—–

Wow. Okay, so things become even more game-like whenever you enter a Dungeon. Monsters that you kill occasionally drop items, and also, their very carcasses can be picked up as separate items into my Inventory. But, I have no idea if this is my power or if everyone can get items this way. I would guess that if there’s an endemic System in this world, whatever it is, then this probably applies to everyone.

So, the items I got were:

[Water Slime Core Ring (F-Grade): Lv2] x1

[Water Slime Cold Ooze (F-Grade)] x1

[Shattered Water Slime Core (F-Grade)] x1

The first item seems to be an equipment item, while the latter two are… materials that seem to be used for crafting or alchemy. Maybe you use them to make potions, items, and the like?

The interesting part doesn’t end here, though. The Ring has a Level. It seems like items have levels, and they level up somehow. Maybe through upgrading? They have levels and Grades, so perhaps they correlate with one another, although only equipment seems to have levels. Also, the Slime Core or its slimy ooze doesn’t seem to have a level.

I tried to check the beautiful silver-colored ring with a tiny blue jewel on it, and I got this.

…

[Water Slime Core Ring (F-Grade): Lv2]

+20 MP

+8 Magic

+20 Water-Attribute Damage.

…

This seems to be the perfect item for a Water Attribute Mage. It even comes even with stats!

Now, I do wonder, can I equip it as a Ghost? A being without a corporeal body? Partner doesn’t use magic, so this would be pretty useless for her.

Let’s see…I check my status and the system until… I find that there is a tab with equipment slots on it.

There slots for the head, chest, pants, feet, shoulders, hands, and even weapons. There are also slots for equipment, two for rings, two for necklaces, and two for bracelets… But I am sure that anyone would have more than one finger, so I don’t know what’s up with this restriction.

I quickly equipped the ring as I extended my delicate-looking phantasmal index finger from my right hand. The ring fits right in, and… it was perfect. I even got the boost!

However, I found out that the Ring produced some sort of essence by itself. It wasn’t much, but I began to ponder if someone equipped so many items filled with this heavy essence, wouldn’t their bodies crumble under such pressure?

Perhaps item restrictions were based on this. Especially if the items are way too high grade, making a person sickly if they’re too weak to wear them.

…

[Name: [Maria Fuentes Belles]

[Race: [Dark Ghost]

[Level: [5/12]

[Rank: [F+]

[Status: [Strengthened, Cursed]

[HP: [37/37]

[MP: [185/185]{+20}

[Attack: [24]

[Defense: [22]

[Magic: [185]{+8}

[Agility: [36]

…

Would you look at that? The items stats appear in the status as a {+} sign of sorts… interesting. I feel like I have more MP now, so I now have over 200 MP!

Now that we are done with this, I decided to continue through the Dungeon with Partner. However, something came to my mind. Why did I get so little EXP from the slime? It was mildly strong! I remember Wisps Legions dropping fat 200 EXP at me! Maybe there’s a bonus to EXP if the Monster is cataloged as some sort of Boss creature?

Are there titles that make Monsters seem to have higher qualities or authority other than just based on their Ranks? I do wonder… My theory is that these legions had lots of EXP because they were made up of many monsters stuck together, so all their EXP was given to me, or at least a part. Meanwhile, although the Slime was mildly strong at F-Rank, it was still one creature.

Hmmm… Maybe if I find a Slime Legion, I could get more EXP out of it. I had considered raising the puddle of slime and the shattered core as an Undead, but I discovered that I had a limit of two Undead for now.

It seems that my limit of how many I can control increases as I evolve. Before, I could only “control” or maybe make it loyal. Maybe if I cannot make them my servants, such as my beloved Partner, they will rebel against me or even try to kill me.

However, I wonder if Fake Life could be an excellent method to create Undead monsters to kill for EXP. But it seems less efficient due to the massive MP cost. And now that we are in a Dungeon, we might as well hunt in the Dungeon. For now, I felt like an Undead Slime would be lame, so I better find a stronger thing to make an Undead out of. Don’t get me wrong, slime lovers, I do like the good ol’ slime girls, but I don’t think an Undead Slime would work for now… I want something stronger than an F-Rank.

The dungeon layout was like an underground labyrinth. It had several passages and corridors, black bricks covered the ceilings, walls, and floor, and several torches were illuminating the walls, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Very spooky.

Thankfully, despite looking like a labyrinth, the layout was pretty straightforward and not too hard to guide ourselves through. Sometimes we came across dead ends, but never anything too hard.

I think my mind has photographic memory because I can remember the map pretty well as we wander around it. Maybe Supreme Magic not only upgraded my way of conjuring magic but also, as a result, made my mind very good at storing information. That doesn’t mean I am a genius; I believe I am quite an idiot.

I mean… I died by being crushed by books.

Uwah, just by remembering that, it makes me sad… Mommy, big sis, I miss you! Sorry for calling you a gorilla, sister. I never thought I would miss your tomboyish attitude…

“Partner, you’re my only family now! Never leave me!”

I hug Partner as she looks at me with a confused look on her skeleton face, rattling her skull.

*Crackle?*

However, our cute moment together is interrupted by a creature that suddenly reached towards us, just as we were about to rech the stairs leading to the next floor.

“ROAR!”

—–