[Item: Job Change Dungeon Key]
Item Class: ?-Rank
Item Type: Key
Description: May be used anywhere that is not in sight of others. Cannot be entered by anyone other than the Player. Dungeon cannot be exited until the Job Change Quest is cleared.
(Izuku: Wanna give me any hints?)
(Nejire-Chan: The Entrance Exams aren't much of a secret. UA has some written exams to confirm that you have basic education and can function in society basically. Handle paperwork if you join an Agency, etc. But the Practical is the real deal. You'll get paired with a Raid Party and will have to clear a Gate of Rank equal to your team's strength minus one. So if the Party is ranked A, you'd handle a B-Rank Gate.)
(Izuku: And how do they know if all of the Party members properly participated?)
(Nejire-Chan: Oh they make sure there's a faculty member with your team to bail you out and score you guys. But if you handled Joren Fall solo, I doubt you'll need to be bailed out.)
Outside of Yaoyorozu and Kei, Nejire was the only one who knew that it was Izuku who had cleared the Gate at Joren Falls. It complicated matters because she was assuming one of two things.
Either Izuku was a False Ranker, someone who hid their strength for malevolent, or at the very least, immoral reasons, or he had undergone a Reawakening or Quirk Awakening. Nejire probably didn't think the former of Izuku, but it was one of the only options, so it was no doubt on her mind.
Izuku groaned loudly. He was standing at the same beach he and Yaoyorozu had traveled to for their last Gate. "I'll probably have to go to the Hero Safety Commission to get a Reawakening measurement. It'll be too hard to hide my strength at UA. I'm registered as an E-Rank, but I'm probably closer to a Low to Mid B-Rank right now." He looked back down at his phone. "Nejire's practically a Pro Hero already… should I just ask her? Should I just show all my cards?"
Nejire, next to Kei and Yaoyorozu, was probably the most trustworthy person Izuku knew. She didn't know the whole story, yet she was still acting friendly and keeping his secret under wraps. Indecisive, he pulled open another contact on his phone.
(Izuku: Hey Kei, I need some advice about Nejire.)
(Kei: Whatever it is, yes! 100% yes!)
Izuku smirked.
(Izuku: You're a nutcase, you know that?)
(Kei: Says the guy trying to woo two girls at once!)
(Izuku: I'm not trying to woo anybody! I just wanted to know what you thought about letting Nejire in on our secret.)
(Kei: See the above text, dumbass!)
Izuku rolled his eyes and said goodbye to Kei, still smiling.
(Izuku: Nejire, can you meet me by the Hero Commission Agency tomorrow?)
(Nejire-Chan: First of all, it's Nejire-Chan! Second of all, sure thing! I assume you want to get a Reawakened measurement?)
(Izuku: Yeah, but my Reawakening isn't exactly… standard. I just wanna explain some things if that's okay. Will be much less confusing in the long run that way.)
(Nejire-Chan: No idea what that means, but cool! I'll see you tomorrow!)
Izuku put his phone away and took out the Job Change Quest Key. If Yaoyorozu was correct, it would give him a role, something that might help him specialize his power. She said that in video games, roles helped specific Stats grow, like a Tank getting more health, or a DPS getting stronger attacks. Regardless, it had the potential to really push Izuku to the next level, so he wanted to get it done as soon as he could. With UA Entrance Exams fast approaching, any additional strength was appreciated.
So just like the day before, Izuku lifted the key into the empty air and inserted it. But unlike the other day, the Gate didn't wait for Izuku to enter. Instead, it sucked him right in the second it appeared.
The instant Izuku turned the key, it vanished from his hands and his view of the tranquil crashing waves of the beach turned to that of a medieval castle hallway, complete with torches lining the walls.
[Quest: Job Change has begun.]
Izuku leaned his head to the side, narrowly avoiding an arrow that went whistling past him. "That was quick." He felt a cocky grin creeping up his face as the next arrow came rocketing towards him.
This time, he grabbed it out of midair, whipping it back at the suit of armor that had launched it from its bow.
Izuku wasn't sure what exactly the arrow hit, but the magical suit of armor collapsed into a heap, clearly dead. Strangely, there was no blood, no insides to speak of at all. It was like a doll that had its strings cut.
"That's odd…" Izuku said, looking down the neck part of the armor to see inside of it. There was nothing but empty space. He'd never seen anything like it, but there was the chance that higher Ranked Heroes had seen them before.
"This place isn't that bad so far," Izuku said, once more moving as minimally as possible to dodge a charging ball of fire. "With the new Levels this feels almost too easy."
He spun around to catch sight of the attacker. Another suit of armor, though this one was far lighter. Looking like a combination of leather and chainmail. It had a magician look to it, confirmed by the ball of fire floating in its palm. And the floating hood, containing only darkness, completed the look, making Izuku think of Kayaba Akihiko's avatar from Sword Art Online. But this was not the gamemaster.
Magician types were exceptionally powerful when it came to Heroes, but very rarely could they fight a Villain head-on alone. They were backline attackers. They could dish it out, but as Izuku proved by putting his fist through its chest, they couldn't take it. In fact, their reaction time was too slow to even see Izuku coming for them.
[You have obtained item: Crystal Crushers.]
[Item: Crystal Crushers]
Item Class: A
Item Type: Gauntlets
Attack: +150
Gem Slots: 1
+20 Intelligence
Crystal Armor Set Bonuses:
Set Bonus 1 (2 pieces): All Mana Costs Reduced by 25%
Set Bonus 2 (3 Pieces): ?
Set Bonus 3 (5 Pieces): ?
"Intelligence and Mana costs? Well I guess it makes sense for armor pieces made out of magical crystals to enhance magic Stats." Izuku thanked his lucky stars that he had yet to fuse the Omni-Elemental Gem into his Scale Smashers, and instead had the chance to use them on the Crystal gauntlets. If the entire armor set was based around magic based attacks, then being able to use all elements with his gauntlets would be absolutely overpowered.
"The System keeps adding new content, huh?" Izuku muttered to himself, curious about the other two armor set bonuses. "Then I guess let's not put it off."
[Item: Crystal Crushers (Omni)]
Item Class: A
Item Type: Gauntlets
Attack: +150
Gem Slots: 1
+20 Intelligence
Description: The Player now has control over all Elements. Said control requires Mana and the larger the feat, the more Mana it consumes. The Rank of the Enhancement Gem is proportional to the Mana required. A lower Rank makes control harder.
Izuku held out his hand, coated in the sky-blue crystals and focused on shooting out a fireball. His wish came true and the nearest wall which he had aimed at exploded in flames. But at the same time, his Mana dropped precipitously.
[Mana: 2032/2432]
"Four hundred?!" Izuku nearly shouted, ignoring how it echoed down the halls, alerting nearby Villains. "Okay, well I guess it was right about the Rank of the Enhancement Gem increasing the Mana cost. D-Rank Gems are hungry for Mana."
With a simple fireball costing Izuku a sixth of his Mana, it was clear that the Omni-Gem was a massive boost in versatility, but not in accessibility. It would be good for tight situations, but Izuku wouldn't exactly be able to use it all the time.
Izuku spent a moment scrolling through the System Store. "Are there really no potions in this? Damn, I wish Yaoyorozu was with me. She's got a lot more Mana than I do."
The nearby clank of metal armor snapped Izuku out of his thoughts. He closed the store and faced down the dozens of suits of armor lining up to fight him. "But I guess I don't need magic to beat you guys, just good ole fashion punching."
Twenty minutes later and Izuku was still bashing apart the same wave of knights that had first approached him. And during that time, he noticed something wrong.
"I'm not getting any Levels, even though I've smashed like a hundred of these things!"
It was apparent that the Job Change Quest was special in that it didn't want to let Izuku increase in power the longer he was there.
It had only been twenty minutes, but it had been twenty minutes of bashing apart magical suits of armor. It was starting to drain Izuku's stamina. If he wasn't careful managing it, he'd end up in a lot of trouble.
"Phew…" Izuku crushed the helmet of the last knight in his hands.
[You have obtained item: Crystal Kickers.]
[Item: Crystal Kickers]
Item Class: A
Item Type: Boots
Gem Slots: 1
+20 Agility
[Set Bonus 2 (3 Pieces): Mana recovers twice as fast.]
There was nothing really special about Izuku's new armored shoes, but he'd take the raw Stats and the set bonus any day of the week.
"I really need leggings and a helmet," Izuku said, examining the System Equip screen. Those two were all he needed to have a full set of equipment.
"Seriously?" Izuku asked seemingly no one as his hand snapped out to grab at nothing. Or at least it appeared that way. In reality, his hand made contact with the throat of an invisible assailant. It appeared that Izuku wasn't the only one with a Stealth Skill.
"Am I fighting myself here?" He asked. So far each of the enemies represented a Skill or piece of equipment, or specific Stat he had.
The archers matched his Agility, the Magicians matched his magic output, the Knights could take a hit and dish one out, and the Assassins could almost sneak up on him. It was a dangerous game of chicken that Izuku was playing, kept on the edge of a cliff with each enemy he fought. And there were a lot to fight. In fact, a new wave was approaching right at that moment.
"Fine, but you better give me some good items."
An hour later and Izuku had received nothing for his trouble.
Sweat fell from his brow in waves, spattering the crumpled, burned, and eviscerated armor. He wasn't injured, but he could've gone for a shower and a nap, that was for sure.
Unfortunately, he'd picked up on the pattern of the Dungeon. Every time he tried to rest and recover, more enemies appeared. If he didn't finish the Dungeon soon, his stamina would be his downfall.
Thankfully, Izuku could see the end of the hallway, where a massive, ornate, red and gold door stood.
"If this isn't the end of this Dungeon I don't know what would be," Izuku said, gathering himself and doing a few quick stretches before more enemies showed up to interrupt him.
"I could really go for some Ramen after this…" Izuku sighed. "Well at least I've caught up on rent, I guess I could treat myself!" He finished stretching and went to place both hands against the door, prepared to heave against its humongous frame. Instead, it opened before he could even touch it.
Without a sound, it eerily slid open, revealing nothing but pure darkness. It was so dark, in fact, that when the torches along the pillars and walls burst to life with blue flames, Izuku was temporarily blinded.
It was a throne room, plain and simple. The walls and pillars were decorated with gold, carved marble, and just felt royal.
Just as the warmth of the torches washed over Izuku, it was quashed by the chills running down his spine. Izuku was not alone in the throne room, as signified by the clattering of armor and the heavy thunk of armored feet on stone. From behind the throne, a knight, decorated in blood-red armor stepped out.
Nearly seven-feet tall, he towered over Izuku, the crimson glow of his eyes piercing the young man.
[Blood-Red Royal Knight, Igris:]
Rank: S
Type: Humanoid
Role: Boss
Proficiencies: Swordsmanship, Defense, Strategy.
Skills: Blood-Red Blade
Every ounce of Izuku's body screamed bloody murder at him. It screamed one word.
DEATH
This was no Villain, no simple enemy of humanity. This was a monster, a demon in the form of a knight.
It may not have been on the same level as that statue face, but it was giving Izuku the exact same feeling. He was outclassed.
At best, Izuku was high B-Rank. Two full Ranks below Igris. Not to mention one of his proficiencies being "Strategy." He didn't just have raw power, but the brains to back it up.
"I should've gotten stronger first… What was I thinking coming here immediately?!"
Igris unsheathed the longsword on his hip with a petrifying SHING! Letting it rest at his side, it stood between Izuku and the throne. The message was clear. "This does not belong to you, only my king."
"I'm at a huge disadvantage. There's no way I can beat him head-on…"
Izuku expected to be decapitated any minute, as if the universe was paying him back for what he and Yaoyorozu did to Arcka. But Igris refused to move from the throne.
"Do you understand me?" Izuku asked, hoping to open a dialogue considering the vast difference between them. Igris simply tilted his head to the side, refusing to say or do anything. It was like he was waiting for Izuku.
"He's a strategist… so he's probably looking for me to make the first move. But why? He clearly has me beat in power. He's a knight, so maybe he doesn't have a good sense of energy levels like Nejire-Chan. Does he think I'm stronger than I am? If that's the case, this first attack has to matter, because after that, he won't hold back."
[Echo Attack (Earth) has activated.]
Izuku, having no other choice, raised his right arm, and shot forth an icicle. Enhanced by his Intelligence Stat, the icicle could have pierced all the way through an aircraft carrier… the long way. But to Igris, it was just something to bat to the side with his sword.
The icicle, considered an attack, still technically hit, triggering Echo Attack, and forcing spikes through the smooth stone floor. It was ineffective against Arcka, and it stood no chance against Igris either. In fact, the stone crumbled before it could even reach him, like his very presence was turning it to dust.
"Really? That's all?" Igris didn't say that, but Izuku could feel the disappointment emanating off of him. Then, he was gone.
As if teleporting, Igris appeared next to Izuku, lightly swinging his fist to backhand Izuku in the stomach.
Izuku didn't even have time to process his trajectory before he slammed into the throne room walls, cratering the stone. He somehow wasn't dead, but he did have at least two broken ribs.
He regained lucidity just in time to look up and see Igris charging him with his sword aimed straight for Izuku's chest. The only reason he could see him was his activation of Speedstrike. But he wouldn't be able to dodge or block the attack, so really, all he had given himself was a glimpse of his death.
[Enhancement Gem has been removed from Echo Attack.]
[Skill: Echo Attack has activated.]
Izuku swung a right hook at the air, just moments before Igris made impact. It was a hail mary move. By hitting the air, the second impact of Echo Attack made it just in time to nudge Igris's sword off course.
It wasn't by a lot, hell, it was barely anything at all. But instead of piercing his heart, the sword sliced through the flesh just under Izuku's left collarbone. It hurt like hell, but Izuku was pretty sure that, for a B-Rank, it wasn't fatal. However, the next blow would be if Izuku didn't think of something quick.
With only his right arm still working, he reached up and grabbed Igris's neck, pulling the surprised knight close enough for Izuku to once more activate Echo Attack and slam his forehead into the knight's.
Igris barely moved backwards, but he did move backwards. It wasn't because of the attack though.
Igris yanked his sword out of Izuku, earning a shout of pain. But the knight stopped there, instead moving as a blur to appear in front of the throne once more, his sword guarding it yet again.
"He wasn't waiting for me to make the first move to learn my attack patterns…" Izuku realized, "He only attacked because the icicle got close to the throne. The throne…"
Izuku's vision was growing dark, but through the haze of pain-filled tears, he took a closer look at the seat. It looked different now, because it had color to it, but there was no mistaking that its complicated design was the same as the one he'd seen just before waking in the hospital. The throne of shadows.
"Heh," Izuku gave a light laugh through the pain. "So that's the game, huh? Claim Daily Quest Reward 1."
[Reward: Status Recovery]
Izuku had been using his Daily Quest Reward to restore his energy after his workouts, but he also figured out that the Status Recovery healed injuries. So not only did his fatigue of the past couple hours disappear, but his shoulder also pulled itself back together, healing the damage from Igris's blade.
Of course, Izuku still had to figure out how he would get past Igris, but at least he had both of his arms back to the point of being usable.
"All I need is a moment. A single second where he's caught off guard…"
[Mana: 1943/4532]
Between all of Izuku's Skills and abilities, he had consumed a fair chunk of Mana. He could maybe pull off one more big show before being depleted, and after that, he had nothing that came close to Igris. This was the only way forward.
"I hate taking notes from him, but I promised I'd use everything in my disposal to win."
Activating Speedstrike, Izuku charged the throne, not hesitating even as Igris came to meet him.
"Shit! It's a bad angle! I'll never get past him like this!"
Izuku raised his gauntlets, preparing to take the hit. He needed a reset, he needed to try again. With Izuku guarding with his gauntlets, Igris decided to kick out instead, slamming Izuku's solar plexus with the sole of his heavy boots.
The air was forced from Izuku's lungs and he practically blacked out. When he came to, he was sitting in another crater in the wall, and Igris was back at the throne.
"He didn't push the attack because I was already unconscious…"
Igris was taking his role as guardian of the throne as seriously as possible. He could've killed Izuku twice by now, but the knight wasn't so easily fooled as to push the attack on someone already unconscious and leave the throne undefended. It was clear to Igris that Izuku was trying something tricky, what other reason would he have to charge head-on?
Izuku pulled himself back to his feet once more. And again, Igris batted him away on his next attempt, breaking even more bones in Izuku's body. And again. And again.
Izuku was bruised, bloodied, and broken, but he wasn't done yet. He wiped the blood from his lip. By now, Igris had chosen to stand firmly by the throne and wait for Izuku to come to him. It was exactly what Izuku wanted.
Before then, Igris would close the distance between them. Which meant that even if Izuku got past him during that exchange, the knight would have far too much time to catch up to him. Now, if Izuku could just trick the royal guard once, he'd be right next to the throne.
So once more, Izuku pulled his battered body from the crushed stone, letting out a heavy sigh, and lowering into a crouch. This was the last of him. Not only was his Mana running low, but his body was giving up on him again. The Status Recovery had been spent. It was do or die.
He could feel it in Igris's glowing eyes. The knight was ready to perform an execution. He wouldn't wait any longer.
Kicking off the ground, Izuku felt the ligaments in his calf and thigh strain and tear. But it was okay. He was flying through the air, aimed straight for the throne.
If Igris could have scoffed, he would have. Izuku's trajectory was all too predictable. He had seen his tricks. There was nothing that could save him here. It was foolish. And a foolish man did not deserve the seat where his liege once sat.
Igris raised his sword, preparing to bring it down with perfect timing to bisect Izuku. There would be no more chances. With a certainty that this would be the end, he swung downwards.
"NOW!"
Izuku aimed his palm at the floor and imagined his old friend, someone he had once cared for. A childhood friend who he could always smile with.
BOOM!
Using the last of his Mana, Izuku created an explosion underneath him, using the extra height to just barely dance past the sword.
Rolling through the air, Izuku flipped past the knight, landing just in front of the throne. With both legs damaged, however, Izuku immediately crumpled. It mirrored the scene from the first time he had taken the throne.
He reached out, fingers stretched for the soft velvet seat as Igris rose up behind him, preparing to stab the sword through his back and out through his chest.
Izuku felt death bearing down on him, but he could also feel the warmth of the seat as his finger brushed against it. He expected the sword any second, but all he heard was the clattering of metal as Igris collapsed, his strings cut, just like the other suits of armor.
[Job Change Quest has been completed.]
[You have received Rewards.]
[Job has been assigned.]
[Player, Izuku Midoriya. Death follows you wherever you go. You are closer to Death than you are to Life, but you seek to help the living. Your desire to save the innocent is strong enough to call forth the dead to fight for you.]
[You are the Shadow Monarch.]