[Item: Dungeon Key]
Item Class: B-Rank
Item Type: Key
Description: May be used anywhere, but will only work with the Quest partner's presence. Cannot be entered by the Player alone.
[Momo Yaoyorozu:]
Rank: A
Role: Battlemage
Proficiencies: Magical/Chemical Creations and versatility
"This Analyze Skill is pretty neat! Wanna check it out?" Izuku asked Yaoyorozu, who was a few feet stretching before the foray into danger.
"Sure!" She said, reaching for her toes, the sweatpants exaggerating her waist. Izuku had to look away, otherwise he would've gone cherry red.
"Oh? Battlemage? That makes me sound a lot cooler than I am. What a flattering thing."
"Careful, it might flatter you, but this thing isn't exactly benevolent." Izuku had already told her about the Gate at Joren Falls but he felt it was best to reiterate himself.
"Right."
It was for that very reason that the two teenagers were standing on a deserted beach, with an even emptier parking lot behind them. They should be entering the Gate this time. But if for some reason it broke like the one in Joren Falls, no one would be in danger. Essentially, they were using Dragon Ball logic.
"It's nice when you get to choose the location for the fight." Yaoyorozu remarked, wringing her hands out.
"We don't have to do this, ya know. We can take it slower with smaller Gates."
She shook her head. "I'm an A-Rank. I can't be scared anymore." Her right hand positioned itself over her left arm, using her Quirk to withdraw a metal grip. But it didn't belong to a sword.
Bit-by-bit, like a 3D printer, a matte-black metallic shape emerged from Yaoyorozu's arm. A Heckler & Koch P30L. Izuku could feel the massive energy pouring off of it. Magical energy.
"Have… Have you been able to do that this whole time?" Izuku doubted it would've made a difference against the giant creature, but he'd never seen her create something like this. "I thought you said you couldn't create enhanced magical weapons yet?" Izuku smirked. He looked calm, cool, and collected on the outside, but in reality, he was losing his mind. Firearm wielding Heroes were so rare that stumbling across one had odds worse than the lottery. He didn't blame her for not using it sooner, after all, she was the designated healer in Raids, and while she probably could've mowed through a few dozen E or D-Rank Gates on her own, it was the path she had taken.
"My… parents taught me how to do it when I was young. I've only started practicing again a few days ago. This is the best I can do for now. I'm sorry but… I wanted to be a healer, not a fighter."
"And now?"
"Now, I don't wanna be afraid anymore. I wanna fight, like you. Not be stuck on the sidelines healing," She said with a knowing smile.
"You say that as if I was never afraid during those Raids."
Yaoyorozu's brow scrunched up. "You… were?"
Izuku chuckled. "I'm surprised you didn't pick up on it. The only people without fear are sociopaths… or National-Ranks. Fear turns to adrenaline, adrenaline turns to power."
"And power turns into hate?" She said, her nervous energy fading.
Izuku barked out a high-pitched laugh at the quote, quickly slapping one hand over his mouth, which in turn caused Yaoyorozu to start laughing, and then back to him. It was a hilariously vicious cycle, so much so that they had to take a moment to sit down. After all, the opening of the gate was up to them, they had all the time in the world.
"Ah…" After a few minutes they managed to quit the contagious giggling and wipe the tears from their eyes. "I can't remember the last time I laughed like that," Yaoyorozu said, gazing blissfully up into the cloudless sky.
"Me neither…" He looked over to her, a grin still on his face. "I didn't take you for the type to quote movies."
"Well technically the quote is-" She stopped herself mid-sentence and cleared her throat. "Movies and books are my favorite pastime. I just so happen to be good at remembering lines."
"What an incredible coincidence… so do I!"
Yaoyorozu gave him a sideways glance. "W-Was that… Spy Kids 2?"
Izuku chuckled. "My sister made me watch those stupid movies religiously with her when we were kids."
Yaoyorozu rolled her eyes as she pushed herself back to her feet. "Alright, let's go before my nerves get the better of me." A leather belt and holster emerged from her arm and she wrapped it around her waist, holstering the handgun she had made.
Izuku followed suit, grabbing the B-Rank key from the Inventory as he stood. "You sure?"
"Don't make me say it again," She said, a gentle smile on her face.
"Yes ma'am." Izuku obliged, inserting the key into the empty air and opening a Gate. The swirling mass of energy looked surprisingly… "Normal…"
"Huh?"
"It looks like a normal Gate."
"Is that good or bad?"
Izuku shrugged. "I'm not sure. The first Instant Dungeon was just like a wall of energy I walked into. With the second one I didn't even see a Gate. Now this."
"Maybe it's because I'm here?" Yaoyorozu postulated, but Izuku just shrugged again. "Oh well! Let's just get going!" There was a fire burning in her eyes. A mix of excitement, fear, and ambition. It wasn't that she wanted to just jump into the Gate, rather she wanted to get it over with and use all of the energy stirring inside of herself.
Izuku, being the frontliner, felt much the same way, so he stepped forwards, passing through a Gate with Yaoyorozu for the first time since the Gate that started this whole thing.
"Huh… I kinda expected more…" Yaoyorozu bemoaned as the two emerged inside a cavern glittering with bright blue crystals, Magic Crystals. They weren't as potent as Villain Cores, but they were far more common and not quite as dangerous to get a hold of. And they could be used for all sorts of products just like Villain Cores.
All things considered, it looked like a very standard Gate. And of course, normalcy with something like the System was, ironically, stranger than some new and wacky Gate.
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth I guess."
"Yeah. We could've made a fortune if we brought a mining team with us." Yaoyorozu said, examining the closest Magic Crystals.
"Mining team?" Izuku looked around in awe. "We'd need the whole mining company to take care of this place."
"Who knows, maybe they'll all get deposited into the System Inventory when we beat the Boss."
Izuku chuckled. "If wishes were fishes."
"Well-" Yaoyorozu looked down the cavern corridor. "You felt that?"
"Yep. Feels like maybe… twenty average C-Ranks?"
Despite the massive amount of glowing magical crystals, the cavern corridors still managed to be pitch-black.
"I don't hear anything though."
"It is strange…" Izuku remarked, making sure to equip his new gauntlets. "Think there's-!"
Both teens hit the ground, narrowly avoiding decapitation by whatever projectiles had flown through the darkness to strike at them.
"That was close!" Izuku shouted, looking around for where the projectile had landed.
At the same time, Yaoyorozu yanked her handgun from its holster, firing it off into the darkness, the shots echoing loudly throughout the cave system.
Whether by skill or sheer dumb luck, one of the bullets streaked into the shadows and hit whatever was attacking them. A loud screech, followed by the crashing and cracking of crystals, overlaid with the gunshot echo.
Taking advantage of the chaos created by the shot, Izuku leapt to his feet, activating Speedstrike and charging forwards. As he did so, more crystals along the wall began to illuminate, as if showing him the path. And as a side benefit, they also illuminated the creatures once Izuku got close enough.
[Crystal Canary:]
Rank: C
Type: Avian
Proficiencies: Wind Magic and Ranged Attacks
The Villains looked nothing like actual canaries. If anything they were closer to vultures. Vultures made out of pure magic crystals.
One was already on the floor of the cave, half of its crystal body devastated by the bullet fired. But it was still moving, or at least trying to. It was like the weight of its own body was too much for it to handle. Izuku didn't wait for it or any of its brethren to make a recovery and regroup.
Stomping his foot, Izuku crushed the head of the Villain on the floor, swinging his fist around at the same time and smashing into the side of another one of the birds. They shattered like glass.
[You have Leveled-Up!]
"They've got nothing for close-range!" Izuku reported to his partner, leaning his head to the side to dodge another one of the same projectiles that had nearly gotten him mere moments earlier.
Said projectile was actually one of the feather crystals resting on the Villains' wings. It was exceptionally fast, borderline impossible to track even. However, when Izuku had full sight of the creatures, the attack lost all advantage.
These things were flying by flapping their wings, they were flying with some sort of Wind Magic, meaning they were slow, clunky, and made the few movements they did make very telling. It didn't take much effort for Izuku to predict the path of the crystal shard they flung at him, and it wasn't like they were fast enough to run from him.
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
Immediately, the flow of the fight changed. Instead of trying to attack both teens, the Villains focused all their attention on Izuku, a costly mistake that allowed Yaoyorozu to start picking them off with her handgun.
[You have Leveled-Up!]
"Oh? So I get experience if she kills them too?"
The sound of glass breaking filled the caverns for a minute longer before the last Crystal Canary was crushed under the weight of Izuku's gauntlet.
"Crystal Canary huh?" Izuku muttered, crouching down next to the bodies and pulling out a pocket notebook from his pants. So far, the Villains he'd fought at the hands of the System had been pretty standard, nothing worth noting, but these things were exceptionally unique. "No blood, seemingly no organs. Not even a brain." He scribbled down his thoughts as Yaoyorozu caught up to him. "Maybe the crystal makes for a conduit for magic energy, and the magic energy acts as a brain, giving sentience… No, maybe-" Izuku's notebook vanished into motes of light while he was still holding it. "What?"
[Skill: Analyze has evolved into Skill: Documentation.]
[Skill: Documentation now allows for more info to be gleaned from targets. Also stores all of Player's notes in the new Compendium section.]
"C-Can I have my notebook back?"
The System didn't respond to that question.
"So you don't need to use a Skill to evolve it? I thought you'd have to use it a bunch to increase the proficiency like most video games have you do." Yaoyorozu didn't notice Izuku grasping at the air, as if he could retrieve his stolen journal. "Which would mean there are hidden paths you can take to evolve Skills and maybe even Quirks… Interesting."
She then looked over to Izuku's Stat page as he continued to mourn. "Oh! And it looks like Amplify worked as we suspected. For each Level-Up, you got two Stat points in Agility and Strength instead of one. Uh… Izuku?" Momo finally noticed her teammate's despair.
"My notebook…"
"..."
"..."
Yaoyorozu sighed. "We'll get you a new one."
After Izuku recovered enough to stand once more, the two took a short break to mine some of the crystals off the wall. They wouldn't sell for much, but they were a nice souvenir of their journey together.
"Hey um… If you can make magical weapons… can you not make me some?"
Yaoyorozu smiled. It was like a boy on Christmas Eve asking if he could open his gifts early. "The things I make only seem to work in my hands, like they're coded to my magical signature or something."
"Ah… shame… Wait, then what about your potions?"
Yaoyorozu shrugged. "I… haven't worked out all the details of my Quirk. I assume it's because the concentrated Mana is being used to heal or enhance the body, rather than someone else trying to use that magic for themselves."
"So because the potion is designed to heal, it works when taken, regardless of who takes it, since they don't need to control it, but because something like a weapon needs to be controlled, and since it's not their Mana, they can't work it?"
"That's the theory."
Izuku nodded. "Wow… that's a little confusing."
She smirked. "Tell me about it. My parents…" The smirk faded, "My parents had me spend most of my childhood experimenting and practicing with it, and I still haven't found the end of its effects."
"Effects?"
Yaoyorozu licked her lips, her eyes darting around with uncertainty. "It made me… infertile. I can create anything… except for life." She gave Izuku a bittersweet smile. "It affected my biology. I can never have children of my own."
"I am… so sorry."
She shrugged. "I've come to terms with it. There's always adoption. Anyways, let's not get too caught up in real world issues. We still have a fantasy dungeon created by a magical video game System to clear." It was enough to put weak smiles back on both their faces.
They had been walking for some time but hadn't encountered anything since the Crystal Canaries. The way was still lit by the magical crystals but it somehow seemed darker.
"Opening up ahead." Izuku said.
"It's giving off… Boss energy?"
"We only killed like 20 Villains. There's no way we're at the Boss Villain already."
"Maybe the System is going easy on us?" Yaoyorozu tentatively suggested, to which Izuku grimaced.
"I wish," He responded, strolling forwards faster and faster, not wanting to get caught in the dark like the Crystal Canary ambush.
Up ahead, the two could see a faint light getting brighter as a massive cavernous opening exposed them to what looked like hundreds of thousands of crystal growths. The energy signature got stronger and stronger, that was, until they reached the opening to the cavern.
The two looked around the dome-shaped space, seeing nothing but more and more crystals.
"Maybe it was just all the energy stored in the crystals?"
Yaoyorozu tilted her head and gave Izuku a disapproving look. "Give me some credit, I know how to differentiate.
Izuku shrugged. "I do too."
Yaoyorozu's eyes widened. "Then it's an ambush.
On cue, Izuku's Sense Stat told him to run as fast as possible.
[Skill: Speedstrike (Fire) has activated.]
Izuku narrowly flung himself to the side, avoiding a massive furry shape that dropped from the ceiling.
It was, for all intents and purposes, a cat. A giant elephant-size saber-tooth cat. A giant elephant-sized saber-tooth cat with crystal wings, spider-like legs in addition to its normal feline legs, stony armor plates, and antenna.
It charged at Izuku, swiping with both its paws and spider legs.
[Mimicat:]
Rank: B
Type: Feline
Role: Mini-Boss
Proficiencies: Stealth Attacks, Versatility
Skills: Mimicry, Crystal Wings, Crystal Shot, Silent Steps, Sensory Disruption, Enhanced Movement, Camouflage…
The list of Skills went on and on and on. And in the midst of trying not to get skewered by the long spindly legs, Izuku didn't have a chance to properly take it all in.
"Well this explains why we found nothing else in here," Izuku muttered to himself, "You ate everything else didn't you big guy?"
The cat roared, flexing its wings and shooting a veritable storm of crystal buckshot in Izuku's direction.
[Skill: Echo Attack (Earth) has activated.]
Like back in Joren Falls, Izuku punched the ground and jumped back, creating a makeshift barrier of stone. It was shredded like paper and it nearly shredded Izuku as well. He had hit the deck, but one of the shards pierced all the way through his left forearm. He was lucky it hadn't torn the limb from his body altogether.
White hot pain lit up Izuku's arm, but he ignored it. He'd suffered far worse. The real problem was that he wouldn't be able to dodge the next shot of crystals in time.
BANG!
With pinpoint precision, 9mm bullets smashed into the Mimicat's wings, shattering them into a million pieces and stopping them from firing their next volley in the nick of time. Unfortunately, it also meant the Villain's attention was now on Yaoyorozu.
[Skill: Echo Attack (Earth) has activated.]
With the momentary relief from the beast, Izuku shot forwards, aiming to finish the fight with one blow. And his strike was true, slamming into the side of the Villain before it could pounce at Yaoyorozu. All they had to do was wait for the stone spikes to pierce its hide and…. Do nothing.
The size of the spikes was proportional to the creature they were attacking, so they were massive to compensate for the Mimicat's size, but they were stopped short by the rocky scales on the underside of the Villain. They didn't make any headway at all, just shattering the second they hit the scale armor.
But the exchange wasn't worthless. It gave Yaoyorozu the time to aim another perfect shot, taking out one of the creature's eyes. And as it roared in pain, Izuku tore the crystal shard from his useless arm, roaring alongside the creature.
[Skill: Speedstrike (Fire) has activated.]
"Let's see how you like it!" He shouted, jumping straight up to the monster's head and slamming the shard into its second eye socket. Thanks to the Fire attribute of Speedstrike, the crystal practically exploded in flames, cooking the inside of the Mimicat's head.
"Oof!"
But the Villain wasn't done, and one of its spindly legs batted Izuku aside, landing him conveniently next to Yaoyorozu.
"How is this thing still alive?!" She asked, tossing Izuku a healing potion, which he immediately downed. Blinding the Villain was the only reason they were allowed to take a brief reprieve. "It's got two different objects embedded in its skull." The bullet and crystal shard had clearly hurt it, but not put it down.
"It can take on the attributes of whatever it consumes I'm guessing. That's what Mimicry does. Maybe its vitals are somewhere else."
"Or they don't exist," Yaoyorozu countered, calling back to the Crystal Canaries, who didn't even have organs.
"We don't have the power to completely obliterate it, unless you're hiding a trick up your sleeve," Izuku bantered. "It's got a circulatory system at least, right? Otherwise it wouldn't bleed."
"That's right," Yaoyorozu confirmed.
"Then," Izuku reached his hand into his Inventory, withdrawing the C-Rank Elemental Enhancement Gem he'd taken from Rasaka, "let's hope the poison spreads fast."
[Item: Scale Smashers (Poison)]
Item Class: C
Item Type: Gauntlets
Attack: +50
Additional Description: These Gauntlets have two slots for Enhancement Gems, allowing for combined elemental abilities.
Elemental Effect (Poison): Each strike injects a lethal venom into the target's bloodstream.
The gauntlet grew a few short, yet extremely sharp spikes on the knuckles, presumably for the injection of the venom.
"Then we'll cast as wide a net as possible," Yaoyorozu declared, holstering her gun and focusing, pulling dozens of vials and syringes from her arms, each filled with a different chemical. "I'll follow your lead," She said, flinging one of the vials with perfect timing, lodging it into the Mimicat's mouth as it roared and clawed at its injured eyes.
When the mouth next closed, the glass crunched beneath its teeth, releasing the foul liquid into its body. It gagged and writhed upon tasting it, but Izuku doubted it would be more than a momentary discomfort for the Villain, even if Yaoyorozu had augmented the poisons and toxins with Mana to make them more potent.
It was the perfect opening for Izuku to rush in close, Yaoyorozu flanking from the other side.
"SMASH!" Drawing upon all the strength he had, Izuku was no longer just trying to activate Echo Attack, he was genuinely trying to bash the creature to death. If the poisons weren't effective, he'd need to beat the thing into a pulp and he always felt stronger when shouting like his idol.
[Enemy has been injected with venom.]
The impact sent the Mimicat sliding along the ground, using its many legs to anchor itself. And at the same time, Yaoyorozu took the opportunity to jab three separate syringes into its side, pushing the liquids inside of it.
One of the monster's spider legs flung itself at Izuku, but it was nothing more than a desperate flail, easy for Izuku to grab out of midair and snap like a twig. He then took the opportunity to kick out at one of the feline's furry legs. The crack was just as loud as the spider leg as the bone was shattered.
A punch to the head gave Yaoyorozu another chance to inject it with even more.
[Enemy has been injected with venom.]
By this point, the creature was stumbling around from a combination of its broken limbs and impaired vision, as well as the half a dozen types of chemicals ravaging its body.
"Go down…" Izuku muttered under his breath.
Yaoyorozu drew her gun and began unloading into the beast, expending every last bullet she had and drawing blood all over the creature.
It was no longer roaring. Instead, it was panting. But it wasn't so willing to give up. Every ounce of muscle in its body tensed up, every ligament tearing against its own weight and with a tremendous amount of energy… it collapsed.
Izuku let out a heavy sigh. He had felt the power gathering inside of it. If it had managed to use sound to gather their location, it might've been able to kill them with one blow. But now, it was on the ground, the chemicals slowly eating away at its lifeforce until there was nothing left.
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have Leveled-Up!]
[You have obtained Rune Stone: Stealth.]
Izuku Midoriya:
Level: 40
Strength: 93 (+5)
Vitality: 62 (+5)
Agility: 108 (+8)
Intelligence: 76 (+5)
Sense: 56 (+5)
Available Points: 0
[Mana: 821/1000]
[HP: 1900/1900]
A/N: Finally got this chapter out! If you're wondering why it took so long, I tested positive for COVID and it was not fun lol. For anyone wondering, the Dungeon I plan on doing after this Dungeon will be a very specific one, something about a Job Change Quest if you know what I mean!