Congratulations!
Your class, [Level 10 Fighter], has become [Level 10 Earth Quaker]!
[Strength] increased by 2!
[Endurance] increased by 3!
[Luck] increased by 1!
HP +10 | Mana +10 | Stamina +10
[Your existing [Fighter] abilities have been adapted to your new Class.]
Gained the Trait: [Earth-Touched]
Izuku tapped on the new trait he had gained, grinning ear to ear as the description popped up in a new menu next to the notifications.
Earth-Touched:
You have [1] class attuned to the [Earth] elemental affinity.
20% reduction to damage coming from [Earth]-type attacks.
May the wisdom of the Earth bring you strength.
Izuku couldn't help the smile on his face as he looked over the menu that had popped up after he selected the [Earth Quaker]. Not only was it nothing but good news, it was accompanied by something that Izuku had never felt before.
It was as if the floor he was standing on knew that he had attuned himself to the earth, and approved of him. It almost felt like a hand on his shoulder, congratulating him, urging him to nurture the connection.
He could feel the earth around him, a little bit, watching him, or at least sensing him, waiting for him to prove himself to the earth. Whispering promises of power into his ear if he continued his path, enough to stand above the monsters of this world in victory.
He shook his head, placing his palm on the ground. He could already feel the connection starting to dim again now that the sudden burst of [Earth] attuned energy flowing through him had slowed down into a trickle, so he needed to make sure that it knew.
He didn't want the power to stand above others, monsters or otherwise. He shared his dream with the earth, to have power for the cause of standing alongside his fellow sentient creatures, to protect them from threats.
The power that the earth would give him would be put to use in the protection of the land and its inhabitants. He knew that realistically, his dream meant that he would be fighting the worst monsters like the earth seemed to want him to, but it was important to Izuku to understand the difference in motivation.
Izuku could barely feel whatever he had felt before, so he hoped that it understood his intentions. He didn't know why he felt like he had to correct something as ancient and powerful as the earth itself, but it didn't seem to mind.
Sighing in contentment, Izuku took his palm off of the floor, and the connection to whatever he had been communicating with cut entirely, leaving Izuku alone in a barren room, with only the corpse of the [Duke of Rats] as company.
Getting to his feet, Izuku brushed the front of his gear down to get all the dust off of it. He was about to turn to the [Duke of Rats] corpse to see what loot he would get from the sub-boss when he saw a small menu to his right.
The edges were frayed, like a rope that had been used too many times. It was a different colour to his as well, a blank white instead of Izuku's green menu. He frowned as he saw it pop out of existence, a small 'ding' following it.
Before he could ponder what the small white screen meant, a giant menu popped up in front of his face, almost as if to distract him. Shaking his head, Izuku focused on the new menu. The system that all sentient creatures used was fickle and mystical, and he could not presume to know everything about it.
The new menu caused him to forget all about the small white one though, as it showed him his loot from the fight. He didn't even have to use [Identify], the descriptions were just on the boss menu!
Mantle of the Duke
[A thick helmet fashioned to look like the Duke of Rats head]
15% resistance to all Rodent attacks.
Non-Dungeon Rats will avoid you if you wish it so.
Whip of the Duke
[A thick, 7-meter long whip taken from the Duke of Rats]
50% more damage to Rodents
+2 to Dexterity when held.
Izuku tapped on the menu, unable to restrain his joy as the items fell into his hands. It was… these were both magic items! Fairly good ones, too! He took his old helmet off, stuffing it into his pack as he placed the [Mantle of the Duke] onto his head.
For a single moment, it flopped off his head, far too big for him. There was a flash of light from the helmet as it drooped, and suddenly it stayed on his head, snug and protective. Izuku whistled as he shook his head around, the magic helmet not budging.
The [Whip of the Duke] was stuffed into his pack as well, as he didn't have a use to use for it this run. Still, to get 2 magic items from the Floor 1 Sub-boss fight… was Mei right? Did the dungeon like him? Could the dungeon like him?
He moved to the doorway on the other side of the room and pressed his head up to the doorframe. "If you can understand me, Dungeon. I cannot thank you enough. Your generosity is perplexing, but I accept it all the same. I will find some way to repay you for this."
He pulled his head away from the doorframe and was about to move on when he felt something warm on his palm, which was up against the wall. It felt similar to what he had felt before when he evolved his class, just… closer.
The feeling of acceptance he got from the wall (dungeon?) faded after a moment, and the door to the Floor 1 Warp Room opened, revealing the glowing room. Izuku nodded to himself and moved inside, eager to collect the mushrooms for Sir Shield.
Congratulations!
Quest Completed: Mushroom Collection
15/15 Mushrooms collected!
850 total XP rewarded!
Congratulations!
You have reached Level [11]
HP +5 | Stamina +5 | Mana +5
[Strength] +1
David smiled as Izuku pulled out the sack of [Greater HP Mushrooms], glancing up at the gear he was now wearing. Izuku knew that currently, his gear was a bit… thematic, but he didn't look too weird, right?
"Nope. Compared to some adventurer's I've seen over the years? Someone getting a bunch of rat themed gear set isn't 'too weird' to me."
Izuku blushed as he realised he must have mumbled the last bit. He dropped his head, bowing to the man. "Thank you for the quest! I would be honoured if you gave me another in the future!"
David nodded. "You certainly completed it faster than I expected you to. Keep this up and the little bonuses you get from your quests will have you outpacing the others in no time! That's what Yagi did when we were kids, ya know?"
Izuku's eyes shot up and sparkled as he smiled. "Really? I mean, it's obvious if you think about it that the Emperor would have the [Heroic] trait, but I didn't know it for sure! That's awesome!"
David smiled down at him. "Yep, Yagi would keep me in his party almost 24/7 as he dragged me around, bugging the people of our city for as many quests as they would give him. Luckily, I lived close to the nobles of the city, meaning that there were plenty of people willing to throw a little silver our way to get a temporary reprieve from him."
Izuku chuckled, hearing that. "I promise I won't do that to you, Sir Shield! I wouldn't dream of wasting your time like that."
David shook his head. "No, don't worry about that. If you need a quest you can just ask. I'm usually with my team in front of the Dungeon, but as an [Incursion] is coming soon, I'll most likely be around the edges of town for the next week or so."
Izuku cocked his head to the side. "Wait, what? What's an [Incursion]?"
David gave him a weird look for a moment, before tapping himself on the forehead. "I forgot that you and the other newbies travelled here from the west. Not many [Mana Spring]s in that direction, and none big enough to start an [Incursion]. Apologies."
Izuku was about to shake his head and tell Sir Shield that it was alright when David started speaking again. "Basically, an [Incursion] happens when the ambient [Mana] in a wild [Mana Spring] reaches critical mass and rupture, spitting out a bunch of monsters and creatures."
Izuku gasped. "How have I never heard of an [Incursion] before? I thought Dungeons and Demon Rifts were the only things that caused Monsters to spawn?! You're saying they can just pop out of nowhere like that here?!"
David was about to speak when Kurimuzon grunted behind Izuku, spooking him. "David, you're making our little rat-kid anxious." Kurimuzon turned to Izuku and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry about it. An Incursion can't happen in a certain area around a Dungeon, because they absorb ambient [Mana] from the air, meaning that it can't group up into a [Mana Spring]."
Izuku's eyes widened as the man started spouting facts about [Mana] and [Mana Springs], while the actual mage stood beside them both. But what Kurimuzon said did make sense. "So where is the nearest [Mana Spring], then? What's the range that the Dungeon stops the [Mana] from grouping up in?"
David tapped his chin. "It's been a while since I checked on the local [Mana Springs], but there are only two that are a possible threat these next few weeks. I guess I made it sound like a fast process, but these things can take up to 3 months to reach their tipping point."
He continued. "The distance they can appear depends on how old the Dungeon is as well, and the UA Dungeon usually keeps them a few kilometres outside the town walls. The thing is I can't go check on them today, lost a bet and am pulling a double shift."
David then winked at Izuku, and the boy perked up. Izuku glanced over at Kurimuzon, who was smirking and shaking his head. Izuku played along. "If you want I could go check them out for you? If you're stuck here, that is."
David nodded. "Yes, I believe that would be sufficient. Although, as you don't know how to actually check on them, maybe I should... Hold on."
Izuku watched as David pulled up one of his menu's, scrolling down what looked to be a list, before tapping on one of the names and waiting a moment. Izuku jumped in surprise as a girls voice came from David's menu.
"Dad? What's up? Do you need help with something?"
David smiled. "Yes, actually. Do you think you could go check on the [Mana Springs] outside the town and give me your best estimate on how many days there are until they rupture?"
"Wait, weren't you going to do that toni-"
David coughed, glancing at Izuku while Kurimuzon laughed in the background. "I will be sending along someone to escort you, just in case. They're fairly heroic, if you understand me. Think of it as an escort quest."
Izuku didn't know why, but those words sent a tingle of dread down his spine. Wait, what was so bad about an Escort Quest? "If you don't want to go, I can probably find a book and learn how to check."
There was silence from the menu for a moment before the girl spoke up. "No, no, it's fine! I'll be down near the south gate in 10 minutes, is that ok?"
Izuku smiled. "Yep! I'll be there as soon as possible!"
David nodded, closing the menu. "Alright, I'll give you a gold for protecting my daughter while you check on them, alright?"
Izuku nodded, smiling as his menu let out a 'ding', and the new quest came up.
Shield the Shield
Protect David Shield's daughter while she checks on the progress of the [Mana Springs] around Mustafu.
Reward: 300XP | 1 Gold
Izuku read the description and was about to head off when his brain registered what it said. "Wait, your DAUGHTER?!"
David smiled. "Yep, you should be fine, but don't screw this up, alright?"
Izuku's head was nodding so fast he was starting to get dizzy. "YES SIR! I promise she'll be fine! I won't let anything hurt her!"
He then sprinted off towards the south gate, ignoring the laughter of David and Kurimuzon from behind him.