"System, please analyze floor 10."
[Sora, you disregarded my messages about you leveling up to level 3. Congratulations. You are now level 3. At level 2 and level 3, you also gained 5 HP. You are at 60 HP. No other skills gained.]
'Holy shit I only had 50 HP? That's something I probably should have checked.'
[Secondly, the boss, Dreadhook, awaits you. He is a goblin type. He's very slow but very powerful. Optimizing your plan of attack– Complete! Evade his blows and when given an opening, use water magic to assist your blade and slice through his neck, leaving yourself uninjured while getting some practice in with your magic.]
Sora opened the door and as soon as he took one step in, a massive boulder slammed into his body, knocking him down and causing him to spit blood. Sora could hear the goblin snickering, as Dreadhook grabbed another boulder.
'Shit, that hurt, bad. I should have listened to my system.'
[Critical hit: 30 damage to your HP. Current HP 30/60. When HP is at 50% or below, it will show on your status bar.]
Sora didn't mean to cut his system off, but he was pretty pissed off. He did exactly as the system originally suggested, evaded the bosses' boulder throws, and at the precise moment he had an opening, Sora screamed, "Aqua Slash!"
Jets of water flew out from behind his blade and aided the blade's raw power as it cut clean through the goblin's neck. Sora rode down the goblin's arm, jumped off, and listened to the goblin's large body hit the floor. He felt so badass.
[Congratulations Sora! You have defeated a C ranked boss. Reward: 800 experience points. You are now level 5!]
"Yes, level 5! That means I've achieved my current goal in my system, correct?" He asked excitedly.
[Correct Sora. Level 5 reached. HP remains 30 of 60 HP but new passive skill unlocked: regeneration, level 1. Unlike your other abilities, this ability levels up as you level up. Current status: regain 1 HP every minute you do not receive damage. At maximum level, you will be able to recharge 1 HP per second if you do not receive damage.]
"Sweet, thank you system! Are there any new goals?"
[No. I'd advise using caution. You're being reckless.]
'Bummer. The systems right and I can't expect a new goal or wicked ability every level up when I'm already starting at the top, can I?'
Sora took a more cautious approach as he cleared floors 11-14, making sure to watch his health bar regenerate when he wasn't taking damage.
As he approached floor 15, he decided to take a quick breather.
"Hey system, you said I could teleport out of here, right?"
[Yes, do you wish to return and grab some potions?]
"Yes, I think that would be a smart thing to do."
A strange pressure overcame Sora as he teleported out of the dungeon. He landed right in front of the doors he originally walked in. Following his internal GPS, he sprinted back to his mansion.
"Hey system, where are the potions?"
[There are several stored in your third-floor hospital room. I marked the path in blue.]
'This thing has multiple GPS routes? This is crazy. I would have killed for ANY of these abilities back on Earth. The only reward I got was being burnt to a crisp for saving my Orphanage.' Sora thought as he stashed 10 potions into his dimensional void.
Sora sprinted back to the dungeon and noticed the floors he cleared were still empty.
"Hey system, when I clear floors, do they stay cleared?"
[Yes, unless other travelers come in and clear them. Then they will reset. Luckily for you, no one has cleared any of the floors you cleared beforehand, aside from the party that is ahead of you in the dungeon.]
*****
"System, analyze floor 15."
[Boss: Werewolf. Optimizing plan of attack–]
"Do you mind if I try to figure this one out on my own?"
[By all means. Please say system if you are in need of help. If you are in a dire situation, I will teleport you out of the room.]
Sora pushed the door illuminated 15 open and saw a massive, black werewolf growling at him. Sora equipped two claymore swords from his dimensional void and fended off the werewolves swipes.
[Nice job utilizing your dimensional void this time. It was much more fluid.]
"You make things easy system. I will continue to work with you!"
'This idiot attacks blindly, this shouldn't be a problem,' Sora thought, brimming with excitement.
"Hey ugly! This way!" Sora teased as he sprinted away from the werewolf. He was gaining confidence quickly.
The werewolf let out a raged "A-woo," and followed Sora like a puppy.
[Now would be a good time to use magic to gain an advantage.]
"Good idea. What do you think about gaining a height advantage?"
[That would be very wise.]
Sora nodded, focused and snapped his fingers, utilizing Earth magic to build small stones upwards. He jumped on one each time it formed. Once he was out of reach from the werewolf's swipes, he cast, "Wind Slash," with his two claymores, which cut through the werewolf's head cleanly. It bounced on the floor awkwardly.
[Congratulations Sora. You have defeated a B rank Boss. This experience was enough for two levels. You are now level 7.]
'Oh shit–' Sora thought as he tumbled to the ground. He lost his balance on the small Earth stone, crashed into the floor and started laughing.
"System, please give me a potion."
[Certainly. Drinking it will refill your HP to 60.]
Sora watched in amazement as the potion formed in his hand. He popped the top off and drank it.
'These taste so good. Where the hell were these on Earth?'
His system allowed him to defeat another goblin boss on floor 25.
"Thanks for the tips on switching between weapons. The claymores were getting heavy. Have you noticed anything I can improve on?"
[First, Congratulations Sora, you are now level 8. You currently have 70 of 70 HP. As for improvements, you are slow utilizing your magic. Try focusing more before casting spells. Utilize my power and draw from it to cast spells in a fluid motion. It feels forced.]
"Ok system, thanks. Let's work together until we get to the next boss floor."
*****
As Sora worked through floors 26-34, he focused his attention on his systems coaching.
On floor 29, his system pinged a notification.
[Ping! Sora your magic utilization has improved. Let's focus on using one claymore and infusing magic with it. To do this…]
Sora listened intently and took a methodical approach to the next four floors. It was awkward at first, but with the system's help, he felt progress.
[Nice job Sora. Another werewolf awaits on floor 35. Let's combine everything you've learned so far to take him down.]
Sora nodded and pushed the door open to a much larger werewolf.
[Gain the height advantage again without stumbling this time.]
Sora focused on snapping his fingers and jumping from stone to stone until he was well above the werewolf swipes.
[Much better. Now concentrate and perform the same wind slash using one claymore.]
Sora listened and focused his magical energy into his sword. When he was ready, he shouted, "Wind Slash!"
The werewolf's head slowly slid off his head and bounced to the floor.
[Nicely done! You have defeated an A ranked werewolf. This gives you enough experience to reach level 10. You now have 80 HP. You are doing well!]
"Thanks system. Your help is appreciated. Should I switch armor or is this set still optimal?"
[Try switching to your physically resistant plate. Remember what I taught you at the dojo.]
Sora focused his energy and successfully switched SS ranked armor sets. He smiled while thinking, 'this is getting easier!'
He was glad the system advised him to switch, as the next floor he let his guard his down and his plate absorbed a blow from a larger goblin.
After clearing the floor, he smiled in relief.
[Even if you know you're stronger than your enemy, always be on guard!]
"I appreciate the constructive feedback. Please continue providing this!"
As Sora approached floor 37, he could sense something was different.
"Hey system, it sounds like there's fighting going on inside. Can I still enter?"
[Yes, you may still enter. I advise caution. Current people remaining inside the dungeon: 2.]
Sora gasped. Does that mean, this person is in danger? This person is the only one left from their party.
His HP was back to full, so he fearlessly charged in.