Chapter 11: The Dungeon

As Arin walked home, he kept thinking about what his next steps should be. Considering all the information he had learned at school and over the past two hectic days, it would probably be best to head to the dungeon as soon as possible, probably even today. On the other hand, he wanted to make sure he handed the money to his mother and explained that she didn't need to worry. He would also need to experiment a bit with his summoning. He didn't have much mana, and once he equipped all his items, he had no idea how much mana he would have and how he would be able to summon. From school, he knew that summoners could have many monsters, especially at higher levels.

Another problem was that he only had one spell – no offensive, defensive, or buff spells. He also thought about visiting Kevin and Frank but dismissed the idea. The most important thing now was to quickly reach at least level 8. He wanted to test what it was like in a dungeon – he had only heard about it but had never been in one. At school, they were taught basic principles for a long time, mainly by Ralear.

When he got home, he found his mother preparing dinner. He handed her a pouch with 69 gold coins and explained, "This is from the Duke. It's for our expenses until we move to his city. There's no need to worry. I spent the rest on equipment."

His mother counted the coins in amazement. "Arin, this is a fortune! I've never seen so much money in my life!" Arin could see she was on the verge of tears.

Arin began to explain his future steps to his mother, saying that Maloren would visit them at the end of the week to explain the next steps. "By the end of the month, we should move to the Duke's city. I have to leave in 16 days because the academy entrance exams are in three weeks."

His mother looked worried. "I've heard stories about newly awakened dying in dungeons. Be careful, Arin. The dungeon is dangerous. I heard from my work that a rich man's son died in there two years ago."

Arin looked at her and nodded. "Don't worry, Mom. I know what I'm doing."

He went to his room to put on his new equipment and check his stats. With leather armor and a sword that added willpower, he felt more prepared. He looked at his attributes:

Level: 1

Summoner

Strength: 10

Agility: 10 (+10)

Intelligence: 40

Willpower: 40 (+10)

Endurance: 25 (+5)

Mana: 400 (+100)

Health: 250 (+50)

Magic Equipment:

Weapons:

Common short sword of willpower +7 willpower

Armor:

Rare gloves of concealment (adding +5 agility and +3 willpower and ability to conceal rings on hand)

Basic leather armor set (helmet, chest armor, belt, greaves, boots) +5 agility, +5 endurance, set bonus: mana regeneration 1 mana per second

Accessories:

??? Ring (???)

Basic Astral Ring (2 cubic meters storage space)

Skills/Spells:

Summon Familiar (+)

Arin noticed that healing and mana potions, as well as the teleportation scrolls, did not appear in his attributes. As he tried to compare his stats with those he knew from school, he realized his stats weren't bad at all. He was above average in intelligence and willpower, on par with or slightly better than most mages at awakening, and he had considerably higher endurance. In terms of strength and agility, he was only slightly stronger than a normal unawakened man.

Arin wanted to test what was happening with him and how his spells worked. He focused on his summoning spell, which he knew about thanks to the plus sign. He tried to summon a giant rat, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't do it.

Finally, he decided to explore the "bestiary" interface, which displayed various creatures he could summon along with their mana costs:

Wolves (17)

Bears (4)

Lizards (3)

Horses (45)

It was clear that he could only summon these creatures listed in his "bestiary." He needed to understand his abilities better, but that would require time and practice. The question remained whether he could have only one monster or more. Each summon cost 400 mana. He also noticed that the wolf he summoned yesterday had a different icon, suggesting that the wolf currently available might be a different one than the one summoned yesterday. The bear, lizard, and horse, however, seemed the same as yesterday.

It was becoming increasingly clear that his profession was somehow connected to the ring, as nothing else made sense. His summoning didn't work in the usual way, he had a bestiary he had never heard of, and he didn't know if he could ask anyone about it. Additionally, he only had four types of creatures he could summon, and he didn't understand why or how he had them, why some were different from others, or how the count was determined.

After considering everything again, he decided it would be best to head to the dungeon and try it out. He had the scroll that would allow him to escape if things went wrong. After making up his mind, he packed his things and headed to the living room, where he found his mother and sisters having dinner. He grabbed some dry bread, said goodbye, and told them not to wait up as he might return late.

Both sisters quickly got up from the table and hugged him, and his mother sent him a flying kiss. After saying his goodbyes, he headed towards the dungeon's location. At school, he learned that the only dungeon in their town was in the northern part of the city, surrounded by walls. It wasn't directly in the city but right next to it. It was a 10-minute walk from their home, as it was on the border between the slum and a better part of town.

When he arrived, he saw a group of guards standing around, talking and joking, clearly not expecting anyone else to show up.

One of the guards, noticing Arin's approach, smirked and called out, "Hey there, young lad! You lost or something?"

Arin, keeping his composure, walked up to them. The guard who had called out stepped forward, still grinning. "You need to place your right hand here," he said, pointing to a device on a stand that looked quite similar to the one used during his awakening two days ago.

After placing his hand, the device lit up. The guard's grin faltered slightly as he read the results. "I see you're newly awakened. I could tell by your gear," he said, the teasing tone still in his voice. "You look familiar. Tell me your name so I can register you in my books. You have one free entry."

"Arin," he replied calmly. The guard looked at the papers, then back at Arin, his expression shifting from amusement to surprise. "You're the one who awakened two days ago. I have a note here that you have unlimited entries from the mayor."

Arin nodded: "Yes, that's me."

The guards standing around exchanged glances, clearly taken aback. The teasing guard's demeanor changed completely. The playful attitude was gone, replaced by a more serious tone. "Well, could've told me that sooner," he muttered under his breath, then louder, "Alright, you're good to go. Sorry about the hassle."

One of the other guards, trying to lighten the mood, joked, "Guess we won't be making fun of the new guy anymore."

The initial guard, now fully serious, stood up, nodded, and said, "You may enter." Arin thanked him, took a deep breath, and stepped into the dungeon.

"Hey, when was the last time the mayor gave anyone free entry?" one guard asked.

"Never," another replied. "He always tries to squeeze money out of everyone, especially the rich kids."

"Yeah, he's all about making money from those wealthy families eager to pay for dungeon access," added a third guard. "This kid must be really special or have some serious connections to get this kind of treatment."