Athanasia: My Hacker System-Chapter 40: Stage 5 of the Dungeon

John refused to budge from the cold floor until he watched his HP tick back up to its maximum capacity. He lay there, staring at the white-coded ceiling, feeling the pains and exhaustion of the battle slowly dissipate.

[HP: 46/46]

[Mental Point (MP): 142/300]

Watching his low Mental Points wasn’t surprising. In fact, he was relieved to see he hadn’t dipped below the one hundred mark. Between the massive drain of Code Destruction and the constant use of Frame Recognition and other abilities, he had been burning through his MP like a dying star.

"What is that?"

As he slowly pushed himself up to a standing position, he couldn’t help but notice several shimmering code clusters left on the ground. He had been so utterly exhausted after killing the last monster that he hadn’t even bothered to look for loot.

[Ding! You acquired MP Regeneration Potion!]

[Description: Drink to replenish 25 Mental points instantly!] [

Ding! You acquired HP Regeneration Potion!]

[Description: Drink to replenish 10 HP instantly!]

[Ding! You acquired Goblin Fabric Level 4!]

[Description: Useless fabric with little extra hardness. Can be used in coding special clothes with slightly higher defence than your skin. Warning! Looks incredibly ugly, so be cautious with it!]

[Ding! You acquired Goblin Iron Code: Level 10 item.]

[Description: A crystallised fragment of iron ore code. Can be used in coding a weapon!]

John collected the items. "It was worth the risk indeed," he muttered, a weary but genuine grin spreading across his face.

The haul was impressive: 5 MP Regeneration potions, 8 HP Regeneration potions, 5 pieces of truly hideous-looking fabric, and most importantly, 6 pieces of Level 10 Goblin Iron Code.

"It’s great to finally find a way to replenish my exhausted MP and HP during the heat of battle, but still..." After the initial thrill of gaining the items he so desperately needed, his excitement soon faded. The iron-clad logic of video games began to weigh on his mind.

"The game will never give you perks unless there is a deadly threat waiting for you at the end of the tunnel," he whispered to himself, staring intently at the gate waiting for him at the far end of the hall.

"I’m literally at the end of this dungeon. This stage showed Level 5 monsters in a Frenzy State. Does that mean I should expect far stronger monsters than Level 5 in there? A Boss?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He tried to guess what lay beyond that gate, but when he thought of Level 6 or higher monsters, he could already feel his bones aching. He knew his stats had undergone a heaven-shattering change since he first stepped into the garden, yet they were still lower than the ceiling of the monsters at higher levels.

"Let me check the new Iron Codes then," he decided. If he wanted to get out of this dungeon alive, he needed a better weapon.

His current short sword was "trash that could slash," but against a Stage 5 boss monster, it would likely be as effective as a toothpick. "I’ll try my best, but fighting normally will never be enough. 6 Iron Codes won’t be enough to make a full sword if the recipe scales..."

His mind envisioned different combat scenarios as he opened his Shell window. He held the six pieces of Level 10 Iron Code and watched them vanish, while code lines appeared in the black command prompt.

[PARAM durability = 2.2;]

[PARAM strength = 5.5;]

[PARAM sharpness = 2.1;]

[PARAM shape = BALL_CONST;]

[PARAM weight = 10.5;]

"Ok... Like this, I may actually stand a chance!"

When he saw the code lines of the Level 10 ore, he finally heaved a deep sigh of relief. The values were massive. If he could gather ten pieces like he did for his first sword, he would end up with a weapon boasting Strength and Sharpness values of 55 and 21, respectively. That would add a staggering 76 points of potential damage to every strike!

When he considered using such a high-damage output against monsters already wounded by his Code Destruction ability, he knew he had a fighting chance against Level 6 Goblins or even a Boss.

"I can only fight using this method," he said, looking at the gate once more before sighing. "I’ll have to adopt a hit-and-hide strategy. I’ll take shelter in that narrow corridor if I have to. The Goblins are bulky; at most, only two of them can stand side-by-side inside the corridor. I can funnel them there and pick them off one by one."

He paused, a dark thought crossing his mind. He didn’t know the mechanics of this dungeon. Would the monsters reset if he stepped out of the hall back into the corridor? Or would they follow him relentlessly? If the dungeon was designed to trap him, he had to assume they wouldn’t stop until one of them was dead.

He started to consider all the different scenarios of his new tactic. He thought realistically about the limits of his stats and abilities, and this was the best solution ever to bypass this hardship. If he could bottleneck the enemies, his lack of speed and strength compared to their frenzied states wouldn’t be as fatal.

"Time to see what’s lying there," he muttered, gathering everything he had acquired so far. He didn’t leave behind a single item, not even the ugly pieces of fabric that he never intended to use. With a deep breath, he moved toward the corridor connecting the stages.

He stood in the corridor for a few minutes, revising his strategy and checking the dimensions of the space to confirm his earlier guesses. It was narrow—no more than four meters wide. He feared leaving behind any item he had gained, worried that the gate might not allow him to return to the fourth hall once he triggered the monsters at the last stage.

Then, he clenched the hilt of his white, short sword, the leather wrapping feeling firm in his sweaty palm. He moved towards the last hall in steady, deliberate steps.

"Damn! I totally underestimated the craziness of those who crafted this dungeon!!"

The moment he stepped inside the last hall, he was welcomed with a scene far scarier than he had ever imagined! The hall was gargantuan, at least double the size of the previous stage, with high vaulted ceilings that seemed to disappear into a digital void.

But the architecture was the least of his problems. Standing in perfect formation were fifty big and bulky Goblins, their skin a darker, more corrupted shade of green.

And behind them, sitting on a throne made of big pieces of uneven stone, was a terrifying giant.

[Goblin Bug Monster: Level 7 – Elite!]

[HP: 120 | Str: 60 | Defence: 60 | Speed: 30]

[Goblin Bug Monster: Level 8 – Elite!]

[HP: 140 | Str: 80 | Defence: 80 | Speed: 40]

[Goblin Bug Monster: Level 10 - Boss]

[HP: 240 | Str: 140 | Defence: 140 | Speed: 20]

"Damn! I’m fcked up!"