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Chapter 9: Doubt in the camp
As the party hiked down from the hill they had climbed, looking for a place to make camp, Jones couldn''t help but chastise himself once more. The mood was a lot brighter than before they left the dungeon, as the notification they had upon exiting visibly lifted their spirits.
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[Ding! Dungeon exited! 33 XP earned!]
[33 (100%) Bonus XP assigned!]
[Accept? Yes/No]
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They had all received the same notification and after they finished reading it, a few more details of dungeon delving were revealed to the group. As they had just learned, dungeon XP is apparently "delayed" until they actually leave the dungeon and any bonuses they would receive would be calculated afterwards. This meant that the everyone in the group had received 66 XP in total, which was more than 1/3rd of what they needed to advance to Level 6.
Jones himself, inspecting his own [Status] screen, already had 72 XP out of the 153 they would require for their advancement. Since acquiring their new classes and being introduced to the system of advancement used by the Adventurer''s League, the group had already been made aware of the requirements for advancing to rank 2. They weren''t informed of how to advance to rank 3 yet, but Jones assumed that they would be made aware of the requirements once they had gained the rank. Furthermore, as they all had [Adventurer] type classes, which was essentially a step above the [Common] classes most people receive from living day to day, and below the [Noble] classes of people more well-born, their requirements for advancement were also harsher.
For one, most [Common] classes did not have so many levels or ranks. People with [Common] classes would be able to increase to rank 2 by level 3, which would only require earning 95 XP in total, or 45 XP for level 3. On the otherhand, [Adventurer] type classes required them to increase to level 10 first, the final level requiring 777 XP. To reach rank 2, they would need a total of 2288 XP. Being Level 5 himself, Jones had so far earned 337 XP in total, a far cry from what they would require to rank up.
At first, he would wonder how other parties increased their rank to 2 so fast, seeing the staggeringly high XP costs. After investigating further though, he learned that most of the XP these parties received were for finishing the contracts and rarely from slaying beasts. However, [Jones and Folks] had unable to receive any contracts at all and had gained all of their 337 XP from combat.
Reviewing their abilities and situation further, Jones realized on hindsight that perhaps this was better for them. He doubted that his party would be able to take on a level 8 or 9 party; however, he believed they were strong enough to defeat most level 6 or 7 parties, being a level 5 party themselves. Granted, the group were more skilled in facing beasts rather than people.
As the rest of the party made camp at the base of the hill, Jones busied himself with scavenging herbs around the area. He had used a few during the fight today for casting [Mend] but he had an ample supply from their frequent jaunts in the forest and the recent trek to the dungeon itself. He also looked for some edible mushrooms, finding a few button and cremini shrooms hugging the trunks of the overgrown flora.
Soon enough, the smouldering wood and tinder at the center of the camp gave way to a slowly shifting fire as the skies darkened and the visage of the Maiden shone silver on the lands. The cold months of King Winter had recently passed and they would soon welcome the fair weather of Lady Spring. Yet, the nights continued to be chilly.
The group sat around the fire, Harry slowly boiling the mushrooms, some roots he had found, and week-old jerky into a stew.
"Y''all assigned your XP, yeah?" Jones asked. John, who was seating the closest to him, nodded his head.
"Sure did Jones. Got 80 XP in the bank. Still hard ta believe I''m almost halfway to the next level already, without even completing that dungeon." He remarked, although the sensation was shared amongst the rest of his brothers.
Pausing for a few seconds while focusing his thoughts together, Jones continued. "I know what y''all thinking. We did good today but we ran away when we saw that rank 3." He stated hanging his head lower but continuing to stare at the flames. The splintering echo of the wood amid the dancing flames transfixed his mind for a moment, and as if empowering by the fire his own words, he continued.
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[Quest Received!]
[Conquer the dungeon and forge a connection with the core!]
[Note: This is a System-issued quest. Possible rewards include but are not limited to XP, [Skill]s, [Armament]s, or [Boons].]
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