Nightmare Realm Summoner

The rest of the first room went without trouble. Alex killed another Florachnid hiding amongst the normal flowers before moving on to the second room with Glint. That one had even more of the tiny rabid squirrels — and he couldn't have been more delighted to find them.

They were an opportunity to test out the theories he'd formed back in the Mirrorlands as to how the System distributed energy as a reward for defeating challenge. Alex took note of how much energy entered his body when Glint killed the monsters.

He then handled the last few entirely on his own, with one hand behind his back and hopping on a single leg. It really wasn't that much of a disadvantage given the disparity in their abilities, but it did stop him from literally stomping them.

His efforts earned him more than a few painful nips, but when he eventually won, the power he got was only marginally more than what he normally would have gotten. While it wasn't a complete confirmation of his theory, the results definitely lent itself to it.

Every monster had a certain amount of energy it could give. It didn't matter how challenging a fight was. A Novice 1 monster was still a Novice 1 monster. Killing it with a lot of challenge meant he'd get a lot more of its energy, while squishing it with zero effort meant he got a lot less, but it was always a slice of the same pie.

It was a great way to encourage people to continue striving to grow stronger while keeping them from just farming the same enemy forever, especially since the more he fought the squirrels, the easier fighting them became. He didn't even need extra levels. Combat experience also made fights easier. The entire system was completely set up to force people to continue seeking stronger foes if they sought power.

Alex's quandary solved for the time being, he fed Glint all the miniscule Soul Flames that the monsters left behind. The Shardwalker didn't have a noticeable change from the meal. That really wasn't much of a surprise, as the squirrels had been so weak they were barely worth mentioning.

All the other energy he had stored in his Spatial Mirror would be a different story. He nearly gave into the temptation of giving everything to Glint just to see how far he could push the Shardwalker, but he pressed the desire down.

I haven't had a huge challenge in this dungeon yet. I'll level Glint up once I solo the dungeon or run into something I just can't beat.

And so Alex pressed on. The third room had a mixture of squirrels and Florachnids that went down after a short fight.

His and Glint's advance through the dungeon didn't go without cost. A Florachnid managed to leave a rather nasty cut on Alex's back and he bled lightly from the horde of squirrels.

None of the wounds were enough to stop him, but they built up. He had no clue how long the dungeon was or how many monsters he still had to kill. It wasn't hard to tell why people generally did dungeons in groups.

If I even just had Claire with me, that Florachnid probably wouldn't have been able to get me while I was off guard. And if I hadn't had Glint… she's right. I don't think I'd be able to do this solo. I'm lucky Claire gave me her sword, because I don't think Glint could have done this alone either.

The temptation to use his stored energy was stronger than ever — but not stronger than his willpower.

Or my stupidity. I suppose I won't know which one it is until this is done.

Alex gave himself a minute to catch his breath and let the wounds stop bleeding too profusely before he continued into the fourth room.

As soon as he and Glint passed through the black portal, his foot landed on yet even more grass. His guard rose instantly. This room was different than the previous ones he'd gone through.

There was no smell at all beyond a faint hint of old grass. Not a single tree or bush littered the flat plain of grass between him and a large black gateway at the far side of the room. It was nearly twice as big as all the other portals he'd passed through.

Between Alex and the large gate was a single, large flower about twice its height. Thorns covered the vine running up to a rose at its top. Thick roots pressed against the grassy soil around the base of the flower and several vines swayed in the area around it.

His eyes narrowed in recognition.

That's definitely a Florachnid. If the size of its flower is proportional to its body… this one is a lot bigger than the last one I fought.

Alex adjusted his grip on Claire's sword. The worn leather sat comfortably in his palm as he lowered his stance to prepare to burst into motion. There was only one way he would allow himself to progress.

Forward.

"Same strategy as the first Florachnid," Alex ordered. His heart was already beating faster with anticipation. He shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, then blew out a breath to steady himself. "Go."

Glint dashed forward. His mirrored claws tore through a vine — and a screech tore through the room.

Alex stumbled as his ears popped and a wave of dizziness slammed into him like a hammer. He staggered in place, warm liquid trickling down the sides of his head and a persistent ringing buzz roaring in his ears.

Glint seemed to fare a little better. The small monster dodged back as the ground cracked and split apart. A Florachnid ripped itself free from the dirt. Alex's prediction had been correct. The earthen spider was huge, standing well over two times his height. The vines in its mouth thrashed as they reached out to grab Glint. The Shardwalker hopped out of the way just in time.

If the monster made any noise, Alex couldn't tell. The ringing in his ears was too loud. He didn't need his ears to see what they were up against, though.

Florachnid (Novice 5)

He took a step forward and instantly regretted it. The world spun around him and he stumbled, his balance completely shot through. An old memory buried somewhere in the recesses of his mind surfaced.

I'm pretty sure we use our ears for balance or something like that. If your eardrums go, so does your ability to walk in a straight line.

Shit.

He gritted his teeth and widened his stance. He held the sword before him defensively, but Glint didn't give the huge monster a chance to capitalize on his weakness. Glint looked like a toddler as he leapt forward, latching onto the Florachnid's face.

Alex nearly laughed despite the situation. If Glint really were a toddler, then he was a toddler with a copious amount of knives taped to his body. As small as he was, his razor-sharp claws ravaged the monster's face. Every slash peeled another thick layer of wood free.

For an instant, Alex almost thought Glint would win the fight on his own.

Then the monster threw its head back. Alex didn't hear it scream, but the grass around it blew back. A wave of wind washed over his face and Glint tumbled off the monster's body.

He managed to dig his claws into the Florachnid's side as he fell, ripping a long furrow all the way down its side. Then the spider drove one of its legs down.

"Roll to the side!" Alex yelled, unable to hear his own words. "Then take off its leg!"

Glint obeyed. He narrowly dodged the strike and leapt up, sweeping his claws through the root. The Florachnid swayed as one of its legs was severed just above its midpoint. Glint cut through another leg, then hopped back as the bloody vines coming from the spider's mouth shot out to grab him.

The Shardwalker brought his claws down on the vines, severing several of them, then leapt for the Florachnid's legs once more. He cut through one more, leaving the other monster just a single leg on its right side.

A trickle of hearing returned to Alex. It sounded like he was trying to listen through a wall of cotton. It was better than nothing.

Unfortunately, he only got it just in time for the unsteady Florachnid to lurch forward faster than Glint could react. It was over in a flash. One of its sharp legs drove straight through Glint's chest.

The Shardwalker raked his claws down the side of the leg, tearing it to ribbons, but the damage was too great. Glint's body went slack. His body disintegrated into a stream of energy that twisted through the air like smoke before flowing into Alex.

Blood trickled down the sides of his neck and soaked into his shirt. His hands tightened around the hilt of the blade as his heart started to beat faster. The Florachnid turned in a stumbling gait, leaning heavily on its good side, and looked at Alex with eight glistening eyes of black crystal.

"Come on, then," Alex said, baring his teeth and raising the sword. He'd gotten a little bit of his balance back. Not as much as he would have liked, but enough to stand without swaying too badly.

The System's accelerated healing was the only thing keeping him in the fight, but it would have to be enough.

I definitely can't move a lot. I need to wait for the right moment — and if the Florachnid screams again, I'm done. I have to pretend like I still can't move.

Root legs dug into the dirt as the Florachnid slowly approached Alex. Blood poured from the severed vines in its mouth and its breathing was a muted, rattling hiss. It moved with steady determination, watching Alex with inscrutable eyes.

He had no delusion of its speed. It could definitely strike quickly if it wanted to. That's how it had taken out Glint. Alex bared his teeth. Somehow, he'd found himself in a game of chicken for the second time that day.

"Who breaks first?" Alex whispered. His own voice sounded odd to his ears. The Florachnid dragged itself closer, leaving a thick trail of blood in the grass behind it from all the severed legs on its left side. It was injured far worse than he was. Time wasn't in its favor.

I'm nothing but injured prey.

Come on.

COME ON!

The Florachnid was only feet away from him. With the outside world almost completely muted, the only thing Alex could truly hear was the furious thump of his heart and the blood rushing through his veins.

Adrenaline gripped Alex like a vice. His mind screamed to attack or run and fear beat a drum in the back of his head. The Florachnid pulled itself closer once more.

Then it lurched forward.

Alex didn't have the slightest amount of faith in his ability to accurately avoid an attack from any of its legs if he missed, and so he took the only path he saw before him. Bleeding tongues extended from the Florachnid to grab Alex — and he dove forward to meet it. Perhaps it was more accurate to say he just fell forward with some extra momentum.

He braced Claire's sword against his shoulder and sent all the energy he could gather straight into his palms in one fell blow. Battered, thorny vines wrapped around Alex's chest and started to squeeze. At the same time, his sword drove into the monster's skull.

Mirrors erupted from his palm and raced through the hilt of the sword, ripping out from its blade and carving through the Florachnid's head like a handheld blender.

The vines that had just grabbed him faltered. The Florachnid dropped like a rock, taking Alex with it. He kept his grip on the sword all the way until they both hit the ground. Muted cracks echoed out as mirror shards broke off from the sword's blade, lodging in the giant spider's head.

A wave of power slammed into Alex. He lay on top of the Florachnid's corpse, heart hammering away, unable to muster the energy to move. Minutes slipped by. Alex finally rolled over, leaning against the dead monster's head as he caught the last of his breath. His hearing slowly crawled back — and the first sound he heard with his newly healed ears was his own hysterical laughter.

It was nearly another minute before he managed to gather himself. A few of his wounds were still open. His blood mixed with that of the earthen spider and muddied the grass beneath them. Claire probably would have cried at the waste. He pulled the sword free of the Florachnid's head with a grunt and the last few shards of mirror rained away from its surface.

The weapon was, fortunately, undamaged. It would have been awkward to explain to Claire what happened if he'd turned her sword into a college art project.

I can send my magic into objects rather than just sprouting it from my body? Good to know. I could have saved the bottom of my shoe if I figured that out earlier.

Alex looked down to the dead monster at his feet. A thick green flame danced above its head. No heat came from it, but his stomach warmed, nonetheless. Another reward the fight had reaped, this one for Glint.

Mid-Grade Novice (Florachnid)

He drew it into his mirror as he caught the rest of his breath and looked around. The room, previously without smell, was now a haze of sweat, blood, and viscera. His eyes raised to the large door across from him.

"That's the boss, or whatever equivalent the System has," Alex muttered to himself. "Nobody makes a fancy door for no reason. I definitely can't handle it without Glint."

He dragged himself over to the side of the room and leaned against the wall to rest in a slightly less blood-covered area. His clothes were ruined. Nobody was getting this much blood out of anything.

There was, unfortunately, a bigger issue.

"Shit," Alex muttered as he looked at his palms. "That thing was definitely at the absolute limit of what I can handle. If the boss is even slightly stronger than that…"

Eh. You know what? I'm happy. I got nearly all the way through the dungeon on my own. I couldn't quite clear the whole thing, but this is farther than just about anyone else could have made it. No reason to be an idiot, and I've got some time to kill before I can press on.

There was no way around it. If he wanted to clear the dungeon on his own, he'd have to be stronger. Fortunately, he had just the way to do that. Glint still wasn't around to keep watch for him, but Alex wasn't in shape to fight anyone now anyway.

He closed his eyes and started to meditate. It was time to cash in all the potential he'd been storing up.