It may not have been the best choice in hindsight, but Jay really needed this wand. Without a weapon, how was he supposed to fight all the terrible things to come? Since he seemed to have gotten away with it, Jay figured he'd take a look at the wand that he'd spent so much effort on.
[Attuned Integrated Tiger-Jade Wand: Once attuned, this wand will grow with its wielder. Current stats: Intellience+10, Wisdom +10, Spells level 20% faster.]
This was insane! No wonder this wand was so expensive. It practically doubled his intelligence and wisdom at his current level and his spells improved faster? If he'd had the full 500 gems, he totally would have spent them all on this wand.
Seeing as he was already attuned to it, he could start using this wand right away! But as much as he wanted to run back into that dungeon and show those foxes that he's the boss, there were way more important matters to take care of. They only had 15 hours to get as many people as possible to join the game. Even if they didn't believe him at first, at least they'd have a chance.
Jay's phone was surprisingly still at 99% despite not having charged it. He picked it up and immediately began posting on all of his social media accounts. "Everyone needs Seventh Sun Online! I just tried it and the results are crazy! But be careful. The monsters are really strong! If you can, pick up the integrated lenses from the shop. They're super helpful."
People would call him crazy if he said the game would save their lives, but with a growing review like this, they'd have to be insane to not try it. If even a few people managed to survive because of his comments, it would be worth it.
Next, Jay went looking for Sarah. Although he appreciated her taking care of him, they needed to spread the word as much as possible. Andrew was already doing his part, running door to door, but they'd be way more likely to survive with more people.
Jay had considered that a bigger city might spawn more monsters, or at least more powerful ones, but he was sure they would survive if enough people played the game. Unfortunately, as he went from door to door, apartment to apartment, Jay encountered a big problem.
The game wasn't offering gems or the vouchers anymore! Everyone he convinced would have to make due with what they had. With any luck, they'd have some sort of protective weapon they could use, but they'd still be stuck without a class or any other of the benefits offered to pre-registered players.
With more time, they might be able to level everyone up, but the clock was steadily ticking down. It was Sarah's idea to have Jay start running some of them through the dungeon. If they did, they might be able to start leveling some of the new players.
As the new players gained levels, they might gain new abilities or even a class. It was at least worth trying, so Jay spent some time trying to figure out how many people could be in a party. According to the game, they could have 10 people in a party before it began cutting into XP gains. Andrew sent over a few of the new players and after learning their names, Jay took them all into the tunnels.
The first group that Jay could convince to join him were mostly gamers. They had an idea of what the different stats, words and numbers meant and they were excited for their first dungeon. Jay had to repeatedly tell the more excited ones to stay behind him.
"Luke, what did I just say? This place is dangerous and I'm the only one with a level! Stay behind me and keep an eye out for foxes. They're smart and they're fast, so we don't want to be caught off guard."
"Yeah right. I've played tons of games. If these things are level one too, this'll be easy. Watch this, guys." Luke took off at a run, survival knife in hand. With a heavy sigh and a shout of "wait," Jay took off after him.
Luke turned a corner and Jay lost sight of him. A few seconds later, a scream rebounded down the tunnel. Suddenly, the 8 remaining dungeon delvers didn't look quite so excited. As he rounded the corner, it became blatantly obvious what had happened.
Luke had charged straight at the first fox he saw. There was a small dent where he had swung his knife and a big pool of blood spilling out from the body. A single Steel Fox was munching on his arm like a piece of jerky.
"Before we go on, I want everyone to be prepared. Luke didn't listen and now he's never going to. If you can't handle gruesome sights, you need to learn how to now. Accidents like this will only get more common." Jay wish he could have comforted those around him, but they needed to face reality. And Luke's mangled corpse was the sad reality they were facing.
Since none of his new party members had the lenses yet, they all saw the body before they saw the fox. As they noticed the creature munching on the one formerly known as Luke, many of the delvers cried out in fear. That's when the fox noticed them.
It came sprinting at them without hesitation. Fortunately, these foxes didn't seem to use many tactics, instead relying on their strength. Using his significantly upgraded intelligence, Jay realized he could easily see where the fox was going to be when he fired his lightning strike. He targeted that spot and the wolf slid to a stop just in front of Kyle, one of the younger delvers.
[You have slain a Steel Fox. 25 XP gained. You are in a dungeon. XP rewards will be given when you complete the dungeon.]
As his party members saw their first XP notification, they stared in Jay in shock. Where Luke had been unable to even hurt it, Jay had killed it in one hit. This was the power of having a class! Incredible!
[Lightning Strike has reached level 2. Mana cost reduced from 30 to 25. Good job spamming!]
He had finally leveled lightning strike! While he might have preferred more damage, the cost reduction was still nice. With his new increases in stats, Jay's mana had also increased, so he could fire more than ever. It seemed that each new level in intelligence gave him 10 mana, so he was up to 225, wand included.
With his mana still sitting at nearly 200, Jay felt no need to stop and rest. He quickly looted the fox, getting the expected claws and meat. Then he motioned for the rest of the party to follow him. It was kind of funny, really, seeing how they went wide around the level one creature. It seems knowing it mauled a person will do that to you.
Where before they had been talkative and excited, now the group was silent. They followed Jay deeper, where they encountered their first nest. Jay easily took out the few Steel Foxes, but the Earthly Steel Fox was a problem.
It charged straight at the group, easily shrugging off the damage Jay had done. Jay fired off a firebolt and quickly raised an earth wall. Just this much had already cost him an extra 75 mana, putting him just above 200. Two blinking notifications appeared in the corner of his vision, but he'd worry about those later.
The fox hardly hesitated before jumping over the wall. It was limping slightly, but still a bit threat. Suddenly, one of the delvers came over and slammed a metal baseball bat into the fox's head. Although it didn't die outright, it fell over and couldn't get up. With a second strong hit, the delver finished it off.
[Party member has slain an Earthly Steel Fox. 25 XP rewarded. You are in a dungeon. XP rewards will be given when you complete the dungeon.]
"Great job…uhh… Pete! You saved my hide back there. This one's all yours. Where'd you learn to swing like that?" As much as Jay wanted the core, he knew Pete deserved it. He'd pretty much single-handedly killed the fox despite the power difference.
"I had plans to go pro after college. Looks like that might not be happening, but I can hit a grand slam."
"Well, go ahead and loot it. If you don't want the core, we can try giving it to someone who wants to learn magic." Getting these guys leveled and classed was the most important thing, so Jay couldn't afford to hoard the good stuff to himself.
"You decide then. This bat is the only weapon I need." Pete seemed to really like that bat. He always knew sports players were weird, but choosing a bat over magic? Insane!
"Alright, who wants to be the first mage? I've got a feeling using this will unlock the class for you, but we won't know unless we try. Kyle, you seem like the kind of kid that's into magic. Come over here for a moment."
After instructing Kyle in how to use it, Jay watched as he used the core. Suddenly, a golden light enveloped Kyle. It only lasted a moment, but it was enough to blind them. When they could see again, they saw that Kyle was no longer wearing the clothes he had been, but instead sported a blue wizard robe with gold trim.
"It said I unlocked 'Beginner Earth Mage' so I chose that one. I hope I did it right!" Kyle seemed a bit shy about all the attention on him, but Jay just beamed at him.
"You're the first person here to gain a class! That's wonderful! Did you learn any spells when you chose the class?" Jay figured Kyle probably got something helpful. Even if it was only one or two spells, that would make a big difference.
"Yeah! I got 'Earth Spike' and 'Earthly Armor'! It says the first one is an attack and the second is defensive." Kyle seemed quite enamored with his new spells. He became the envy of the group, being the first one to gain a class. Even Pete looked a little jealous, hugging his bat and whispering "you're worth it, baby. Just wait 'til we get a class!"
Feeling a bit better despite their recent loss, the group moved forward. They only came across one more den and they made quick work of it. Jay sat back until necessary, letting Pete and Kyle get a bit of experience at combat, although he still did most of the killing and looting in the end.
As he neared the Den Mother's cave for the second time, there was only one though on Jay's mind. This time, he'd get payback.