【Dungeon Explorer (Evolvable): When you are in a dungeon, damage dealt to any entity is increased by forty percent.】
【Praise the Dungeon (Evolvable): When you are in a dungeon, your actual Luck stat will not fall below 2.】
【Dungeon's Gaze (Evolvable): When you are in a dungeon, the experience points you gain will be slightly increased.】
【Digestive Bacteria (Fixed): When you kill an enemy in a dungeon, there is a probability of obtaining a random skill or skill fragment from the enemy.】
A series of system notifications glowing with a faint golden light slowly unfolded in Greg's vision.
"It seems... even though the process was terrifyingly dangerous and I almost lost my life, the rewards for completing such a high-level challenge are indeed worth the risk."
Greg leaned against the cold stalactite, calming his racing heart and recovering his nearly exhausted strength as he carefully read the descriptions of these upgraded talents.
Three talents had evolved comprehensively.
The damage bonus of 【Dungeon Explorer】 had doubled from 20% to 40%, which would be a massive advantage for future battles in the dungeon.
【Praise the Dungeon】 raised the minimum Luck stat from "not below 0" to "not below 2." While it seemed like a minor numerical change, for Greg, whose base Luck on the surface was as low as negative 10, this meant that in a dungeon environment, the probability of him dying from a purely unlucky accident would be significantly reduced, providing at least a basic safety net.
Although the description of the experience gain increase from 【Dungeon's Gaze】 was vague, every little bit helped, and it would add up over time.
As for the core talent, 【Digestive Bacteria】, it remained the same—after all, it was already broken enough as it was.
The vibrations and the sound of falling rocks caused by the collapse finally subsided completely, leaving only dust slowly settling in the air.
Greg waited a few more minutes before cautiously standing up from behind the stalactite cover and brushing the thick layer of dust off his clothes.
Although this operation had deviated from the original plan with frequent accidents, the ultimate goal had been achieved.
The death countdown hanging over his head was finally lifted. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief, no longer having to spend every day in fear, calculating how to deal with that damn boss before the plot of Chapter One concluded.
Next, he finally had the energy to handle other pressing matters and long-term plans.
"Hmm... I didn't expect that you would actually do it. It truly surprised me a little."
Nightmare's ethereal voice sounded in Greg's mind at the right moment, her tone carrying a hint of undisguised astonishment.
Greg: "Hey! You stupid cat! Weren't you the one making all those grand speeches earlier, saying things like 'this is just the first step' and 'I believe in you'? Why has it suddenly turned into 'it truly surprised me'? So you didn't think I could win at all despite what you said?!"
"Well... about that."
Nightmare's voice sounded entirely unrepentant, carrying a sense of natural honesty instead:
"How should I describe it? It was probably similar to... words of comfort spoken to someone on their deathbed?"
"After all, the level gap between you and that spider was far too vast, and the chances of victory were minuscule. Even though our fates are linked, I had to admit that a rational judgment did not yield an optimistic result."
"..."
Greg felt a vein throbbing in his temple.
"You bad cat! To think I was actually... a little bit moved by your talk about sharing life and death! Give me back the emotions I wasted on you, you bastard!"
"Fine, fine, there's no need to be so agitated."
A hint of amusement entered Nightmare's voice. "In any case, the result is that you did it, isn't it? The process doesn't matter. Furthermore..."
She paused, her tone becoming even more subtle, filled with inquiry and teasing:
"Recalling when we first met, you were extremely resistant to the idea of exploring the dungeon, as if it were a one-way ticket to hell. But looking at it now... haven't you already... well, started moving on your own? And quite vigorously at that?"
"Hey! Can you stop phrasing it in such a lewd and ambiguous way?! You make it sound like I've gone through some weird corruption process!"
Greg protested while walking toward the massive pile of rubble.
His sharp gaze scanned through the debris, quickly locking onto a corner that shimmered with a faint iridescent glow.
He leaned over and carefully picked something up from a gap between several rocks.
It was a strange gemstone, about the size of a hen's egg, deep dark purple throughout, with countless tiny facets inside that seemed to rotate on their own, refracting a mesmerizing light.
The gem felt cool and smooth to the touch, and the fluctuations of mana within it were subtle yet profound.
"Also, you've got one thing wrong."
Greg weighed the gem in his hand, feeling its heft as he continued speaking to Nightmare in his mind, his tone returning to calm:
"Even now, I'm not taking the initiative because I've developed some interest in exploring the dungeon. I'm just... forced to do so. To stay alive, that's all."
He naturally didn't mention the existence of the system and the missions.
This was a secret that belonged to him alone, something he couldn't tell anyone, not even the goddess who shared his fate.
Just as he had told Nightmare before—everyone has their own secrets.
Nightmare didn't press further.
However, she didn't seem to believe Greg's excuse of being forced.
Mocking such a guy who looked like he didn't care about his life, yet claimed he was exploring the dungeon just to stay alive?
What a stubborn tsundere.
Greg didn't bother bickering with the sharp-tongued cat any longer.
He composed himself and turned his attention back to the system panel.
Besides the talent upgrade notifications, there were other important changes that needed confirmation.
With a thought, he brought up his personal attribute panel:
【Name: Greg Sass】
【Race: Human】
【Level: LV27】
【Constitution: 6】
【Agility: 5】
【Intelligence: 7】
【Charisma: 10 (?)】
【Willpower: 6】
【Luck: 10 (Black)】
"My base Constitution and Agility have both increased by one point. My level has jumped by 6, going straight from LV21 to LV27..."
Greg assessed the numbers on the panel.
This leveling speed would be considered terrifying in the regular progression of the original game.
Under normal story progression, when a player completely finished the main quest of Chapter One, their character level would usually only be in the early 20s.
And yet here he was, having only conquered the first layer of the dungeon, and his level had already surged to LV27, far ahead of the normal pace.
However, thinking carefully, it made sense.
In the normal flow of Chapter One, players wouldn't have the ability or the opportunity to face a monster of Lady Eight-Legs' caliber.
The experience they gained primarily came from academy missions, daily training, and some relatively low-risk side events.
For someone like Greg, who forcefully challenged and successfully killed a high-level area Lord at a low level, the experience rewards were naturally massive.
Being able to overtake the normal level progression was a high return for taking a high risk.
Next, he looked at the list of acquired skills.
【Acquired Skills: Whimpering LV4, Blunt Resistance LV2, Burrow LV2, Earth Magic Resistance LV2, Underwater Adaptation LV3, Water Magic Resistance LV2, Freeze Resistance LV1, Tentacle Entanglement LV1, Sowing LV2, Insubstantiality LV1】
"It's a bit of a pity I didn't get any of Lady Eight-Legs' skills."
Greg rubbed his chin, feeling a bit of regret.
Spider-type monsters usually had skills like silk-spraying or toxins, both of which sounded very useful. Especially silk-spraying—he might have been able to cosplay as a certain friendly neighborhood superhero.
However, he also knew that 【Digestive Bacteria】 only provided a probability of acquisition, not a guaranteed drop.
Since nothing dropped this time, it could only be considered average luck.
But the harvest this time was by no means limited to attributes and skills.
He opened his palm and looked again at the dark purple gemstone lying quietly there, emitting a mesmerizing glow.
【Fission Gem (High-grade)】
【Effect: Can split a single-target directional magic spell into multiple identical magical entities without any loss in power or limit to the number of splits, and fire them simultaneously. (The number of splits and control precision are related to the user's mana, mental strength, and mastery of the spell.)】
Splitting without loss or limit...
What did that mean?
It meant that as long as his mana was sufficient and his mind could handle it, he could theoretically turn any single-target spell into a barrage that covered an entire area!
Although the power of each magical entity wouldn't stack, the suppression, coverage, and hit rate provided by the sheer numbers were undeniable.
Of course, given his current level, mana reserves, and mastery of magic, this high-grade gem wouldn't be able to display much power for now.
Splitting a few Water Guns or Fireballs had limited significance and might even waste mana due to poor control.
But that was only for now.
If his level increased in the future and he mastered more powerful single-target attack spells, and then practiced those spells to high proficiency...
At that time, combined with this 【Fission Gem】...
Greg could almost see the scene: a high-tier single-target destruction spell that originally required precise aiming and consumed a massive amount of energy would, under the effect of the gem, transform into dozens or even hundreds of equally lethal streaks of light, covering the entire battlefield like a torrential rain, leaving the enemy with nowhere to hide.
If paired with other gems, its tactical value and destructive power would grow exponentially!
In short, this 【Fission Gem】 was a treasure with immense growth potential and strategic value.
It might not be usable for now, but it was definitely a precious resource worth long-term investment.
Moreover, even if he couldn't use it later, he could sell it for a high price.
After all, not many people were willing to enter the dungeon, so even low-grade gems were in short supply on the market, let alone a high-grade gem like this.
If sold, it would undoubtedly fetch a fortune.
Therefore, the current harvest had already left him very satisfied.
Rate on N.U.
