I arrived at the next town with minimal difficulty. The asphalt road that connected the two hadn't been too broken up and I was surprised to find that my walking speed was significantly sped up while on it. A little perk of being [Awakened] I guess.
The town was still in what I'd call the "Overgrown" [Biome], meaning tall grass, strange flora, and Seedlings abounded. Though it seemed that the naturally-spawning [Monsters] were slightly higher level than in my Hometown, since I noticed a few Seedlings that were orange and Level 2. [Monsters]'s [Levels] worked in such a way that I probably would only just kill a Level 2 in one hit, rather than overkilling them. Considering that I'm what I've been referring to as a "Composite Level 2 [Awakened]", they're still a far cry from the Level 5s I should be fighting.
I continued on directly to the [Dungeon] in the center of the town. There are generally two types of [Dungeon]: Those that are created wholesale by the [Arcanum], exist in a sort of other dimension and are marked by a large Entry Monolith, and those that are converted from preexisting structures. The Foundry is of the latter category and was once a large factory, with the town around it possibly being a company town, but that part's irrelevant now. While nearing the Foundry, the grass started to blacken and wither, giving me an idea of what's inside.
I pushed open the large double doors and stepped into the Foundry, and there was a flash of light and I found myself standing in the first room of the [Dungeon].
[The Foundry is Open!]
[You have entered a Dungeon]
[Dungeon Forces: 26(15+10+1)]
It was a large square room with two doors, one on the left and right walls each, and several large piles of ash littered the floor. I unsheathed the Sword of the Burden and cautiously approached the left door. My path took me close to one of the ash piles, and was surprised as a giant black snake leapt out of it at me! I brought up the sword at the last second and the snake's fiery-orange fangs wrapped around the blade instead of my head. With some effort I wrenched the blade out of the snake's mouth and made an attack of my own.
"[Sword Strike]!"
The sword flashed blue as I swung, showing that the skill had activated, and struck the snake with much more impact than the poor Seedling before. The snake recoiled with a massive red gash in its side, and I took the chance to observe it. Focusing on the dot above it, I glimpsed its HP bar and Level.
"Level 5… well, I'm in the right place at least."
The [Skill] had done only about a third of the snake's HP, which did worry me slightly. Unfortunately, without the [Observe] [Skill] most people get at Level 3, I wouldn't be able to see its [Stats]. The snake reared back for another attack, and I quickly rolled out of the way.
"[Sword Strike]!"
I sliced it again, but this time a sharp sound rang out and I dealt almost the rest of it's HP. That must have been the signifier for a Crit. I took advantage of the brief stun that caused to slash again normally and finish it off.
[Combat Cleared!]
[Rewards: 20G]
[EXP: 25]
[Bonus Item Rewards Blocked by Dungeon Effect]
[Sword Strike skill Mastery Level Increased to 1]
I was surprised by the fact that extra loot, if I had the [Skills] required to get it, would be blocked by the [Dungeon], but the [Skill] mastery thing wasn't new. [Skills] and [Equipment] used something called [Mastery Level] instead of the same kind of [Level] as me. Using [Skills] in combat repeatedly increases their effectiveness. Common [Skills] have a maximum [Mastery Level] of 50, Uncommon ones go up to 125, and Rare ones have no universal cap but tend to max out around 345.
After that one enemy I was now more than halfway to my next Level Up… and actually, so was the Sword. Checking both of our [Status] screens, I noticed an Effect I had glossed over earlier:
[Burden of The Sword 1]
[You and the sword are one, linked in ways no one else can know.]
[EXP is Shared between You and the Sword]
[HP is Shared between You and the Sword]
[This Connection might Grow should the right Actions be taken.]
That second to last line concerned me. I know of some [Status Effects] that can damage items, like Burning which can erode lower-tier Armor and Accessories, and certain attack [Elements] like Acid which does much the same but also affects Armaments. Now, this might not be very big of a danger if the Sword of the Burden actually has the same HP value as me, but if it has standard Item HP I could die very quickly if I entered the wrong [Dungeon] unprepared.
With that harrowing thought in mind, I continued further into the Foundry. In the next room I encountered a pair of the ash-snakes. They didn't move around very much after leaving their ash pile, so I was able to take them out fairly quickly just like the first.
[Combat Cleared!]
[Rewards: 40G]
[EXP: 50]
[Bonus Item Rewards Blocked by Dungeon Effect]
[Sword Strike skill Mastery Level Increased to 4]
[You have Leveled Up!]
[You are now Level 2]
[The Sword of the Burden has Leveled Up!]
[The Sword of the Burden is now Level 2]
And like that my "Composate Level" had shot up to 4. [Dungeon] [Bosses] are usually only a few levels higher than the [Monsters] under them, so if I Leveled Up just two more times I'd likely be higher Level than the [Boss] when I reach it. That was kind of hilarious to think about.
As I walked to the next door, I noticed that snakes weren't the only thing hiding in ash piles. I knelt down and cleared the ash off of a small wooden chest. Opening it, I found a pair of steeltoed boots. I'm nowhere near gaining an Identify [Skill], but my basic [Awakened] abilities let me learn that they give a Physical Defense of 25. Not a whole lot, but definitely something. Shame I wouldn't learn whatever other Effects they had until they came up naturally. I slipped off my well-worn sneakers and equipped the Steadfast Boots.
In the next room were not more ash-snakes waiting for me, but a swirling cloud of ash with bits of charred wood forming the vague shape of a man, and two faintly glowing embers as eyes. It raised its arms towards me and a small ball of fire formed between its hands. A second later the firebolt was fired at me. I swung my sword in front of me, dispersing the fiery projectile then ran forwards and did the same to the ash-man. My attack caused the ash-man to burst into a puff of ash, then quickly reform a few feet away, having taken very little damage.
"Oh great, resistant to physical damage, right? Kinda wishing I grinded for that Observe [Skill] before coming in here."
I activated [Sword Strike] and slashed through the ash-man again before it could attack, and to my utter surprise, killed it instantly.
[Combat Cleared!]
[Rewards: 35G]
[EXP: 50]
[Bonus Item Rewards Blocked by Dungeon Effect]
[Sword Strike skill Mastery Level Increased to 5]
I glanced between the [Screen] and the sword a few times, then sighed.
"Now I'm just plain confused. I really need that Observe [Skill]..." I muttered.
Instead of moving onto the next room I sat down next to the door, and opened my backpack's [Inventory]. I withdrew a soda, and the bottle appeared in my hand. A funny thing about being [Awakened] is that any food or drink you touch gains effects, mostly HP recovery for food and MP for drinks. The effects are typically weak for factory-made foods, but if you make it yourself the effects are much stronger, and can even come with bonuses like temporary stat increases.
MP isn't a stat people have, instead it's something [Skills] have. Each skill has a set pool of uses that increases with [Mastery Level], and MP-restoring [Items] spread their recovery across all skills you have, prioritizing the ones you use the most. I opened my [Skill] [Screen] then chugged the soda and watched as the little blue bar below [Sword Strike] refilled completely, since it's my only [Skill] currently.