Beginner Dungeon (1)
Several minutes passed, Ethan arrived in the crowded area.
A forest lay ahead of him. It was blanketed in a mysterious thin wave of mana.
People were lined up in groups, and when their hands touched the light wave, their bodies instantly transformed into light particles.
This place is the village beginner dungeon. Apart from being the only dungeon in the village, raiding this location was one of the general tasks, so it was no surprise that it was extremely crowded.
However, because the system separates the players who enter the dungeon according to their party, it could accommodate an infinite number of players.
Ethan came here to level up and gather materials for sale. Take on a unique quest? No, beginner village lived up to its name. It was simply a teaching station!
How to train, take an NPC quest, run a dungeon—anything that teaches the game's basics.
The quest was simple and clear such as gathering herbs, capturing wild animals, lifting objects, and completing a delivery mission.
There is no simple quest with a reward of a legendary elixir or a powerful entity's hidden hideout.
What kind of game master would place something like that in the beginner village? The real battlefield was outside this place.
As Ethan was strolling through the crowd, he noticed people shouting and selling their wares. Some were assembling dungeon raiding parties.
To raid the beginner dungeon, it was preferable to form a party. Because of the usual difficulty, it was easier to clear the dungeon by teaming up.
The only disadvantage is that the loot and experience points of the party were distributed among the members.
On the other hand, Ethan intended to enter the dungeon by himself. The dungeons in the beginner villages were all the same that's why he was already familiar with this place.
"Best regards to the guide I sold previously; I earned a lot at the time," he muttered, recalling the many newbies he had 'helped'.
Ethan, then proceed to touch the wave of mana, and his sight went black for a second.
[Beginner Forest Dungeon]
Ethan opened his eyes and saw the notification flash in front of him. Without waiting for a cue, he dashed through the woods, raising his staff and pointing it at one corner of the trees.
"Magic Missile," he chanted.
—
[Magic Missile]
Rating: I (0/50%)
Type(s): Basic • Arcane
Description:
• Fire three magical missiles. Each missile can deal 5 (+50% Total MA) magical damage to enemies.
Activation Cost: 20 Mana
Cooldown: 10 seconds
—
Three magic missiles whizz through the trees.
Later, a shrill cry erupts and a monster resembling a monkey falls to the ground. Another damaged text appeared atop its head possibly due to the fall damage.
The monster's HP drops from 100 to 50 in a matter of seconds. The monster became enraged as a result and attempt to stand up, but Ethan had already prepared his next spell.
"Bind!"
—
[Bind]
Rating: I (0/50%)
Type(s): Basic • Arcane
Description:
• Summon four magical arcane chains to restrain a target for 3 seconds duration.
Activation Cost: 30 Mana
Cooldown: 15 seconds
—
Four black chains shot up from four different angles and coiled around the monster. The monster struggled, but it was firmly rooted in the ground.
Finally, Ethan leisurely killed it with basic attacks.
+ 30 exp!
Along with the experience points, a mana gem has dropped from the monster.
[Acquired x1 Mana Gem]
Ethan collects it and continues to traverse the forest. During that time, he occasionally encountered some monsters.
The majority of them were called
Every time Ethan meets one of them, he will aim his staff and fire basic attacks.
As an expert who once made a beginner dungeon guide, Ethan already knows that these forest wolves have been classified as 'Roam.'
It means that the system rules of "Range and Aggro" did not apply to them.
Unlike the 'Den' monsters, they can freely roam around the area so they continue to rush at Ethan without diffusing their aggro.
However, due to the basic haste scroll, Ethan's movement speed temporarily increased by 10%, preventing them from catching up to him.
After a while, Ethan gathered a large group of forest wolves. About 40 of them were now rushing behind him.
Seeing this group, Ethan ripped the third haste scroll in his inventory, replenishing the temporary buff of speed as he increases the distance farther.
"...Huuup!"
Ethan skilfully jumps at the small boulder in the open area of the forest.
"Now, this is perfect!"
After seeing there is some distance needed for the group to reach him, Ethan exclaimed with a smile as if pleased by his mob-pulling ability.
Ethan fixed his position and started to chant.
"Oh Archon of Fire, let my burning desire be manifest. The fiery flames in my heart are now enraged. Devouring fire—Ignis Accendium!"
Along with the red magic circle forming beneath the group, the fiery cyclone blossoms from the ground like a volcano in rage.
The forest wolves who were following him were perfectly caught by the flame cyclone. They were drawn into the center, burning and writhing in pain.
The forest wolves can't go out because of the cyclone's pulling force as they were trapped within its radius.
Some forest wolves force their way out, but their hit points are nearly zero so Ethan simply knocks them out using basic attacks.
+ 50 exp
+ 50 exp
+ 50 exp
.
.
.
[You have level up!]
A series of notifications flashed before his eyes.
.
.
[You have level up!]
+ 50 exp
+ 50 exp
+ 50 exp
.
.
.
.
[You have level up!]
[You have annihilated a group alone that should have been impossible given your current level.]
[You have received 500 bonus EXP!]
[You have received 10 Spell Points!]
As the spell ended, Ethan had already annihilated all the forest wolves.
A series of notifications runs through his vision while his lever bar was quickly filled up and instantly reached level four.
"Haha, grinding? What is that?"
With his proud and satisfied voice, Ethan muttered as he grins.