The dungeon guards waved him in as soon as they saw the black tag. All his preparation to look the part felt like it was all but wasted. Plus the guard also looked pretty alarmed when they saw the metal dangling around his neck. No doubt the thing did mean something significant.

The second dungeon was like it was mentioned in the guide. There were a few kinds of dungeons, and unlike the others, this dungeon had a pitch-black veil at the entrance. The portal type had only one big entrance, but according to the guide, it didn’t lead to the same spot every time someone entered. Some would even skip entire floors if their level were high enough.

He found himself inside as soon as he touched the mysterious veil. The suddenness still surprised him even when he already read about it in the book. It was also good to know that a party would have to link hands or by any physical contact if they didn’t want to get separated.

Lit by moonstones on the ceiling, the mushroom forest was infested with all kinds of slime. He could see the creature everywhere as soon as he got inside. Each color offered its own kind of threat, but for now, he only saw the green toxic slime slugging around.

All divers had to make their way through the forest to make any progress, already a daunting task for many. It was even more tiresome when they also needed to watch for slime ambushes while hacking on the stem to make way.

Well, if they chose that route. He imagined someone could jump from one cap to another if they were agile enough. Still, most would probably choose the former.

The jelly monster would often drop down onto an unsuspected diver, covering their heads and suffocating them. It only got worse if the slime was other than grey. This was why the dungeon wasn’t popular. It was just too troublesome for little rewards.

The closer he got to the mushroom forest the more sure he was. This place was the perfect place for him to test his new toys and get the usual experience-loot combo.

However, unlike most other divers, he was looking to collect metal rather than anything else. But why didn’t he just buy them at the local shops you asked?

At first, he had gone to ask around but a simple question had made a very good point.

“What mage wants to do it with an iron ingot?”

The very question he never would want anyone to start asking anytime soon. It could lead to speculation and someone might connect the dots without him knowing.

A splat came from above him. A green oozing slime as big as his head was trying its best to melt through the see-through [Diamond Shell] to no avail. Reducing its thickness made it look more similar to glass rather than a gem so it wouldn’t be too obvious.

Adrin pointed his finger towards the slime and formed the modified [Torch]’s glyph at the tip of his finger. He filled it with the surrounding mana at his leisure.

“Torch,” he triggered the spell.

A concentrated blue-flamed [Torch] burst out and melted the slime in almost an instant. The dungeon creature died with a pop, leaving a tiny core behind.

Another splat hit the barrier. Then another. And another before a rain of slimes began to hit him, and before long, Adrin was covered in slimes.

He would’ve been dead without the upgraded [Shell]. This was why he insisted on having an excellent defense before any adventuring. It would still be survivable without it, but the progress would be too slow to get him anywhere.

Adrin extended both hands and smiled as the glyphs formed and filled up at his leisure. The twin [Torch] then burned everything around him just outside the [Shell].

The slimes popped all around the [Shell] while releasing a cloud of deadly, corrosive toxic gas. A nasty surprise for anyone who didn’t do any research or was inadequately prepared.

Villager leveled up [x2], Villager [Level 5]

Aspiration point +2

||

Mana-based damage reached a minimum threshold.

New [Mage] class unlocked.

“So, you need to deal damage using mana to get [Mage] class? Interesting,” Adrin said as he swept aside the announcement. ‘What if the damage is specific affinity?’ a thought came to him.

Another aspect of the System he needed to find out sooner or later. He didn’t pick the class yet because there might be more interesting classes he could unlock.

Unlike other ‘games’ he had played before, leveling up did not give free attribute points. In this world, you had to work for them. It was fair and made a lot of sense if anyone had asked him, but maybe the reward from leveling up would be different for other classes.

Not knowing what to expect was annoying, but not being spoon-fed felt refreshing at least.

Adrin collected the [Core]s dropped on the ground. These rock-covered gemstones were the main source of income for the divers. It was a profitable source of income especially if you could find a large enough monster [Core]. At a minimum, it would cover the cost of living.

Despite it all coming from the green slime, the cores were still mostly blue in color and filled with mana. There were also some crystalized metals mixed in the gemstones but it was still predominantly blue in the middle.

Best of all, these cores responded to his [Crystal Meld] skill. He wasted no time to separate the impurities and meld the mana stones together. Just like the mana marbles, these also have concentrated mana inside, useful in an emergency.

As for the metal, it was too little to make it count. A few grains of sand at the most. He would need to find a vein or leftover equipment like it was mentioned in the guide. Adrin decided to make sure he didn’t leave any behind.

Albeit smaller ones, he had already killed so many slimes before even entering the mushroom forest. He was willing to bet that these creatures had targeted him en masse just because he was alone. A lone human was an easy meal in the creature’s eyes, well, if it had them.

For clearing the way, Adrin would use a special addition to the [Shell]. A plugin glyph that enabled the [Shel] to spin, among a few other things.

It also changed the outer layer of [Diamond Shell] to include very narrow pyramids. Coming up with the correct math formula to represent the very spiky-sphere was a nightmare but the result was more than worth it.

The combination of [Roller-shell], the [Grinder-shell], and its diamond-like property would be very deadly. He could speed around on his magic skates while dicing things apart into little pieces. If things went south, he could easily escape.

Adrin breathed in relief, it felt good to be overpowered.

He couldn’t thank the magi family enough to look down on him.

The upgraded [Shell] had never intended to use it to hack giant mushrooms, but it would ease his journey all the same. The [Grinder-shell] spun at his command as he marched forward into the mushroom forest. There were a few slimes that fell from the cut mushroom trees, and the result was as he had expected. More slime cores for him to refine.

Adrin leisurely continued his journey for hours until someone called him out of the blue.

He must have made too much noise.

--

Bria was at her last wit when she saw him.

A mage covered in a mysteriously distorted barrier.

She was still shaking but her hope was restored when she saw it. The black tag was barely visible hanging on his neck as he got close enough to her.

Her hands were covered in somebody else’s blood. A girl barely in her twenties had just been saved from death’s door, and it had made Bria question her own faith. This was what Mother Thalia had said about how she would be tested, and she had almost lost it.

It didn’t help when everything around her was spinning and her head was ringing. Something must have hit her head without her realizing it.

She realized that it was easy to proclaim your faith or be confident with your abilities in the safety of the church or town. She had learned the fact first-hand tonight.

Bria tried to stand but she almost stumbled if not for the mage.

“Are you alright?” said a young man’s voice. Much younger than she had anticipated.

“I- I’m fine,” she replied.

“Good,” he said with a breath of relief, “please leave everything to me,” he continued as he gently placed her down.

“Tell everyone to retreat, I don’t want to surprise them,” he told the scout, Kamal, who had gone for help.

“Right,” the man nodded. “Tim! Brad! Back up, I’ve brought help!” he yelled at the remaining two.

It reminded her of an ugly fact. Their fifth person already lost somewhere thanks to the black slime. No one had suspected to meet an undead variant here.

The cavern brightened up a bit as the mage called up his glyphs. One was targeted to the retreating duo while the other to her and the other two. She would have expected foul play if she hadn’t recognized the glyphs.

A loud clang echoed as the tentacle collided with the [Shell]. The two combatants gave a wide berth as the mage pushed forward and let the monstrous slime focus on him.

The black slime wasn’t the biggest, but it had somehow mutated and learned how to use human weapons against them. It used its tentacles to throw swords, armors, and shields at its enemy, all the same, without recognizing the difference between them.

“Where do you find a mage?” asked Brad while on his knee and leaning onto his huge sword. He was breathing heavily but uninjured. Nothing was bleeding at least.

“I- I don’t know,” Kamal admitted. “I heard a weird noise and just ran towards it.”

“About time,” Tim with his round shield said as he rested to catch his breath. “I guess the black tagger is compelled to the honor code even if he doesn't like it.”

“He has a black tag!?” Kamal was taken aback.

Bria guessed right. The archer hadn’t noticed it, or he would have hesitated to ask for help. Black tag holders could be vicious at times, honor code or not. There was no need to worry if there was no one left alive to say anything about it.

Two more loud clangs filled the cavern as the mage let the monster hit him without fighting back. No, that was wrong. She couldn’t see it clearly, but the slime arms were cut countless times already but it just reconnects.

“Do you think he needs help?” Brad asked while pushing himself up.

“No, I don’t think so,” Bria heard herself say.

“I’ve never seen any [Shell] like that,” Tim spouted after swallowing his saliva. “Have you, priestess?” The man asked her.

“No,” she stated. “I don’t think anyone has seen anything like it.”

A large spell glyph appeared outside the mage’s [Shell]. The largest she had ever seen until it lit up like the moonstones above. Everyone gasped at the show, but what came next blew everyone's expectations out of their tiny heads.

A large blue flame burst out of the spell glyph. The heat was so intense until she could feel it from where she was at.

The purifying flame demolished the black slime into smoke in a single swipe. Only smoke and red half-melted metal were left behind.

It was short but really pretty.

It felt like the Goddess of Light herself was speaking to her. The Goddess Azura herself was telling her that the young man would be a great [Lightbringer] if he was to be blessed with the [Light] glyphs.

She was destined to meet him here.