I didn't know where to begin. It was like walking into a candy shop, unable to pick out your favorite piece of candy because there were so many options to choose from. Or like Christmas Day, waiting to open your presents before breakfast even started. I even spotted different kinds of minerals and ores. That makes sense, considering this is a cavern.
I just approached the closest one, and it was dull gray in color. It was already exposed and raised at the surface level, so I didn't need to do any extra digging around. But seriously, did this place turn into Minecraft all of a sudden? It was like going into one of its caves where your entire surroundings could be used for some purpose one way or another. All I did was exert a little bit of strength, and I managed to scoop out the ore in one go.
[Ding! You have gathered Iron Ore (Gray) x1.]
[Ding! Your Skill Proficiency has increased!]
[Ding! Gathering LV1 (0.0%) -> (5.0%).]
[Ding! You have unlocked Basic Mining I Achievement.]
[Ding! You have received $25,000 USD.]
...Twenty-five grand just for picking up a single piece of Iron Ore!? That's a joke, by the way. It is because picking up one Iron Ore was sufficient to trigger Basic Mining I. It doesn't mean the Iron Ore itself is valued at $25,000. If it really was, that would be absurdly broken.
As I thought that, I saw all the flashes of items around me of various colors. I even spotted a Rainbow glow or two in the far distance, waiting for me to claim it. I then turned around, only to see Frigga with an amused look in her eyes.
"Are you going to join me, Master? Who knows, you might get something good out of this. Here, try having a look at this first.", I said, only to suddenly toss the chunk of freshly-pulled Iron Ore toward Frigga's direction. Surprisingly, it was pretty lightweight.
[Ding! You have tossed out Iron Ore (Gray) x1.]
So that's how that works, eh? More Gamer Notifications that I will have to adjust to drowning those messages out. It'll get annoying if I see them repeated over and over again, especially if I decide to throw away hundreds of items later on. Hopefully it doesn't reach that point, as I'd rather sell these items if they have no use to me.
"I'm not exactly sure what you hope to achieve by doing this, but alright.", Frigga said. She caught the Iron Ore with ease. And the moment she caught it, I saw her eyes falter. Or perhaps becoming more clear was the right word to use here?
[Ding! Frigga LV999 has generated a new Skill, Observe - LV1 (0.0%).]
Before Frigga could react, a basic window of the Iron Ore's details suddenly materialized before her. Wooosh! Wooosh! Wooosh!
It didn't just end there. Just like everything I had seen around me in colorful glows, Frigga began to see the same thing as me. Now this was a shocker to see it happen. I figured with Frigga being LV999 already, she would have acquired a Skill like Observe amongst others. Or maybe it's because it is a Gamer-unique Skill that she didn't have before? I haven't a clue. Nonetheless, I saw Frigga just staring outward in amazement. It was as if a new world had opened up to her.
"This...", Frigga murmured, seeing all the colorful glows that I could see now no matter where one looked. She even saw the couple of rainbow glows, waiting to be claimed. "Are you telling me you could always see this?"
"Pretty much. You are now a certified Gamer, Master. Haha!", I said, half-jokingly.
"I see. This is quite a lot to take in.", Frigga responded. "It is quite different from how one perceives the world through Magic.", Frigga continued. "Everything is very detailed. I take it this is what allowed you to know what Rune I made during our earlier lesson."
"Yeah. And as you can see, it has what is called a "Level" attached to it. I won't go into your personal details, Master, as that would be considered rude and be considered an invasion of privacy. But you have access to a function called "Status Window". You will be able to see all of your personal achievements you have garnered over the years, converted into what you see before you. That is what I mean when I say everything around me can be turned into numbers.", I explained.
I'd rather not look at Frigga's Status Window, it would likely be endless with all the Magic and Skills she possesses. Not until I reach that high of a Level on my own. The difference is too vast right now.
"A Status Window...", Frigga murmured, before nodding her head. "Very well. You seem keen on this, so I will not present that information to you. Your ability is quite astounding. You can affect the world around you just as much as you can with Magic. I feel that it would serve you well if you explore this more."
"That's the plan. Even I'm still just treading the surface as to what this ability of mine can do. It has many layers that are still unknown to me.", I happily replied. "And I will say this now, you will not be able to experience this further unless you are in said Party."
"Makes sense. You are the one who is capable of doing this, so you have the final say in the matter.", Frigga responded. "I will treat this as a new experience and reflect on what will happen after you finish this so-called, Instance Dungeon, was it? Like I said before stepping into this place, I will not fight unless you find yourself in a life-threatening situation. You will be on your own."
"And that is exactly what I want to hear. Unless you perform your own actions like using Observe, you will not be gaining any amount of experience from this ability of mine. I don't see a reason, honestly. You are far too strong to let this Instance Dungeon even be considered a challenge.", I explained from my point of view. A LV999 against LV15-20 Kobolds. Yeah, that isn't happening.
"We'll see about that. I can see this Observe ability is already increasing its experience on its own as these sights are considered new. I take it you've been gathering quite an amount of experience. I'm curious how much you can see from this.", Frigga mused.
Frigga was right on the money when it came to Observe. I had a quick glance at its current progress, and I was surprised to see how much it has leveled.
Observe LV20.
It's already LV20! Perhaps Observe might be the first Skill that reaches the level cap? If this is like any Gamer System, most Skills should reach LV100 before they reach their limit. Some stay there, while some have the potential to evolve into a stronger Skill. Seeing this Gamer System offer functions that don't exist in The Gamer because I'm here in the MCU, it is possible I might even get to see something like Skill Merge. The list will only continue to grow, and that should act as a way to condense the Skill Page. It is still a while away, so I could only keep this in the back of my head for now. I need to reach LV100 of a Skill first!
[Ding! You have gained an understanding of the Gamer System.]
[Ding! Your INT has increased by 20.]
[Ding! Quest Log: Foundation Training I has been updated!]
[Ding! You have met one of the five requirements of the Quest!]
[Ding! Current INT: 500.]
[Ding! Current STR: 232.]
[Ding! Current VIT: 239.]
[Ding! Current DEX: 249.]
[Ding! Current WIS: 234.]
[Ding! Current LUK: 207.]
[Ding! Available Points: 48.]
Just like that, I had reached 500 in my first Stat! I need to reach 500 in all six Stats before I can complete Foundation Training I. I am curious to see what will happen once that happens. I know in some stories, you gain a unique perk once you reach a certain milestone once all Stats reach certain progress. So we shall see if something happens. I wasn't sure if something would happen once I crossed the 100 Stat mark, but it looks like nothing did. 500 might be the first milestone.
[Ding! You have gained another understanding of the Gamer System.]
[Ding! Your INT has increased by 25.]
[Ding! Current INT: 525.]
Would you look at that?
It looks like Frigga took notice this time.
"Did...you just get stronger?", Frigga asked, becoming surprised.
"Nothing gets past you now does it, Master?", I said, and smiled. "You saw it before, didn't you? How my Level went from 13 to 16. That too is considered getting stronger. It'll make more sense once you see your own Status Window, and like I said, I won't be privy with your details. What you know is yours alone. It should not be revealed so easily."
"Very well.", Frigga said, assuring me that she knew what to do. "Quite the most intriguing ability indeed. I can see multiple avenues for you to grow stronger from this. And with the place we are in now, what will you plan to do next?"
"Haha!", I laughed. I didn't answer right away, and instead, turned toward where the subterranean section of the cavern was located. All those colorful auras were still waiting for us. "Isn't that simple? I can Level Up in more ways than one. And well, this whole place is a gold mine! We're going to loot this place dry and make those Kobolds tuck their tails between their legs and make them regret stepping foot into this place."
Even I was taken aback by what I said just now. Man, that sounded very cringe, but was I wrong? No matter where I looked it was loot, loot, and more loot! And the best part? Inventory has no limits, I can take everything without worry.
I also take a mental note of the current time from the Gamer System. I like that feature too. Frigga's lesson ended around 9AM, and reviewing what I could do with Zoltraak and by the time I picked up that single piece of Iron Ore, roughly an hour passed.
It was 10AM now. Jarvis told me to not be late no later than 2:30Pm to be taken to Stark Headquarters.
That means I have four-and-a-half hours to do whatever the hell I want in here, as long as I leave enough time to take down the Boss of this Instance Dungeon. I don't think even that will pose a problem.
Let's have some fun, shall we?