Author's Preface
That evening Ryan walked through a small village just outside the capital city. He was greeted with a familiar sight. Commoners who worked for everything they had, which wasn't a lot, but they were smiling and friendly. A man approached Ryan. "You must be from the Adventurers Guild, right? You're here to answer our request to cleanse the dungeon that appeared?"
"Yes, sir. I came to answer the request you submitted. Could you explain to me everything you know first?"
"Of course, of course. Follow me." The man turned as Ryan followed. "I am Shinron, the leader of this village. Let's go get some food first. I can hear your stomach rumbling."
Ryan looked down and put a hand on his abdomen. "Food sounds good."
Ryan walked into a modest house. Shinron guided him to a table at the center of the main room. Ryan took a seat as an elven woman entered with a pot and poured him a bowl of soup.
Shinron sat across from him as Ryan took a bite. "It isn't much, but it will keep you full for at least an entire day. I wish we could offer more, but those orcs from the dungeon have slaughtered all of our livestock."
"Orcs?" Ryan took another sip of the soup.
"Yes, low-level, but strong enough that we lowly commoners can't handle them ourselves. We finally scraped together enough money as a village to submit a request. They've been terrorizing us for over a month now."
"You had to pay for a request from the guild?"
Shinron stared at Ryan, confused, and tilted his head. "Of course, that's how you brave adventurers get paid, isn't it? The guild pays you through the fee it costs to submit a request."
"Of course, of course. So the orcs, when do they typically move, and where is the entrance?"
"They typically come at night. The entrance is just to the south of the village. I can lead you there tomorrow at first light if you'd like."
Ryan nodded. "I would be grateful for the help."
"Very well. I will have my wife set up a room for you, so you can rest here for the night."
The next morning Shinron and two other villagers, with pitchforks in hand, escorted Ryan as close to the dungeon entrance as they comfortably could. They stopped just before a ridge. "Just down that ridge lies the entrance to the dungeon. Please be careful, Mr. Kade." Shinron patted him on the back, turned, and headed back to the village with the two other men.
Ryan took a deep breath and approached the edge of the ridge. Just below, he saw the entrance, like it had been dug into the earth itself. He slid down the ridge and threw a rock into the entrance. He waited a moment to see if anything reacted. Nothing.
Ryan summoned his two goblins. The mage goblin lit a small fireball that hovered just above his staff as they walked into the entrance.
As they entered the cave, Ryan's tactics from his Delta days kicked on. He ordered the spearman, who held a shield, to take point. He stood about 5 feet behind him as the mage stood just a few feet behind him. "Yeah, this should work for now."
The cave inside was lit up with moss that glowed, which produced a natural light inside the cave. As the spearman turned the corner, an axe swung and barely missed the goblin's head and stuck into the wall. A gray hand reached around the corner as the first orc appeared. Slightly bigger than a human man, 7 feet tall, two tusks protruded from its bottom jaw and curled toward its cheek. The spearman moved instantly. Its spear thrust forward into the orc's stomach. Ryan summoned his tendrils and focused on the orc's legs, breaking each of them, forcing the orc to fall on its stomach. The spearman instantly jumped on the orc's head and shoved the spear through its skull. Gray blood splattered everywhere as the spearman retracted his spear. It turned toward Ryan and smiled. Ryan walked up to it and patted it on its head. "Good job." The spearman jumped off the body and stood guard at the corner.
Ryan approached the dead orc and put his hand out. "Serve me," he thought in his mind.
[Error: Not enough mana reserves.]
"Are you fucking serious? 10 mana isn't enough?"
Ryan sat down on the orc's back and brought a hand to his chin. "I wonder how much mana people actually start with. You can't increase your mana pool, but am I the only one who didn't start with mana that equaled his pool? Ugh, useless questions with no real answers." Ryan stood and patted his pants. "Let's move forward."
The next few hours went the same. The spearman led the charge, the mage attacked from afar, and Ryan used his tendrils to control the fight. After the last encounter with multiple orcs, both the mage and the spearman started to glow black. Shadows enveloped both of them, and Ryan's system came to life.
[Shadow Advancement]
[Goblin Mage: .5 Star --> 1 Star]
[Goblin Spearman: 1 Star --> 2 Star]
[Mana Reserves: 0/∞]
Ryan stared at the screen. "What the fuck? You used what mana I had to evolve them without fucking asking me?" Ryan's hands were now on his head, almost pulling out his hair. He turned and looked at the goblins, who both got a little taller. The spearman's muscles were slightly bigger. The mage stood smiling at Ryan.
"I guess they are more useful now. Did you guys gain new abilities or what?"
The mage raised its staff. Three spears made of fire appeared. They rotated quickly as the mage shot them forward. An explosion struck a far wall, and three holes were made in the rock. Ryan walked over and looked at one of the holes. 29 feet or so of penetration, and the rock itself around the hole was melted. "Okay. Maybe it was worth it." He turned to the spearman. "What about you?" The spearman bent his knees and thrust forward. In an instant, the spear had struck the dead orc's body in front of him 10 times in a matter of a second. Ryan walked over and patted him on his head again. "Awesome!"
The mage behind him shot a tiny fireball down the hallway in front of them, exposing a massive door. Ryan looked down the hall. "That must be the boss. No point in wasting time."
Ryan stepped in front of the massive door. As he placed his hands on it, his body gave way. The two goblins grabbed him as Ryan brought a hand to his head. "Thanks, guys. Must be exhausted. It has been nonstop for me since I got here. Let's finish this quickly, yeah?" The two goblins nodded, and Ryan stood up straight and pushed the giant door open.
Ryan and the goblins walked into the room. On the opposite side sat an orc on a throne, with a crown on his head and a warhammer in one hand. The orc stood. It was well over 10 feet tall. Immediately, the mage fired the three fire spears. The orc king blocked two with his warhammer as they sizzled out against the metal of it. The one he didn't block left a gaping hole in its left hand. The orc turned and dipped his hand into a chalice next to the throne. The fire sizzled out and began to boil the liquid inside it. Ryan summoned his tendrils immediately. Each of the three surrounded the orc king from a different angle. They began to slam down one after another. The spearman rushed forward and used his new thrust ability on the orc's right leg, shattering its kneecap. The orc fell to one leg, bracing its body with the warhammer. Then, it swung and destroyed the three tendrils. The spearman lunged backward. The warhammer tore a chunk out of its shield, barely missing the goblin's arm. Suddenly, a sharp pain struck Ryan's head. He fell to one knee, gripped his head, and let out a scream. Both goblins simultaneously jumped in front of Ryan. The orc king laughed and limped toward them. Ryan stayed down on his knees. A pain unlike anything he'd felt before took over his body. Like a thousand lightning bolts were striking each muscle. The mage picked Ryan up and threw him out of the boss's room, smiled at Ryan, who stared at the Goblin Mage as it slammed the door shut. All Ryan could hear were explosions and the echo of that warhammer slamming against bones and rock. Ryan's system pinged.
[Shadow Warriors: 0]
[Mana: 0]
Ryan slammed his fist down on the ground. The pain was still there, but adrenaline had kicked in and eased it enough for him to move. He tried to summon the goblins again. Nothing. He tried once more. Nothing again.
[Shadows available for summoning: 0]
Ryan looked at the screen and swiped at it. "You mean they are dead dead? Fuuuuuck." Ryan leaned against the stone walls as he made his way back out of the dungeon.