thousands of vines hung from branches, some low enough to brush against the floor. The vines close to the pillars wrapped around them in intricate patterns, yet still not robbing them of their beauty. The tree itself stood on top of a stone pyramid, intertwined into the structure in an embrace. The roots undulated past the pillars, forming a perfect circle around the tree. They decreased in thickness as they reached the outer edge of the Temple's territory. Closer to the tree, the roots formed a series of bridges that people used to walk towards its trunk.

It has long since been discovered that the many dungeons around the globe were connected past a certain depth, leading people to believe that it was all a single dungeon with many entrances. This only started to occur in the areas of Expert rank and above, where the dungeon’s layout got even more convoluted and confusing. It was rumored that the areas of Master rank and above were located on different planets altogether, accessible only through portals deep within the dungeon. This rumor was heavily supported by the fact that this world would likely be in shambles if it were to withstand frequent clashes between Grandmaster beasts and adventurers.

Having properly expressed gratitude for his gift, Elias hugged his new pair of machetes and settled down once more. The family of five continued to chat the night away, as his parents shared stories and advice from their own time as adventurers. They would look at Elias with worry whenever they spoke of particularly dangerous situations they had encountered, but never tried to dissuade him from following his path. Their last tale for the night was of a cavern full of crystals and misty lights, leaving the taste of wonder on his lips as he went to sleep.

Tomorrow would mark the beginning of his own adventure.