After looting the boss, it earned me its shield, sword, and to my surprise a small bronze disk just a bit larger than a coin. When I picked it up, knowledge flooded my mind, and a screen appeared in front of me.
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Mud Blade(1)[F]
Mud Blade: Cover your weapon in toxic filth that adds a poisonous effect to your blows and allows mud to be flung at opponents.
Time: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 1 hour
Type: Active
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Warning! Insufficient Attributes
3/3 Ability Slots Used
Unable to learn [Mud Blade]
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I stared at the scree and felt like laughing. This boss had actually dropped an ability, and not a good one. It was the lowest rank at F and didn't do all that much. The toxic effect wouldn't help in a fight as it was too slow acting, and flinging mud could be a distraction tool, but how many people wanted that ability when there were simply better abilities out there? Although, it would still sell for cheap and someone would buy it. Maybe a criminal or someone who had no abilities and would take anything.
I pocketed the token and took the door which had opened up behind the boss. After defeating a boss, a door would appear to the second floor and another back to the first dungeon room. I contemplated taking the door to the second floor but decided there was no need to risk it. I felt like shit and had what I'd come for.
I took the door out, then headed back to town, loot in tow.
*****
The token sold for more than I expected and it turned out that despite its rank, the token drop from the first-floor boss was rare. In the end, even with lower sell prices I still got twenty silver for it which I thought was a good price. F-rank abilities were a dime a dozen and were all over. This was unique, but that was like saying it was the least smelly diaper in a pit of really smelly diapers.
The rest of the loot bagged me some more silver, and I left with a smile on my face. If I did that every day then I'd easily have a stable income so for now my money concerns were eased and Xavier was not a problem anymore or so I hoped.
Today was the last day before growth ran out, and tomorrow while waiting for the one-day cooldown I was planning on doing a dungeon dive for an entire day to get some more money because while I was training I might not be able to go into the dungeon as much. I wanted to, but I wasn't going to make the same mistake I had last time. Even in my current state, I didn't think I could take on the ogre I'd fought with Eloria's group alone.
I headed back to the Inn with a heavier purse. I ate some food, then headed to bed once I was done.
*****
Apparently, I had gained a small amount of reputation. As I walked to the dungeon some people definitely pointed which I didn't like, but I understood why. It probably had to do with Xavier and also the fact I hadn't joined the guild. I'd been offered at the store and by someone who had worked for the guild, but I'd rejected stating I wanted to get stronger first. That wasn't too unusual, but I was bringing back a lot of loot, and so clearly I wasn't weak.
My Growth ability was on cooldown, and today was a beautiful day for some dungeon grinding. I headed to the first floor and began to kill anything that moved. Rats, moles, goblins, and even eventually the boss a few times. It was easy, and even when a blow landed it felt dull. A goblin threw a stone at me, and I felt nothing. The worse that occurred was a mole digging its claws into my thighs which created a scar, but nothing like last time. A potion healed it quickly, and I was off.
I used boost once or twice when I felt I needed to. I wasn't so confident in my abilities yet, though I could have taken out the larger groups of goblins. However, I would have sustained more injuries, as light as they would have been.
The new clothing proved its worth. Any small attacks did nothing, and I didn't feel stiff or like my movements were restricted at all. I felt good, and the boots were equally of good make. They gripped the dirt well, and there was no worry of slipping not even in mud. They had definitely been made for the first three top floors which were of a similar design, being dirt tunnels, and a new mob was introduced for each floor while the exciting mobs got stronger.
The third floor had packs of goblins usually with one or two hobgoblins and sometimes even an ogre. The moles were the size of wolves, and the rats and crabs were replaced by worms. Giant worms with razor-sharp teeth and the ability to sense movement extremely well. The jump felt big, but that was how the dungeon worked. Honestly, this town was very below average when it came to strength and the level of the adventurers. There were a few veterans that I'd seen and they radiated an aura of danger. My instincts kicked into overdrive whenever they walked past as if a lion had just walked past me.
The reason was simple. The veterans here were retired or wanted easy pickings while many who reached a certain level of power would leave Winsby for more lucrative places like the nearby city. It made sense. Currently, the lowest some had reached in this dungeon was floor 11 which was only 4 floors from the final floor. It was a fifteen-floor dungeon, and some of the mobs described sent a shiver down my spine. Stone Inquisitors, Molten Drones, a hive of giant scorching wasps, and slag wyverns. The boss of the eleventh floor was called a slag drake, and so far no one had fought it.
The veterans were here for easy pickings not to try and dive. There was actually a difference and dungeons weren't everything nor was The Adventurers Guild the only guild or powerful organization.
Divers were those who focused on dungeons and frontier divers were those who sought to reach further down and the final boss. Monter hunters focused on hunting monsters in and outside the dungeon, often to sell to alchemists or mages or to keep as trophies. Then there were relic and artifact hunters who only cared for dungeon rewards and items. Sometimes they were hired to find something. Lastly were the bounty hunters who hunted down rogue adventurers and criminals and while there was a separate guild for that, they worked together closely.
The day went by quickly and I was glad for my spatial back as I had a ton of loot to sell. I got a fair price for it even if it wasn't the best, and headed back to the Inn, but not before stopping at Karra's to pay for a bath, and thoroughly clean myself.
When that was said and done, I headed to bed. The cooldown would end tomorrow and then would begin the next grind.