"Speech"
'Thoughts'
*The System's voice*
The System
Izuku peeked around the corner of the fourth chamber and noticed a stark difference between two of twelve goblins residing in the space when compared to the average goblin worker. Their faces more menacing, their frames bulkier; the two of them even had shirts on their backs, albeit in very poor condition; riddled with holes and missing many pieces one would come to expect from such a garment. But the real difference was of course, in their stats. Izuku focused on one of them and spoke in his mind; "analyze."
Goblin Warrior:
Level 3
Class(es): Warrior
HP: 120
STAM: 110
MP: 50
Health Regen Per Minute: 14
Stamina Regen Per Minute: 30
Mana Regen Per Minute: 18
Melee ATK: 28
Ranged ATK: 20
Magic ATK: 12
Critical Strike Chance: 1.75%
Strength: 14
Endurance: 12
Agility: 11
Dexterity: 10
Intelligence: 5
Willpower: 6
Charisma: 3
Luck: 7
"This... is not good." While yes, their HP is low enough that it would still mean Void Flame would put the goblins in the realm of a two-hit kill, if he didn't manage to do so, he could be in a world of hurt. "Although, this does present an opportunity to test out Piercing Strike." And now that he really thought about it, this could work out rather well for him. Ten goblin workers would equal one level gained in the skill, so he could put both of his skills on rather equal footing just like that. Then would come the warriors. He wasn't really sure what skills they would have, if any at all. But he would have to be careful. Yes, while they still had pickaxes, a base damage of twenty-eight is not something that should be easily dismissed.
As more thoughts following that line of thinking presented themselves, he began to formulate a plan. A rather simple plan, but a plan that in Izuku's mind, should work. "Since the goblin workers don't notice when one of their own is being picked off, I could use them to level my Piercing Strike skill quite easily. Even if it ends up needing more than ten uses to get to level 2, that should be fine." When Izuku rang up the numbers they checked out quite nicely. Piercing Strike, as it happened, had a base damage of 30. Add in Izuku's bonus from Strength and it shoots up to 54 damage in all. That would have the workers at death's door, yes, but they would live, and that means that he could hit all of them with the skill twice. Izuku thought that it was a great plan and should work perfectly, but he knew that there was the factor of the goblin warrior to consider. They had 5 Intelligence instead of 4, and he didn't know what the threshold was that gave them the ability to be aware of their brothers' peril. Still, he knew that all of this was a risk, but that didn't mean he couldn't take steps to mitigate that risk.
Izuku picked out one of the many stones lying on the ground and chucked it at the nearest goblin worker. He figured that instead of going to attack it directly, he could lure it to him using this method. He thought this would further decrease the chance that the warriors would take notice. Thankfully, this proved to be correct. It might have been due to aggro range or some such factor, but just like the previous rooms it was only the worker hit that took notice.
Izuku positioned himself in a way that was quite revealing and readied himself for close quarters combat. Sure, Katsuki had beaten him half to death plenty of times, and yes, this was just a worker, but if it somehow went wrong it could cost him life. Whether that meant in just this dungeon or if he would lose it forever was of little importance right now.
The goblin looked to him with hungry eyes full of unbridled hatred and without a second thought charged at him as fast as its pathetic little legs could carry it. Izuku clenched his fist and thought about using the skill. Immediately, a light-yellow glow began to emanate from the end of his wrist to the tips of his fingers; as if the energy was just barely restraining itself from carrying out its master's desire to fight.
When the goblin was finally upon Izuku, it suddenly felt with all of the might of its 4 Intelligence that it was fucked. At that same moment, a glowing fist connected with its face and suddenly, it was on the floor. As soon as it opened its eyes it saw that the same fist from before was once again showing its brilliant light, and then...there was only darkness.
*You have slain Level 1 Goblin Worker and are awarded 185 EXP*
The goblin's lifeless face, if you could call it that, was a good indication aside from The System's message that it was dead. It made Izuku feel unease, but just as he had with all the other kills, he pushed it down. Although the unease felt from killing was lessening. Whether that was good or bad, he did not know, nor have the mind to ponder right now. 'Back to business."
With the first goblin out of the way, he began using the same method to dispatch the other workers, though the fourth, while still taking only two hits to dispatch had seemed less damaged from his initial strike. The reason for this became quite clear as soon as he delivered the finishing blow.
*You have slain Level 2 Goblin Worker and are awarded 268 EXP*
This was a welcome surprise, but also a needed kick in the ass. Getting too complacent would not be a good idea in a place like this. Izuku didn't realize it until now, but he hadn't even bothered to check the levels of the goblin workers in this room. It would take a little time sure, but he would make sure that he analyzed every goblin from now on, lest he end up arrogant, dead, or both.
The next goblin worker was level 1 just as the first three had been, and after he'd dealt with it in much the same fashion as the others, a voice in his head played him an anticipated message along with the standard notice of slaying an enemy.
*Piercing Strike has reached Level 2*
'Yes!' This was good. He was learning more and more about The System all the time. While he wasn't sure all skills would level like this, now he could at least assume both starter skills would behave the same way in this respect. It got him thinking though. "How well will this skill level when compared to Void Flame? And will I be able to get my hands on any truly broken skills in the future?" In many games there were certain abilities all would utilize above others without question, making other skills essentially useless until the unbalanced skill was either nerfed to become less powerful or other were buffed to be able to compete with it. This was all well and good; Izuku certainly agreed with the way skills like this were handled. But with the System, if by chance it did have any skills of this nature, how would it know to tone them down? In Izuku's view, it wouldn't. "Another thing to consider." He thought to himself as he opened his Skills tab.
Skill: Piercing Strike
Level 2/10
0% to next level
-Channel your energy into your fist or foot to deliver a blow that pierces through to one's soul.
Damage: 35+(24) Melee ATK,
Cost: 20 STAM.
"Hmm…Rather disappointing, if I'm to be honest. Void Flame had the same increase to its base damage but also got an extra second to burn time as well, so I was expecting something a little more than this." Izuku knew it wasn't really a big deal. Starter skills were just that. "But still, dang."
With the underwhelming development to his skill out of the way, he quickly rid of the remaining five workers. Still being able to utilize the two-hit method, but only just. 59 damage was cutting rather close. Although, like the fourth worker he had felled in this room, two of these five were also a level above the rest, which was a nice bonus to his experience indeed. This time though, they were no surprise to him as he had remembered to check for any deviation from the norm in the ranks.
Goblin Worker:
Level 2
Class(es): None
HP: 80
STAM: 80
MP: 40
Health Regen Per Minute: 7
Stamina Regen Per Minute: 27
Mana Regen Per Minute: 12
Melee ATK: 14
Ranged ATK: 18
Magic ATK: 8
Critical Strike Chance: 1.25%
Strength: 7
Endurance: 8
Agility: 8
Dexterity: 9
Intelligence: 4
Willpower: 4
Charisma: 2
Luck: 5
"Interesting stat allocation. I guess they prioritize Dexterity the most due to Stamina regen. It would help when mining, and well, with how they are they don't seem to be good for much else. I wonder if they'll ever get Intelligence. Or maybe they cap out at four and only increase the four physical stats no matter how high their level gets? Regardless, a stronger goblin means more trouble but also faster leveling. A blessing and a curse it would seem."
As soon as he had dealt with the remainder of the ten, he laid his eyes upon the remaining figures in the room; the goblin warriors. Whilst he was dealing with the workers, he had been careful to not only avoid hitting the warriors with a rock, thereby avoiding provocation of an enemy he had not yet fought, but also gauged their reactions when he aggro-ed a worker close to where they were standing. Nothing. They didn't seem to mind at all, just the same as their even weaker minded brethren. Using this same logic, he figured they wouldn't care if one from their own class were hit either. He would take a gamble here, but to be honest, not only was he confident that he was right, he felt that with his skills as is, he could dismantle both of them before they could do any real damage to him if need be. He would still be cautious obviously, but he felt his strength had grown, and not just the stat itself.
He decided on a simple strategy that would impose a minor risk but would be worth it in his view. One Void Flame and one Piercing Strike. Not even counting the burning damage they would take before reaching him, this combination would be enough to do them in with damage to spare. Not wasting any more time, Izuku set his plan into action.
The goblin reacted immediately. Howling in pain and rubbing at the areas burdened by the flame. Once it realized that the venture was futile, it hastily searched for the monster that imposed this agony onto it. Its eyes swiftly found Izuku, who looked prepped and ready for anything the goblin would throw at him. The goblin charged, releasing a war cry that mixed with the horrible noise already coming from his mouth to produce something that would be truly terrifying if one was not expecting to hear it. But Izuku was. He waited and tensed, readying himself. It closed in fast and heaved its pickaxe above its head, ready to strike. Something Izuku did not expect happened, though. The weapon took on a faint white glow that made his senses scream at him to dodge this attack. He listened. Quickly jumping back, he dodged the overhead swing by a fairly large margin. It was good that he did, because when the pickaxe impacted the ground it didn't just crack the ground but send stone chunks hurling through the air in a dozen directions. One smacked right into Izuku, shooting itself just above his brow. It hurt like hell. His vision swam and he let out a sharp, involuntary cry of pain as he buckled his knees and held the spot impacted by the rock. He wasn't sure how much damage it did, but he didn't plan on taking another one of those to the face. Before he even knew he was doing it, he shoved his fist directly into the throat of the goblin who had been silently making his way over to Izuku in the hopes that he could finish off the one who did him harm. But in an instant, all of that was replaced by a fresh wave of pain, and then, it felt no more.
*You have slain Level 3 Goblin Warrior and are awarded 673 EXP.*
Izuku breathed in heavily and taking a seat, touched his fingers tenderly against the spot where the rock had impacted him. Being hit like that was not something he wished to repeat. Before he regenerated anymore of his HP, he wanted to see round about how much damage something like that caused him. He had 72 of his 100 Hit Points remaining after that. He figured that meant the rock caused him 30 or so damage. "Take four of those and I would die." He thought solemnly. He knew that the warrior may have a skill, but he realized that he wasn't for it to actually "have" one. Before he started moping around, he forced himself back on his feet and readied himself to have a similar dance with the remaining warrior.
This fight mimicked the first for the most part; the scream, the anger, and the search for its attacker, but one variable changed this time; there was no hesitation. Before it could activate its skill, Izuku ran forward to meet its charge and without a second thought, sent his fist flying into the goblin's chest. It choked, the light left its eyes, and Just like that, it was over. The pickaxe dropping on Izuku's head reminded him that gravity does exist, but other than that, it went much better than the first time.
With the final goblin of the fourth chamber having had its life extinguished, it was onto the next one. To be quite honest Izuku was getting fairly hungry, it had been a fair number of hours since he had entered into the dungeon. But he couldn't rest now, he had no way of knowing how much longer it would be, and he didn't want to have to resort to eating goblin. Because that would be disgusting.
As he eyed the fifth chamber, he discovered something that made him very, very nervous. Inside the chamber was four goblin warriors, which after using Analyze on all of them he found that they were all Level 5. But no, that was not what caused him to break out in a cold sweat and shake uncontrollably. Inside the fifth chamber, sitting on a rough stone throne, was a massive goblin. Even though he was sitting down, he could see that this goblin was at least ten feet tall; his thighs alone were almost double the width of Izuku's head! On his back was a huge great axe, which had a shaft that by itself was the length of Izuku's entire body. Izuku took some time to calm down and figured he had to see what it was he was dealing with.
Goblin Dungeon Boss:
Level 10
Class(es): Barbarian
HP: 360
STAM: 170
MP: 80
Health Regen Per Minute: 32
Stamina Regen Per Minute: 42
Mana Regen Per Minute: 33
Melee ATK: 64
Ranged ATK: 28
Magic ATK: 22
Critical Strike Chance: 2.5%
Strength: 32
Endurance: 36
Agility: 17
Dexterity: 14
Intelligence: 9
Willpower: 11
Charisma: 6
Luck: 10
This wasn't fair. "What is this? How is this even possible?" Izuku has had the odds stacked against him his entire life, sure, but this was ridiculous. If the boss managed to hit him with that slab of iron, he was dead, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. But this was it. After this he would be free to leave. But it was just…How was he supposed to do this?
Izuku sat outside of the fifth chamber and thought over his options. After a while he came to his conclusion. "All of the warriors will take three Void Flames each, if I've done my math right, and the boss...Ten or so. The problem is my mana reserves. It costs 25 MP per Void Flame, so that's only five uses not accounting for Mana regen. The best I can hope for is that the boss will not aggro, but that's a shot in the dark. Still, what else can I do? I'll have to try."
With that line of thinking done, he figured there was no point in delaying the inevitable. If he was to die, he would die. "Yeah, easy to say until it's happening." he thought dejectedly. Izuku took one massive deep breath and peeked around the corner. "There are four of them, two on each side. My best bet will be to take care of the ones furthest from the boss first, and if he comes for me ...Run. I'm tired of being weak, and if I truly want to be strong, I will make it through this.
Izuku chose his target and used his skill. When it hit the goblin, it began to scream. He immediately hit it with another Void Flame and its scream intensified. He was sure it had planned to run at him once he had found his position, but it was already near death now and could do nothing to fight off its attacker. So once more, Izuku used his skill. As it happened, the boss did not charge at him much less care what he was doing to his underling. In fact, the Barbarian began to laugh heartily. "Yes! Fight, Kill! Until there's nothing left but the loser's skull at my feet!" Yes, while he was oh so grateful to the boss for not attacking him while he dealt with its underlings, the commentary was unneeded. His annoyance and unease were muted however, due to a System message Izuku was more than happy to receive.
*You have slain Level 5 Goblin Warrior and are awarded 1415 EXP*
*Level up! You have been awarded 5 Stat Points*
He figured that he should allocate them now rather than later considering the circumstances he found himself in. So, after a fairly short deliberation, he made his choices.
Strength: 12 (+)
Endurance: 10 (+) 1
Agility: 10 (+)
Dexterity: 10 (+)
Intelligence: 13 (+) 2
Willpower: 14 (+) 2
Charisma: 10
Luck: 10 (+)
Unused Stat Points: 0
Confirm Stat Allocation? Y/N
'Yes.' Izuku, as per usual, felt great. This time was not as amazing as the others, probably due to the lack of physical attributes chosen, but it still felt wonderful. More healthy, able to take on just that much more, the ability to take the end of the year test and answer that one question that normally would've had him stumped. He felt he had made the right choices. Izuku needed mana and he needed to be able to survive. Survival of course was priority number one. However, if he was lucky, he wouldn't be taking damage at all. Choosing Endurance was more of a long-time investment/safety precaution than anything else. With this though, he was that much more confident that this whole ordeal might just work out.
The next two went down much the same as the first. The only difference being that it took only two uses of Void flame instead of three because of the increase in his Willpower. After the third warrior had met his end, Izuku for the second time leveled up in void flame. He thought the increase would be the same as the first level up, but he checked to make sure.
Skill: Void Flame
Level 3/10
2% to next level
-Conjure a black flame on your enemy that will do all in its power to devour the soul of your foe.
Damage: 30+(32) Magic ATK+3 Burn Damage per second for 7 seconds.
Cost: 25 MP.
It was as he expected. But hey, it's still nice to see the numbers up, that's for sure. Regardless of his improved stats the fourth warrior still took two uses of Void Flame to kill. Mind you, the boss had been laughing boisterously and making uncouth remarks the entire time Izuku had been dealing with the goblin warriors. He'd tuned it out pretty well though. But Izuku knew now that the boss wouldn't be laughing for much longer at all. He would win. Especially with his new acquisition of power, he was feeling more confident in his chances than he thought he should. "Better to be confident than dead." Izuku thought with a resigned sigh.
Now that all of the minions had been felled, it was time to deal with the boss. Its stats were high, sure, but that didn't mean that it was in any way unbeatable. 360 HP was a lot, but with Void Flame the way it was six uses should do it. Conveniently, Izuku just so happened to have exactly the amount of MP he would need for this fight, assuming nothing would go wrong, which, well, one should never do. Still, a comforting thought it was. With all of that out of the way, he made his way forward.
"Ah yes! You have slain my pets most gloriously! Thank you for the entertai-"
Before he could finish his monologue Izuku had already used Void Flame on the boss twice. Its shouts of indignation went unheard as Izuku focused on scaling the wall in front of him. Before he could cast a third Void Flame on the creature in front of him, it abruptly took on a harsh red glow; its eyes taking on the same color as well. This momentarily caused Izuku to stop in his tracks and unconsciously step back. This boss was not happy.
It roared and rushed forward. Not thinking it was fast enough after Izuku hit it with his third and fourth Void Flame, it positioned its shoulder forward, which itself turned an even deeper shade of red, and shot through the throne room almost too fast for the eye to see. Izuku yelped and dodged to the side as fast as he could manage, narrowly avoiding the hulking mass of destruction by mere inches. Landing hard on his back, he grunted in displeasure but quickly made his way back to his feet, all the while casting a fifth Void Flame on the goblin. It howled impossibly loud and made a final attempt to reach him. It unsheathed its sword and poised itself to deliver a swing that would cut Izuku in half. But as it began to rotate its hips and shoulders, it suddenly lost its grip as the last of its life was burnt away before it even had time to protest the unfairness of it all.
*You have slain Level 10 Goblin Dungeon Boss and are awarded 17001 EXP*
*Level up! You have been awarded 5 Stat Points*
*Congratulations, you have completed the Quest- New Beginnings and are awarded 10000 EXP + access to the System Store*
*Level up! You have been awarded 5 Stat Points*
"Oh."
Yes, I did just end it like that! And yes, while it was on a whim, it's not a whim without self-control. I have my reasons! So, it turns out I did end up doing the boss this chapter as to me it seemed like too much for a 1-5 Level dungeon to be much more than five rooms. This chapter was fun to write, just like the others. But it was rather stressful at times. Finding the right words, not knowing how to calculate something or other, just the usual. Also, sorry for the delay on this one. I had work and girlfriend time. My will to write had also been momentarily dulled and writing with a dull pencil is a recipe for disaster if I've ever seen one! And by the way, I just put all three of my chapters through Microsoft Word ...YIKES is all I can say to that. Glad I did, but still, sorry for those obvious and terrible mistakes. Anyways, thank you for reading chapter three of Izuku- The Void Monk. Enjoy your day, folks!
-Seductive Sausage