《Dungeon of The Deleterious》 The Lonely Existence (1) The Lonely Existence (1) I see darkness, a profound darkness. Even if my eyes were closed, I could not see anything darker than this. Were my eyes closed? I do not know {Welcome to The DungeonofTheDeleterious} {You have beenselectedto be transferred to another world, HOWEVER to do so you must pass this dungeon. There is a total of700floors, thedifficultymultiplyingto theequivalentfloor level. In otherwords,floor700would be700times harder than the first floor. You are the first and ONLY person to haveaccessto this Dungeon. And youwillbe the last, moving on please think "Status Open" and look over your stats} [John Smith] Level 1(0/100) Class -None Race - Human Karmic Alignment¨C AbsoluteRighteousness Health - 100/100 Mana - 10/10 Strength¨C1 Dexterity - 1 Intelligence - 1 Wisdom - 1 Luck - 1 Vitality-1 Skills -None Titles -None Constitution -Normal UniqueSkills ¨C None Blessings ¨C None "What!Wheream I!?" Johnshoutedangrily "What is this?What''sgoing on!" {This is yourstatusyou will gain 5 points per level and please,pay close attention to it. If you blunder on your statsand skills, you will die. Now then,it''stime to send you to the first floor.) "Wait! Hold on I don''t evenkno..." The profound darkness surrounded John sudden switched to a blinding red light, engulfing John''s sight. John tightly closed his eyes to block the sudden bloody light. The red light was soon replaced with a cobblestone room, with no windows or doors. Instead therewere4crystal balls onpedestalsplaced an orderly line. {Before entering the first floor you must select a class, please approach the crystals and choose a class you feel fitting to your skills. Please note that once you choose you cannot go back} The cold indifferent systemannouncementplayed in his ear. Getting up John approached the crystalsnervouslyand placed his hand on them one by one (BloodBerserker) [Offense is always the bestdefense. Slaughter your enemies and bathe in their blood todevelopyourever-growingbloodlust andstrength.When leveling up 3stat points will go into strength and 2pointsinto vitality)If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. (Night Killer) [A silentkillerwhereDarkness is your one and only friend. When in the darkness your dexterity,vitality, and strength will double. When leveling up 3 stat points will go into dexterity, 1 point into strength, and 1 point intovitality) (Hell Knight) [A knight forged in the depths of hell, using yourimpenetrabledefense, hell fire,and sword. Cut down and burnenemiesand let them jointhe 9circlesof hell. When leveling up 2 points willgo intovitality, 2 points into strength, and 1 point into intelligent on even levels and 1 point into wisdom on odd levels. "At level 2 you would get 2vitality, 2strengthand 1 intelligence, and on level 3 you would get 2vitality, 2strengthand 1 wisdom"] (Lich) [A being of death anddespair. Summonsdenizensof death to torment the living, and feed of their life force to sustain yourself in battle. When leveling up 2 pointswillgo into wisdom, 2 points into intelligence and 1 point intovitality] "All of these classes haveanevil theme to them.Arethere any other choices?"John thoughtworridly Looking around the room John saw only cobblestone and the crystals he hadinvestigatedalready. The only odd thing in the room was a small black pebblein the corner of the room. John out ofcuriositydecided to pick up said stone (*%$&%#$) ($&%$#*$@&@%%(@##$${@}$@&%) {Would you like to choose this class?} "Huh? Why is the text so disorganized?John said with confusion "Butcomparedto theevilerclasses this might possibly be one that is LESS evil or in anoptimistic light,good!" "I select this class" John stated As John said this the stone glowed and entered his body, leaving behind no trace of itsexistence {Congratulations, you havechosenyour class. You will now be able to proceed to the 1floor. Please not that at every 50level depending on your class there are job advancements.Whetheryour class can advance or not, wellit''sup to your luck} Suddenly the crystalsdisappearedand a wooden doorappearedon one of the walls. {When you feelpreparedplease proceed through the door and begin yourascensionthrough the dungeon} "Open status" [John Smith] Level 1(SoulEnergyneeded to level up) Class -Soul Harvester Race - Human KarmicAlignment¨C AbsoluteRighteousness Soul Pool¨C0 Soul Energy Health -200/200 Mana -20/20 Strength¨C2 Dexterity -2 Intelligence -2 Wisdom -2 Luck - 1 Vitality-2 Skills -None Titles -None Constitution -Normal UniqueSkills ¨C[Soul Offering][Soul Harvest (Lv1)] [Summon Harvester''s Robe (Lv1)] [Summon Harvester''sArmament (Lv1)] Blessings ¨C None (Soul Harvester) {Anexistencefeared by all and known by none, the soul harvester collects the souls of those it deems unworthy of living.Soul harvesters are beings that despise material itemsand consume souls as both a source of growth andabsinth. Asoulharvester will notwear material items and only equip items summoned by its skills.Soulharvesters can offer theenergyof thesouls they have consumed to either raise their level or attain a new skill. Soul harvesters cannot gainexpand skillsthroughtraining or killing and only by offering soulenergyor by usingexternal forces can theyacquirethem. A soul harvesterwill have 1 stat point putinto strength, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, andvitality. It is a balanced class} (Soul Harvest) {Collect the soul of your dead prey andturn ittangiblefor consumption] (Summon Harvester''s Robe) {Summon the robe of the harvester. Anever-growingrobe with no set shape or size. Asthe level increases the degree of editing you canmakeon therobeswill increase. Stats areinfluencedby the shape and size of therobes (Summon Harvester''sArmament) {Summon the armament of the harvest. An ever-growing weapon with no set shape or size. As the level increases the degree of editing you can makeon the weapon will increase. Stats areinfluencedby the shape and size of the weapon} (Soul Offering) {Offer the soulenergyof your preysto level up, upgrade your known skills, oracquirea new skill. Please note when attempting toacquirea skill, there is a chance for the same skill to beacquired. If such event does occur said skill will have its level increased by 1} "Holy shit" {Karma ¨C1} The Lonely Existence (2) "Ok, time to get going" Taking a deep breath Johnpreparedto head out John then look down and realized something. He was completely naked. "What the!? Uh"awkwardly covering his private areas,Johnactivated some of his skills (Summon Harvester''s Robe) (Summon Harvester''sArmament) After using the skills black clothes formed around John''sbody.Andapitch-blackdagger formed in the air {Common Clothing Form) +5 Defense {Common Dagger Form) + 10 Attack Grabbing the dagger, John gently pushed open the door. Walking through John was greeted by an endlessdimlylightedcobblestone hallway. With various paths and openingspreadunevenly along the walls. Walking down the hallway, John waitedaxiouslyfor theinevitablemonster encounter. Soon he was met with his first foe (Green Slime) {It consumes the remains left by the kills of others. Using its acidicbody to stick onto and consume its foes, it also using blunt force to attack} {System: As a beginner, the system will tell you this one monsters weakness. Please aim for the core within the body of the slime to kill it} "Shit, ok aim for the core" (Karma ¨C 1) IgnoringtheannouncementJohn readied his dagger and charged at the slime. AsJohn got within attack range he pointed the dagger at the odd stone within the slime and stabbed towards it. Feeling the dagger strike a hard surface John watched the core within the slime crack and break. Causing the green slime to melt into a puddle. Staring at the corpse John saw a bluish aura surrounding the core. "Ah! I should use soul harvest" (Soul Harvest) Afteractivatingtheskill,the bluish aura around the slime condensed into a small ball and floated towards John. Grabbing the ball, John hesitated before swallowing the soul. (Soul of a Green Slime Consumed) + 5 Soul Energy "It tasted like limejello, shit I''m going to start having taste preferences when it comes to this"John licked his lips and thought aloud (Karma ¨C 1) Groaning over the pointlessannouncementJohn proceeded down the hallway to find more monsters to hunt.Continuinghis search John soon found something of interest, a small chest placed within a small corridor.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "Going over the knowledge I have from some of those fantasy games I played, I should probably check for traps and attack it. I always hated fuckingmimics" (Karma ¨C 1) "Shit I need to stop swearing, if this keeps up I will have no karma left (Karma ¨C 1) Ever since John entered this dungeon he began swearing more and moreoften. Before John came here he rarely used rudelanguage, but due to the stressfulenvironmenthis vocabulary has made a "slight" change. "Hey system, why is it when I swear my karma drops?" {System: AnsweringJohn''squestion, Karma loss and gain isinfluenceby one current KarmicAlignment. Due to your alignment being of AbsoluteRighteousnessyourlanguagecaninfluenceyour karma. Ifyourkarmic alignment changes so will what affects your karma value} "Oh, that actually makes asurprisingamount of sense" {System: Pleasenotethat the system will only answer your questions while you remain on the first floor, afterwardscommunicationwith the system will consist of only announcements} "Ok I will keep that in mind" Tensing up John began approaching the chestsearchingaround to find anypotentialdangers.Finallyreaching the chest, John lifted his dagger and stabbed it into the lid of the chest. Instead of the usual expected thud what Johnreceivedwas a scream of agony,the chest was bleeding "FUCK IT WAS A MIMIC!"John shouted in fear {Karma ¨C1} Jumping back as the chest burst to life as arms and legs began to sprout from the chest and it exposed itsrazor-sharpteeth along the inner parts of the chest and lid (Human-Limbed Mimic) {A mimic with the limbs of a human male,althoughsaid limbs are clawed and 2 times longer than the average malefor extended attack range} "Ah shit, I can''t fight this thing it''s huge"John said with growingdespair {Karma ¨C1} Seeing the large human-like mimic looming over him, John did the only thing reasonable, run. Turning and bolting for the main corridor John ran as fast as he could. John feltno need to look behind him, he could tell the location of the mimic byitsloud footstepsechoingdown the corridor. John began to twist and turn down randomhalls for agesandthen crawled into a small opening. Holding his breath John listened for themimic''sfootsteps. Silence, the mimics footsteps werenonexistent. John hadescapedthe mimic long ago but due to beingtrappedin the throngs of fear, continued running blindly. "Fuck, I can''t let myself get so blinded by fear. I will die if I keep doing that"John breathed anxiously {Karma ¨C1} "I know, I know I swore. Don¡¯t need to keep reminding me"he muttered with annoyance {System: Notreceivingthese reminders could place you in dangerous situations in the future, thus disabling them is not possible} Sighing John crawled out of the small opening and began his cautious walk down the corridors once again. "I am going to get an anxiety attack over that mimic, hopefully it went back into its dormant chest state. Otherwise I am going to have a stressful time hunting" Before taking a turn, John paused andanxiouslyglanceddown the corridor. His encounter with themimiccaused his survival instincts to reach their peak. Glancing down another hallway, John spotted a little green child (Goblin) (A typical, grunt goblin. Uses the tools in its hand to kill its foe, or ifnecessaryits fists. Alone they areincapableof threating most adults. When ingroups however is where their talentsshine) "Ok,since it has a brainaim for the head I guess" {System: Correct} "Ithoughtyou said youwouldn¡¯ttellme the monsters weaknesses" {System: I said I wouldn¡¯ttell you, that does notincludeconfirmingif you were correct or not"} "Will you always tell me if I make a correct guess? At least while I''m on the 1floor?" {System: No} Disappointed in the systems lack ofcooperationJohn lookedat thegoblin"Alrightythen" Readying his dagger, Johnheld his breath andpreparedto attacktheobliviousgreen toddler The Lonely Existence (3) Adjusting his posture John bolted towards to goblin swinging his dagger at its head. The goblin hearing John''s footsteps turnedhastilyto ready itself for combat. Thegoblinjumpedbackimmediatelyand avoided John''s attack andcounterattackedwith its club. John seeing the clubapproachinghis chest, took a step back and watched the club swingpastby a hairsbreadth.After the goblin''s attack Johnspotteda moment ofvulnerability while the goblin wasfinishingits swing.Takingadvantageof this opening John thrusted his dagger at the goblin''s head, the goblin had no time to respond before the dagger penetrated its stull. When the goblins corpse hit the floor, the blue aura once again began to emit from the corpse. [Soul Harvest] Watching the soul condense and float towards him, John grabbed the soul and swallowed it. {Soul Energy + 10} It tasted like green ham, it was an odd evaluation. But it felt accurate "Hey system, how is the amount of soul energyI collect from deadmonster''ssoulsI eatcalculated"John asked {System: Eating the souls of monsters is impossible, as such there is no answer to your question} "Wait I have the soul harvester class? Is this class not intendedtobeavailable?Johnaskwith confusion {System: Such a class does not exist, you are classless. The system is notgullible, pleaserefrainfrom lying} "I''m not lying I... what am I wearing right now?" {System: Nothing at the current time} "How did I kill the goblin and slime then?'' {System: With your fists} "¡­." "Hold on you said I had to choose a class before leaving the starter room, how did I leave then?" {System: Youinformedthe system you had decided to go classless} "Ok this is getting strange. Either I''m insane or I haveacquiredsomething not intended to ever beacquired"John said with worry "Ah, Ishouldstop thinking about this"Sighing John moved on with his thoughts Deciding to ignore the issue for now, Johncontinueddown the halls to findsomewhereto rest "Hey system, is there any form of safe room. Where I could rest and whatnot?" {System: There are half floorsin-betweenlevels,theseact as safe rooms for you to rest} "How will I get food?" John knew with his class he did not need food, he had also verified this when eating souls. That souls indeed acted as food for him. {System: There are monsters all around you, figure it out} "Then water?" {System: Blood will work} "What about weaponry and potions?" {System: Chests}If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Alrightythen..." Looking down the hall John sighed. "I guess choosing the soul harvester class was a wise choice on my part" {System: Such a class does notexis...} "Shut up I know"John snapped (Karma ¨C1) ____________________________________________________________________________________ Continuing down the halls John decided to stop and test his [Soul Sacrifice] skill [Soul Sacrifice] {Which of the following do you want to sacrifice too?} {Level, Skill Development, Skill Acquisition} "Huh, ok this is interesting" "Sacrifice to {Level}" {You need 100 soul energy to increase your level} "Ok that failed,let''ssee. Sacrifice to {Skill Development} {Which skill do you want tosacrificetoo?} {[Soul Harvest (Lv1)] [Summon Harvester''s Robe (Lv1)] [Summon Harvester''sArmament (Lv1)]} "Hmm, Sacrificeto[Summon Harvester''sArmament (Lv1)]" {You need 50 soulenergytostrengthenskills at this level} "Damn, ok last but not least" {Karma ¨C1} "Ugh, this karma thing is going to get annoying, anywaysacrificeto {Skill Acquisition}" {You can sacrifice 10 soul energy toacquirea new skill} {WARNING: With each sacrifice to skill acquisition the amount of soul energy required ismultipliedby 10. In otherwords,your next skillacquisitionsacrifice will cost 100 soul energy} {Would you like to complete the sacrifice?} "Ok I can do math I''m not stupid"John muttered feelingslightlyinsulted "Anyway, complete sacrifice" After John finished thesentenceand odd glow began to form around his body, this glow was aneeriegreenish bluelight that began to slowlyintensify. Soon it became blinding and as suddenly as it started, it vanished {SkillAcquired[HexFire Lv1]} [HexFire] {Aneerie greenish purple flame. This flame is said to ignore fire resistances to acertaindegree, because instead ofburningthe body it burns the soul. Although it has never been seen, it is a legend to even gods and used as a fear tactic by parents. Such threats as "If you don¡¯t eat your foodyouwill be burnedbyhex fires for being bad". This flame is essentially theboogiemanfor many fireelement-orientedcivilizations} "Huh, that¡¯s slightly concerning" John frowned at thedescription "I feel when I finish developing I''m going to become something odd" _____________________________________________________________________________________ Continuing down the halls John searched for monsters to kill.However,the halls were eerily quiet "Fuck if that mimic is stillmobile, it could be killing things"John said anxiously {Karma ¨C1} "Hey system will monsters attack each other?"John asked the system with worry {System: Certain monsters will prey on others, however in the face of an invader they will cooperate} "Ahh, ok thisisn''tgood for me" "Hopefully I encounter some slimes,they''rea lot easier toki..." John stopped and began to stare at two chests down the hall "Oh fuck, now I''m feeling the sense of greed" {Karma ¨C1} "I know one of them is going to beadamn mimic, which one issaid mimic iswhat I''m worried about" Approaching the chests, John readied his dagger and swung at the leftmost chest *THUD* "Ok, nothing" Opening the chest, John looked inside to see a small vial (Lesser Health Potion) "My job description said I could not consume material items, I don¡¯t want to waste the potion but Iwon''tget cocky. I would hate to get into a situation expecting the best outcome" Looking at the second chest John turned and ignored it turning to leave. "M-maybe I should just test it"John said with light greed However,in the face of a life or deathenvironment, risking giving up precious resources was a bit too much to bear.Swinginghis dagger once more John made contact with the lid of the chest *THUD* "Ah! Wait... nothing?" John was puzzled, one should have been a mimic "Ok, I guess my luck is good" Opening the chest John reached inside to grab its contents (Lesser Mana Potion) "Huh ok, not bad...waitwhat''sthis feeling" John began to feel as if something wasapproachinghim. Turning slowly John faced hispotentialfoe.Legs...That was the first thing John saw, looking up John began to see the chest shaped body and long armssproutingfrom the sides. With a small hole in the lidbleedinggreenish blue blood "IT''S THATFUCKING MIMIC"John shouted in rage Turning and running John heard the Human-Limbed Mimic pursuing him {Karma ¨C1} The Lonely Existence (4) "Fuck, the bastard actually held a grudge!" John yelled angrily {Karma ¨C1} John at this current time was running for his life from the damnable human-limbed mimic. "Ok! Let''s try (Hex fire)" (Hex fire) Suddenly a greenish purple flame appeared over John''s finger "The fuck? That''s it!? Shit I got to roll with this" John was dumbfounded at the spells result {Karma ¨C2} Flicking the flame at the human-limbed mimic something strange occurred on contact with the mimic. It spread like wildfire over the mimic. The mimic itself began to scream in agony, after all the feeling of one''s soul burning is quite unbearable. However, it didn''t die, soon the flame died out and the mimic exhaled harshly before screeching with such rage the walls trembled. John had never stopped running when throwing the hex fire at the mimic, he had a despairing feeling it would not kill the bastard. And after hearing the screeching of rage his fears were confirmed "Is this bastard a mini-boss!?" John was horrified at the thought "Oi, system are there mini-bosses on each floor?!" John shouted at the system {System: Yes} "Is that mimic a mini-boss?" {System: I will not answer that question} "Knowing you, that¡¯s a yes" John groaned ___________________________________________________________________________________ He had been running for almosthalf an hour now, and the damn human-limbed mimic would not give up its pursuit.Every timehe thought he had lost the thing and had a few minutes rest, it would find him again "Hah,hahFuck... that mimic... Hah... Won''t fucking give up..." John was angry and exhausted John had run by numerous monsters and nearly got caught by the human-limbed mimic due to their interference. "I just... Need a small opening" John was beginning to run out of stamina Finally, John found a narrow opening about I man thick. Sliding though John ran for a few more minutes before collapsing onto a nearby wall "Hah, hah... I one hell of a beginner''s luck moment right there" John finally began to calm down "hey system, if there ishpwhy do I not see any indication of much damage I dealt to an enemy?" {System: Do you think life would really be that convenient?}Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "I guess not" {System: As long as you havehpno matter where you are hit you cannot die, however nothing will tell you if your enemies are low health. Unless you have a special skill or item such a thing is impossible, please remember life is never fair} "Thanks for the life lesson" John said with heavy sarcasm {System: Your welcome} "This is the first floor, and it''s already this intense" John said with a depressed tone "If this is how it is right now, I can''t imagine it me 700 times harder" {System: Grow stronger and progress to survive} "No shit" John snapped at the system {Karma ¨C1} Standing up John prepared to hunt again, he was feeling both hungry and weak. Looking down the gloomy looking halls John walked forth. "Now that I have confirmed that it''s hunting me I have to be careful of that damn mimic now, I can''t risk another chase like that. Beginner''s luck only lasts so long" John thought while steeling his will John began to walk lighter and stopped for a good minute to listen before continuing down the hall if he ever heard any unusual sounds. Soon he began to encounter monsters, after killing about 6 slimes and 2 goblins John leaned against the wall and took a deep breath "Open status" [John Smith] Level 1 (Soul Energy needed to level up) Class - Soul Harvester Race - Human Karmic Alignment ¨C Absolute Righteousness Soul Pool - 55 Soul Energy Health - 156/200 Mana - 10/20 Strength ¨C 2 Dexterity - 2 Intelligence - 2 Wisdom - 2 Luck - 1 Vitality- 2 Skills - [Hex Fire Lv1] Titles - None Constitution - Normal Unique Skills ¨C [Soul Offering] [Soul Harvest (Lv1)] [Summon Harvester''s Robe (Lv1)] [Summon Harvester''s Armament (Lv1)] Blessings ¨C None "Myhpis a bit messed, I should try that potion" John said regretfully Pulling out the (Lesser Health Potion) John pulled the stopper "Cheers to my survival" John said sarcastically Drinking the potion John resisted the urge to vomit. Forcing the liquid down his throat John received a notification. {Material item consumed. Effects reduced by 9/10ths} "The hell!? It''s so disgusting and I receive this as a reward!" John said with disgust John pulled out the (Lesser Mana Potion) and reluctantly pulled the stopper "Cheers to... fuck I can¡¯t even make a joke, it¡¯s just too disgusting" John said despairingly {Karma ¨C1} Downing and potion and resisting the urge to vomit, John received the hateful notification {Material item consumed. Effects reduced by 9/10ths} "Well fuck" {Karma ¨C1} _________________________________________________________________________________ After the disgusting taste finally left his mouth, John stood up and continued walking down the halls "I need 100 soul energy to level up, If I want that damn mimic to die I will need to increase my level. No matter how many skills I know it won''t kill that damnable mimic if my stats are too low" John thought hatefully "I''ll need either 9 slimes or 5 goblins to collect 100 soul energy, this is going to take a while"John calculated "Shit I''m going to start getting tired soon" John muttered {System: Complete the floor and reach the half floor to rest} "Oh, fuck off I know that" {Karma ¨C1} Ignoring the karmic reduction John continued his adventures down the halls. "I''m going to need to start a massive adrenaline rush and keep it going until I reach the half floor" John thought with concern "I just hope there will be no side effects to my health for doing this, and if I get careless with maintaining my adrenalinerush by all the ruckus Iwillmake. That damnable mimic could find me again"John began to doubt whether he should execute his plan "Screw it, if I chicken out now I will die here as a coward"John steeled his will and charged forth, starting his momentum The Lonely Existence (5) Pushing himself forward with his momentum, John rushed down the halls looking for things to kill. Soon he encountered a small slime. Without even stopping John thrusted his dagger at the slimes core killing it instantly. John had discovered on the first floor having a +5 attack weapon was actually, quite strong. It killed most weak monsters instantly, except that damn mimic. "60 soul energy, 40 more to go" John thought while grabbing the congealed soul of the slime before continuing his run down the halls. "I actually quite enjoy slime souls, they really do taste like lime jello" John thought happily as he ate the soul of the slime while running (+5 soul energy) Humming to keep himself in high spirits, John continued looking for more monsters. Soon John was able to find 5 more slimes. After swallowing the souls, John pumped his fists excitedly "10 more soul energy to go before I can level up!" {System: To level up you require exp not...} "Shut up I know" John cut off the system, he was in too much of a good mood to let the system ruin it {Karma ¨C1} "Ok I need 2 slimes or 1 goblin this is good news for m..." John''s voice began to trail off Footsteps, loud heavy footsteps began to slowly grow in volume from something approaching down the hall. "Oh no, it''s probably that damn mimic" John''s mood was instantly ruined and he grew anxious once again Turning in the other direction, John began sprinting as quietly as he could to escape the source of the footsteps. Running down the halls, John found a small gap in the wall wedging himself inside with his head facing the hall. The footsteps grew continued to grow in volume, and soon the source of the sound appeared before him. "It''s not a mimic" John was terrified when he saw the creature walk past him "What was it? A hound?" John was horrified at the thought of facing such a foe Waiting for the footsteps to vanish, John finally removed himself from the gap in the wall. And crept away in the opposite direction of the hound. "Is there more than 1 mini-boss?" John thought in horrorThe story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Hey system, is there more than 1 mini-boss on a single floor?" John whispered quietly {System: Yes} "Is a mini-boss a special monster or is it like a normal monster on steroids?" {System: It can be either or both} Shivering at the systems answer, John proceeded down the halls to find his last 10 soul energy ______________________________________________________________________________ Pulling his knife out of the slime''s core, John wiped the sweat of his brow "Ah, I''m getting so stressed over that damn mimic and hound I''m getting cold sweats" (Karma ¨C1) "Wow, when did I swear there?" John said with confusion {System: you said damn} "¡­ Alright then" John was a bit gob smacked at the system''s diligence of reducing his karma. "I should probably refrain from swearing as much as possible, at first It was because of the stress. But I''m kind of getting scared at what would happen if my karma reaches zero" John thought "And if I keep swearing so often it will become a habit" John shivered at the thought of a negative karmic value (Soul Harvest) Eating the slime soul, John finally reached 100 soul energy (+5 soul energy) "Finally, Ok time to level up" (Soul Sacrifice) {What do you wish to sacrifice too?} "Level" John said immediately {Warning: The next level up will cost 200 soul energy. Do you wish to proceed?} "Yes" John groaned, this leveling process was really too tedious A blue glow began to emit from John''s body *Ding* {You have leveled up} "Wow that was... anti-climactic, I was expecting something a bit more...hell, I don''t even feel stronger" John was a bit disappointed in the result {Karma ¨C1} "Anyway, I''ll open my status later I just need to kill more of those goblins and slimes and use the soul energy to upgrade some of my skills" John said aloud with determination {System: Skills are upgraded by use not by...} "Shut up I know" John snapped {Karma -1} _____________________________________________________________________________________ "Hey system I never asked but, what does karmic value do?" {System: It effects your luck and fate} John felt like vomiting blood. "I''ve cursed so many times since I arrived here" John thought in horror "H-hey system, is there you know... some way you could show me my karmic value? John asked nervously {System: Karmic value is a representative of luck and fate, it cannot be displayed. Only with special items or skills and such a thing occur} John felt like dying at that moment "S-system if one''s karmic value reaches zero, what would happen?" {System: The chances of death and unlucky circumstances would increase with the negative value} John began to break out into a cold sweat "H-how do I increase my karmic value?" {System: Preform actions that match your karmic alignment} "There is NOTHING here to be righteous about! I can''t defend the weak and stop evil doers" John thought stressfully "I was only swearing because of the stress and fear. Isn''t this a bit too cruel of a punishment for just some crude language!" John felt cheated at this moment "System, is there a way to change one''s karmic alignment?" {System: If your personality changes in a significant way, your alignment will change} "That''s.... going to be a lot harder than I think, isn''t it..." John said with hopelessness {System: Yes, yes, it is} ____________________________________________________________________________ Giving up on thinking about his karmic value, John continued to look for more monsters down the halls. "Preferably, I want to find slimes. The jello taste never really gets old" John hummed in a light-hearted manner Was John actually feeling happy? No... he was just trying to convince himself he was...because if he didn''t he would shut down and cry "I should probably level my (Harvester''s Armament) first if I want to kill that da.. mimic" The Lonely Existence (6) Walking down the dim halls. John continued his hunt for slimes and goblins "I''m starting to feel a sense of loneliness" John said to no one in particular "And I''m tired" John continued to complain aloud {System: Then complete the floor and reach the half floor" "Yea, I know that... But I don''t feel strong enough to face the boss" John said hopelessly {System: Whatever you feel is best} "Why are you getting sassier and more sarcastic as time goes on?" {System: I won''t answer that} "¡­." John was speechless "Anyway, I need to increase my skills levels and my level, or else that... accursed mimic will kill me" "Actually, hey system do monsters feel emotions" {Systems: Yes} "So, could I befriend them?" {System: It¡¯s a slim possibility, but it''s best to forget such an idea} "Ok then I shall move on from that thought for now" __________________________________________________________________________________ Walking down the halls John noticed something peculiar "There are no monsters, none... I haven''t seen a single once since meeting that hound" John was growing anxious in the quiet environment "I need 10 slimes or 5 goblins to upgrade one of my skills to level 2" John calculated "I''m going to need to disregard my safety and pick up the pace again. If I continue to grow this slowly, I will die" John thought negatively Gathering his momentum once again John started to jog down the halls, searching for things to kill Soon John encountered goblins, the issue was there being 5 of them. And it was obvious they were a team, the goblins were crouched down chewing on a gory mass of flesh, blood and bone no conflict seeming to be among them. "Ok 5 goblins, I need to lure them away from each other." John began to plan for the goblins deaths Hiding around the corner John watched the goblins dine of their meal. Clenching his dagger, John walked a small distance away from the goblins before digging his dagger into the cobblestone walls. Wiggling the dagger John soon removed a thumb sized stone, holding the stone tightly John moved back to his previous location.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "I need to either hit one of the goblins and hope they are stupid enough to investigate on their own, or throw the stone within earshot and hope it is audible to only one of the goblins" John thought *THUMP* *THUMP* Loud footsteps rapidly approached John and the group of goblins location. The goblins themselves began to shake in fear and sweat began to pour down their faces, John began to do the same. Skidding around a corner behind the goblins was...YES the human-limbed mimic, it ran up to the goblins and kicked the first straight into the ceiling. Then proceeded to send a flying kick to the goblin beside him, causing the goblin to be crushed into the cobblestone walls and claw two other goblins to death using its sharp nails. Staring at the last goblin the mimic scoffed and ran down the hall towards John''s direction leaving the remaining goblin with what might be PTSD John himself had decided to hide in a crack in the wall as he watched the mimic run by. "¡­ I have no words to describe how ridiculous that situation was" John thought speechlessly "I''m going to name that thing Chesty the Hateful Mimic" John thought (The Hateful Mimic, Chestnut) {Chestnut is quick to hold a grudge and likes to vent its anger on other monsters, it does not play the role of the hidden predator well, rather it actively seeks it''s prey and those it holds a grudge on. Its personality is what makes it a variant monster, rather than physical characteristics. The title of hateful mimic was not just granted by John, but rather by basically every monster on the first floor} "Ok so I''m not the only one to hate Chestnut, who would''ve thought?" John laughed internally Looking at what remains of the goblin group John noticed something. There were blue glows around the corpses bodies, meaning he could still collect their souls! Killing the last goblin was not much of a task the goblin was in shock, so it was unresponsive to John''s attacks resulting in its quick death. {Soul Harvest} Swallowing the four souls John realized something. "Wait there was 5 goblins, where is the last one" John thought while looking around the hall John then noticed the sound of dripping and looked up to see a goblin with its head stuck in the ceiling with its remaining body dangling down. "Wow, Chestnut really is hateful" This thought was John''s only response Swallowing the last soul John readied himself for a soul sacrifice (Soul energy +50) (Soul Sacrifice) {What do you wish to sacrifice too?} "Skill development" {Which skill?} "Hmm, (Harvester''s Armament)" *Ding* (Harvester''s Armament has reached lv 2} "Ok now let''s see if I can change the form of this dagger" (Harvester''s Armament) {Please Imagine the form you would like the armament to take) John Imagined a longsword and suddenly with a black light the longsword in his mind appeared before him. (Common Sword Form) {Attack +10) "Nice now I have some range, being limited to the dagger form was quite suffocating" John said aloud happily "Now I should hunt some more and get ready to finish off Chestnut and that hound. I hate that mimic so much I can''t stand to leave this floor without it being dead" John though angrily Taking a deep breath, John stared down the halls "Soon Chestnut, soon I will face you. And I WON"T run like a coward like our last encounters" John thought grimly "Once I reach level five and have my (Harvester''s Robe) and hex fire skills at level 2 will I have confidence against Chestnut" John calculated _____________________________________________________________________________________ From a very distant location Chestnut was running. Suddenly it made an odd hacking sound similar to a sneeze, it''s tongue flying all around the place. "Is someone talking shit about me? It''s probably the bastard that stabbed me. Trust me you bastard I will find you and eat you. I won''t let you hide from me much longer" Chestnut thought with hate before continuing its search for John Monster & Skill Index (Warning this is up to date with the current chapter) Monster Index Variant Monsters (TheHateful Mimic, Chestnut) Skill IndexThis content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.