Wednesday, 8 January 1992
Daniel woke up early, as usual. After waiting for his friends, they gathered in the Great Hall for breakfast. The air was filled with the smells of sizzling bacon and freshly baked bread. Conversation was light, and the mood was easy, as it always was before lessons began.
The first lesson of the day was Herbology, where they learned about the Puffapod. Professor Sprout excitedly showed them the plant, its large pink seedpods gleaming under the sunlight. The beans inside shimmered, and when they touched any solid surface, the pods instantly bloomed.
After Herbology, it was time for History of Magic. Daniel braced himself, ready to listen to another endless lecture about the Goblin War. But then, to his surprise, Professor Binns veered off into an entirely different topic.
"All right, class, settle down. Today we're discussing the Soap Blizzard of 1378!" Professor Binns announced, his voice echoing through the room. "The Soap Blizzard of 1378 was, in essence, a blizzard of soap that occurred sometime in that year. This event was followed by the 14th-century Wizarding Economic Bubble. And not long after, Gringotts Wizarding Bank was founded."
Daniel blinked, puzzled. 'Soap Blizzard?' he thought. 'Really?'
Just as he was processing it, Professor Binns switched topics again, returning to the familiar Goblin War. Daniel sighed, lost in his thoughts, as the lesson droned on.
After the lecture ended, they had lunch, a quick break before Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The lessons went by as usual.
Finally, after the last class of the day, Daniel found himself walking out of the DADA classroom, a plan already forming in his mind. He had been thinking about spawning the Pixies Boss, but he didn't want to just run off like he used to. He had grown more mindful of his friends lately.
"I'll see you guys in three hours or so," he said, turning to them. "I've got something I need to do."
Anthony looked up at him and nodded, "Okay, we'll be in the secret room."
With that, they split up, and Daniel made his way to an empty classroom. He checked the hallways to make sure no one was nearby before stepping into the Pixies Dungeon.
This time, there was no need for stealth. He'd done this a hundred times before. As the sound of the pixies buzzed in the air, Daniel cast Glacius the moment he saw the first one, freezing it in place. A quick shot from a Magic Arrow, and it was done.
After about 30 to 40 minutes of wandering through the dungeon, a notification popped up.
[Due to the user killing 100 pixies in under 1 hour, the BOSS MONSTER will spawn in 30 seconds.]
Daniel activated his Stealth skill and slid into the shadow of a thick root, keeping a low profile. Not long after, a glowing pixie appeared, flanked by a handful of other pixies. He immediately used Observe on it.
[Swarm Mother, Boss Monster, Lvl 30]
[A glowing pixie-like creature, the Swarm Mother is the ruler of this dungeon. Unlike ordinary pixies, she possesses four shimmering wings and an unsettling intelligence behind her eyes. She commands a swarm of aggressive pixies, using them as both a shield and a weapon. To defeat her, one must first eliminate her minions. Only then can she be struck down.]
'So this boss is a summoner…' Daniel mused.
He quickly analyzed his surroundings. The Swarm Mother always had pixies close by, acting as a shield. He needed to act quickly. Quietly, he snuck around to her back and cast Glacius, freezing the pixies in place. He didn't finish them off, just left them immobilized so they couldn't protect her.
Expecting some kind of magic, Daniel braced himself for an attack. But to his surprise, the Swarm Mother was frozen solid like the other monsters. Without hesitation, he fired a Magic Arrow at her, taking her down in one hit.
[+3000 EXP]
As the pixie fell, Daniel let out a quiet sigh. 'What a disappointment', he thought. 'I'm overleveled for this dungeon.'
He glanced at his stats and chuckled, realizing just how much stronger he had become.
[Name: Daniel Wilson
Level: 47 EXP: 290000/510000
Class: The Gamer
HP: 2510/2510
MP: 2960/2960
SP: 2520/2520
Strength: 125
Agility: 126
Vitality: 126
Intelligence: 152
Wisdom: 130
Charisma: 107
Luck: 106
Stat Points: 159]
With a grin, he turned his attention to the loot. He found a small silver ring with intricate engravings of fluttering wings.
'Not bad,' he thought as he used Observe on it.
[Ring of the Swarmmother]
[A delicate silver ring with intricate engravings of fluttering wings circling the band. Its surface glimmers with embedded traces of pixie dust, occasionally releasing faint, shimmering sparks of magic.
When worn, the ring allows the user to summon 10 pixies for 5 minutes. These pixies can assist in combat by distracting enemies, disarming traps, or scouting. They vanish after the duration ends.
Cooldown: 1 hour.]
He smiled, adding the ring to his inventory. After searching a little more for loot, he left the dungeon and found a quiet spot to sit down. [The Pixie Dungeon is too easy now. I think it's time for an upgrade.]
He looked at his ID Create skill.
[ID Create (Active) Lvl 19]
[- Used to create Instant Dungeons
- Stronger dungeons may be created at higher levels
Currently Available ID List:
- Empty ID – Monsters: none
- Gnomes ID - Monsters: Gnomes
- Pixies ID - Monsters: Cornish Pixies]
"One more level," he muttered, standing up. 'Let's grind it out.'
With determination, he started creating and destroying dungeons, pushing the skill to its limit. After about 20 minutes, he saw that the skill had leveled up. A satisfied grin spread across his face. 'Let's check what's new,' he thought as he opened the skill.
[ID Create (Active) Lvl 20]
[- Used to create Instant Dungeons
- Stronger dungeons may be created at higher levels
Currently Available ID List:
- Empty ID – Monsters: none
- Gnomes ID - Monsters: Gnomes
- Pixies ID - Monsters: Cornish Pixies
- Erklings ID - Monsters: Erklings]
'Erklings?' Daniel thought, narrowing his eyes. 'Never heard of them... should I go now or look into what they are and come back later?'
He thought for a moment, then shrugged. 'The Pixie Dungeon was too easy for me now. This can't be so much harder.'
He sighed, steeled his nerves, and entered the dungeon. Immediately, he was struck by the change in atmosphere. It wasn't a cave or enclosed space but a forest. It was night, and the trees stretched endlessly in every direction. Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting soft, shifting shadows across the moss-covered ground. The air was eerily still, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves.
He crept into the shadows of a nearby tree and activated his Stealth skill. 'I guess I'll scout first,' he thought, heading off in a random direction.
A few minutes later, he spotted something, a camp with a fire in the center. His curiosity piqued, he watched from the shadows.
'Are Erklings intelligent?' he wondered.
Then, the soft sound of singing reached his ears. It wasn't bad, just a strange, melodic tune that seemed oddly inviting.
"Into darkness taking flight,
whispers on the wings of night,
follow us, our lovely tune,
as above the smiling moon,
Diddle-dee-dee, diddle-dee-doe,
not far now, not far to go,
Into twilight, into gloom,
sing the sound of dawdling doom,
follow us, our lovely song,
know that we can do no wrong,
Diddle-dee-dee, diddle-dee-doe..."
'Not bad,' Daniel thought with a raised eyebrow, moving higher up the tree for a better view.
His heart skipped a beat when he first laid eyes on an Erkling. 'It looks like a child-sized Slenderman,' he thought, suddenly feeling very uneasy.
Quickly, he used Observe on one.
[Erkling, Lvl 27]
[Erklings are sinister, elf-like creatures, about three feet tall with sharp, pointed faces and glowing eyes. Their high-pitched cackles lure children into the forest, where they are snatched away. Erklings find human children particularly delicious and speak human language to deceive their prey.]
'Yeah, not fighting this today,' Daniel thought, his stomach turning. He silently backed away from the camp, deciding to exit the dungeon for now.
After leaving the dungeon, he found his friends in the secret room. He sat down beside them, and they started talking and joking around.
For now, the dungeon and its creepy Erklings would have to wait.