My mother called the attendants back in and we enjoyed the spa day quietly together. She didn’t say anything else, but the day felt ruined. Once it was over, she brought me to her suite at the top of the most expensive inn. She sent me to bed that night while I stewed in my own thoughts.
Was I weak? Was it so wrong to relax a bit? The fights on the 3rd layer were hard enough. I didn’t want to trap myself on the 4th layer. It was just a standard safety concern. But to become a supreme legend, one needed to ignore such things.
The next morning I woke up, and there was a huge breakfast spread prepared, just like it had been back at the estate.
“A bit much, when you preach austerity,” I said.
“I picked this place because of the privacy and if I stayed anywhere else it would cause a commotion. It is just a place to sleep,” my mother said. I wasn’t sure if I believed her.
“How does experience actually work? Since I have been wearing this, I have been blocked from earning experience, but it can’t be that hard? Just kill more monsters?”
“Foolish child of mine.” She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something at the top and then handed it to me across the breakfast table.
XP to Next Level = 100 × 1.1^(L-1) × (1 + 0.5 × ⌊(L-1)/20⌋)
“Solve that for L at 1, 50, 100, 150, and 200,” my mother said.
I did the math. The values came out to 100, 23,745, 4,353,421, 694,883,344, and 103,153,093,351 respectively. It took me around ten minutes to work it all the values out. While there was a decimal, I didn’t work on calculating it out. That wasn’t the point of this exercise.
“Every 20 levels, the experience requirement jumps up and it keeps going up due the last portion of the equation with the floor function,” I said.
“The amount of experience one gets isn’t consistent from monsters but suffice to say that monsters at the same level give very little experience. Even higher level monsters only give slightly more. That means fighting Champion monsters regularly. Ones that far exceed my stats and with unique skills down in the dungeon.”
The first levels really were easy, the experience requirement was so low compared to the later levels. “People rush the early levels, easily enough. This is why everyone can get the first 20 levels just with crafting experience. But why most people stall out around level 40, 60, 80, and 100. The increased experience requirements are just too difficult.”
“Mother,” I said seriously. “I gave a lot of thought about what you said yesterday. Relaxing does reset my mood and mindset, allowing me to work harder. As you pointed out this is a marathon, not a sprint. Without something to look forward to, I will struggle to keep going. And wasn’t that the point of staying at level 1, to bring up my stats and skills more easily?”
“You just won’t make it with your current mindset. Tell me your status, I would bet you have a vice skill,” she said.
Level: 1 Experience: BLOCKED
Healing: 350/350 Stamina: 340/340 Mana: 200/200
Class: Tier 0, Child(Blue)
Effect: Increased Skill Acquisition(+10%), Increased Learning Speed(+10%), Increased Stat Gain(+10%), Increased Physical Gain(+10%)
Vitality: 35 (+1)
Endurance: 34 (+1)
Strength: 29 (+1)
Agility: 32 (+1)
Perception: 24 (+2)
Mind: 64 (+0)
Magic: 20 (+0)
Focus: 35 (+2)
Free Points: 0
Tier 1(24)(4+): Eldarin History(99+2), Running(99+6), Meditation(88+6), Dodge(78+9), Toughness(75+15), Sword Skills(72+22), Eldarin Etiquette(69+4), Drawing Skills(61), Light Armor(50+14), Shield Skills(49+14), Spear Skills(40+12), Dancing Skills(36+1), Bow Skills(35+15), Pugilist Skills(34+1), Monster Processing Skills(31+12), Cleaning Skills(21+7), Axe Skills(19), Dagger Skills(17), Speech(17), Combat Tactics(17+4), Cooking Skills(15), Wrestling Skills(12), Stealth(8+8), Sweet Tooth(4+4)
Tier 2(30)(2+): Mana Sense(89+9), Danger Sense(48+8), Soul Sense(47+7), Algebra(23+2), Geometry(20), System Sense(20+2), Darkness Vision(15+7), Focused Breathing(20+20), Speed Reading(13), Shadow Vision(13+8), Monster Analysis(11+8), Trap Detection(10+2), Depth Sense(10+9), Focused Rage(4+4), Critical Thinking(3+3)
Tier 3(30): Pain Resistance(68+8), Soul Resistance(46+5), Empowered Will(34+9), Eldarin Runes(28+8), Healing Resistance(20), Fear Resistance(20+4), Poison Resistance(15), Empowered Writing(13+2), Soul Strike(4+4), Social Resistance(3)
Tier 6(-): Experience Siphon(C)
Equipment
Gloves: Gloves of Processing(T2) (Blocks Mana T2 and Below)
Boots: Armored Boots(T1) (Basic Equipment)
Head: Armored Helmet(T1) (Basic Equipment)
Body: Light Armor(T1) (Basic Equipment)
Ring1: Ring of Concealment(T3) (Hide Status T3 and Below)
Ring2: Ring of Remote Awareness(T3) (Allows for remote viewing from companion ring)
Amulet/Bracelet: Experience Blocker(T4) (Prevents all experience gain for primary level)
Weapon1: Basic Steel Sword(T1) (Basic Equipment)
Equipment1: Runic Writing Set(T3) (Write Runes T3 and Below)
Looking at that one skill, Sweet Tooth, I felt embarrassed. “Just like I suspected, a vice skill.
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A vice skill was something that dragged a person down. A skill without much value. It could be removed by a System Priest, but they would often return. “How? I just had a few pieces,” I said with shock. “You had some as well.”
“But my mentality was not focused on sweets down in the dungeon. I was not thinking of a spa day to relax when I left. I think about getting stronger and removing weaknesses, not even those listed in my status. Your focus, decides your future. And you my son, are focusing on the wrong things,” she explained.
“I survived, I got Soul Strike,” I pointed out.
“You did. An interesting skill, but am I supposed to be impressed by a tier 3 skill? If you even want to become a legend, that is the bare minimum requirement. If it were easy to reach heights such as mine, everyone would do so.” She let out a sigh.
“At the higher levels, skills become more and more important in winning fights, since increasing your level is impossibly hard. That is why I have been having you focus on your foundation as much as possible. But without the proper mindset, you will struggle in the following years, when things come slower, and your progress isn’t so grand,” she declared.
“There are probably more soul fruits down there, I did find a natural treasure,” I said petulantly.
“You did. Do you want a party? A celebration? The monsters you killed were simple. No advanced fighting tactics and weak skills. The deeper you go into the dungeon, the more you will experience despair as everything becomes harder, slower, and far more dangerous,” she countered.
“But I am advancing faster than anyone else,” I pointed out.
“If you were on your own without my support, could you say the same thing?” my mother asked, and I closed my mouth. “Your skill level gains were about half before you consumed a soul fruit. And that includes the initial level surge all children have when they unlock their status at age 8.”
“But I was still doing well,” I countered.
“No. You were not, my son. You have only seen the bottom of society. Perhaps that was my mistake. I wanted to instill a sense of humbleness and understanding in you. But it appears to have backfired and created an elitest mindset, when you are nowhere close to that level without my involvement,” my mother said. I didn’t know what to say to this. I felt miserable and wiped my eyes. I refused to cry in front of my mother.
“You have never known true unending pressure. Pressure to live. Pressure to do better than others. Everything has been handed to you. Tutors, Healer support during training, natural treasures,” she declared.
“I didn’t choose that,” I pointed out and she nodded.
“It was my choice. A shame I was not able to have more children to pit you against one another to create a sense of competition,” my mother said.
“You would have your children fight each other?” I asked in shock.
“To use as a measure of comparison. Your growth has been too much, too quickly. It has distorted the proper way to think. I will take things in hand myself going forward,” my mother declared.
“What does that mean?” I asked nervously.
“That I have failed as your mother. That I will now be taking a personal hand in your training going forward,” she declared.
“What? But I thought it would be boring?” I asked.
“It will be, to a certain extent, but I have acquired the services of a Healer. They will make sure you don’t die. I will bring you both in the 6th layer of the dungeon. There you will fight and I will critique you and push you. Just as I pushed myself when I was your age. I didn’t have a Healer then, but that will just allow you to keep going further than ever before,” she declared.
“Maybe that is why I need a break. When you were by yourself, you didn’t have the support to push as hard,” I replied.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Some things will remain unknown. This last time in the dungeon you only gained 428 skill levels. A year would be the perfect amount of time as well. You are 10 and a half years old. Almost old enough to qualify for the College of Advancement. I will give you a taste of real training, then you will go there and compete.”
“Compete?” I asked nervously.
“Yes, for the top spot. The smallest of requirements I can give you. If you do graduate in the top spot, I will continue to support you. If you place in any other position even after all my help, then you are hopeless. Being an adventurer or a spellblade that will reach my level is beyond your ability,” my mother said.
“That…that isn’t fair,” I said, but I knew it was a weak argument. She just looked at me. “Life isn’t fair,” I muttered.
“It isn’t. It wasn’t fair when my family was killed by monsters. It wasn’t fair when the Eldarin Empire enslaved countless beings. You can either complain or become stronger. I don’t tolerate complaining,” my mother said.
“A year in the dungeon?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yes. With personal training from me. If you aren’t fighting, you will be working to improve your skills.”
“That is easy to say when you have a spatial storage,” I countered.
“You could have drawn the runes in the dirt, over and over. You could work out math problems before you go to sleep. Even now I am constantly training my skills. Instead, you focus on sweets and spa days,” my mother said with a slight sneer. She was clearly getting upset with me. I didn’t say anything else as we finished breakfast in silence.
My mother was being incredibly harsh, but it was hard to refute her. There was truth to her words. If I wanted to be the best, it wasn’t enough just putting in the barest amount of effort. I had to go beyond that.
It was hard, too hard, especially when down in the dungeon. I could have pushed myself more, but mentally I felt drained all the time.
“What now?” I asked after finishing my breakfast. Servants cleared everything away.
“Now, I will have a sword made from that metal you found. A Master Blacksmith has been arranged to craft a sword for you,” she said, and I got excited about that. “I also procured this for you to take, if you want to.” She set a wooden box on the table and opened it up. Inside there was a glowing white crystal.
“I thought I wasn’t supposed to take any more natural treasures or Alchemical products?” I asked nervously.
“That was just a suggestion. This is a Mind Crystal. It will help with training your Mind stat moving forward so having too many skills won’t be an issue. There will be skills that I want you to get and increasing that stat is important,” my mother explained and pushed the wooden box over to me.
“Is it even safe?” I asked.
“It is a natural treasure of the dungeon, not an Alchemical product. I have consulted with a healer, there is no need to worry,” she said and I felt a sense of relief. After last time, I was a bit hesitant about using anything she gave me.
“What do I do?” I asked.
“Simply hold it and your soul will naturally absorb it. I already checked with the Healer I have recruited and it is fine,” my mother said. While she might be harsh, I still trusted her. I picked up the Mind Crystal and my soul felt weird. Like someone giving it a massage. I shuddered in place as my body convulsed slightly.
“Hold onto that for a day and it will be completely absorbed. You can rest the remainder of today and harden your mindset. Since tomorrow we will be going into the dungeon together,” my mother declared. I hesitated for almost a minute. She didn’t say anything, but I was sure she was mentally noting my hesitation. It would be marked down as another failure in her eyes.