Reaper's Resurgence: A System Reset

Alexia Knight

A permanent scowl covers my face as I cut through another of the feeders after two hours of wandering through the tunnels, my armor practically in shambles by this point leaving me in a state of clothing I wouldn't want anyone to see.

I better get new armor soon.

[Level 15 Lesser Feeder Defeated – User's earned EXP has been increased a small amount due to killing a being whose level is higher than their own.]

[Three points have been earned for killing a creature two levels above you.]

{Congratulations! You have leveled up to level 13! Your Species has awarded you +2 VIT, +2 DEX, +2 STR, +2 MAG, and +2 MEN. Your Class has awarded you +1 VIT, +1 DEX, +1 STR, +2 MAG, and +2 MEN.}

At least they're giving me some levels and plenty of points.

Actually, the points they're giving me have given me a pretty significant lead over the Hound of the Apocalypse. Even if I think it's safe to assume they are around the same level as me ish. Maybe higher or lower by a level or two.

Probably a level higher, to be honest. Just because I've been killing these weak things recently.

And how long is this damned territory of theirs anyways?

I continue walking for a few more minutes before feeling a shift in the air, making my eyes narrow.

[You have entered the Tier 1 Dungeon Crawling Cavern's First Boss Room. The Swarm's Nest.]

Oh. Great.

At this point I honestly wonder if I should head back or not, since the size of the nest must be enormous for the number of feeders I've killed thus far. But there isn't really much turning back after entering the separate dimension.

Not until the boss is dead.

I sigh at that thought before glancing down at my armor to find way too much skin exposed, including the entire left arm of the set that is now missing, along with the right leg and various holes in the rest of it.

The only bright side is that nothing too important is exposed. Mostly because I've tried rather hard to protect my dignity, and just as importantly, my vitals as much as I can till this point. Partially so that I don't end up leaving the dungeon in the future half naked.

Doesn't make me feel much better though.

I slowly begin to continue my way through the tunnel until the walls narrow in towards a small oval-shaped opening. An opening I can see clearly through despite the fact that I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be pitch black, considering the bugs' dislike of light in general.

And what I find inside is… not giving me much hope.

Ignoring the large swarm of insects that I see inside of whatever cavern the opening opens up to, the sight of the massive feeder beneath the others makes a cold sweat run down my neck.

{Lesser Mother Feeder – Level 17}

And the thing's popping out eggs rather quickly as well. But at least the majority of the feeders in there haven't seen me.

I narrow my eyes slightly before glancing at my hand and then back at the opening.

Then a very faint smile finds its way onto my face.

That… could work.

I get closer to the hole, cutting apart a few feeders that had left the cavern before dismissing my glaive and raising both hands towards the large swarm.

Then without an ounce of hesitation, I begin spamming my quantum bolts at it, sending bolt after bolt of purple energy of varying shades into the cavern, eradicating large portions of the swarm and sending them all into a flurry as System Messages flood my mind until I put them on mute. But even after they spread through the cavern, seemingly rushing around at random with only a fourth of them heading towards the opening, I continue sending bolts through at them. And the ones rushing towards the opening take the blunt of it.

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Soon enough I feel my soul increase as I keep a watchful eye on my status, spotting my level go up in the process while still sending bolts their way.

This process continues for who knows how long, my level going up once more while filling the tunnel and cavern with purple light and chunks of feeder parts lying everywhere until the feeders all begin to rush in different directions, heading into the crevasses on the sides of the cavern and seemingly abandoning their mother.

My eyes widen at the sight of it, but they narrow again a second later as the mother feeder slowly floats up into the air, having stopped laying eggs now with its gaze directed towards me.

Unlike the third-of-a-meter-tall regular feeders, this one is an entire meter tall. It also has a second pair of wings seemingly behind the first, and a longer tube-like mouth for sucking blood. Something that's almost as long as my arm and certainly not something I want it sticking me with.

I quickly take one last look at my status before grimacing.

This isn't looking good.

Wait a second, the opening to the cavern isn't large enough-

The mother feeder suddenly zips straight through the air in a zigzag line before smashing into the entrance and blowing up the wall in the process, forcing its way through as I jump back in shock.

Guess it doesn't care.

I summon my glaive again while sending another quantum bolt towards it with my other hand, only managing to shave off a bit of its carapace but not all that much. Then it sends a large orb of poison towards me that I jump out of the way of. But by the time I regain my footing from the jump, it's already sending a second and third orb. And while I manage to deflect the second with my glaive, the weapon strong enough to fully resist the acid, I'm not so lucky with the third that ends up splashing all over me making me let out a scream of pain.

{Congratulations! Your General Skill 'Pain Resistance' has reached Level 2!}

The pain fades ever so slightly as I manage to close my teeth, gritting them in pain while my eyes lock on the large mosquito, ignoring the rapidly degrading state of my armor. Armor that really was not made for a dungeon.

I barely manage to jump out of the way of another blob of poison before the acid on me begins to clear up a little. Only after eating through the straps on my armor, making it fall apart and leaving me in nothing but my under armor. And even that is eaten up a little, although not to the point of exposing anything important.

"You better give me new armor," I shout at the thing as I jump to avoid another shot, glancing at my soul to find it down to about two hundred after that splatter of poison. Then I raise my hand and send another half a dozen bolts of quantum energy at the bug before rushing at it, ducking underneath another orb of poison as my bolts all strike it, my glaive swinging in a circle until I get close to the thing, using the momentum of the swing to finally cut straight through the bottom center of the creature all the way out the other side, spraying its clear blood everywhere.

I scowl at the thing as the two halves fall to the ground, immediately dropping down to the ground unlike the other feeder corpses and their whole floaty business. Then I raise my head at the sound of something large crashing against the ground, finding a large chest in the middle of the cavern filled with dead bugs.

If this chest doesn't include any armor I am going to kick it.