Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part One]

CHAPTER 52: The Unanimous Vote

A palpable tension filled the air at her ominous pause.

"From what I can gather," she continued, using the stick to illustrate, "this dungeon has 12 floors, and we're currently here." She pointed to a crudely drawn bubble a few levels down. "We fell into an isolated chamber on the fifth floor, and we're surrounded by bedrock."

Daisuke frowned at the news. According to Thalia, dungeons had a minimum of at least 10 floors, but there were those that had as many as 100 or more.

Luckily, this particular dungeon only had 12 floors. But the fact still remained that they had fallen into an incredibly dangerous place and was now trapped at nearly half its depth.

"What exactly does that mean?" the tank inquired.

"It means that unless we can all fly, there's no way back up. The walls around us are impenetrable, so our only option is to descend. If we follow this vein," she drew an uneven line leading several levels down, "we should reach the tenth floor. From there, we can begin ascending to the surface since all the floors will be interconnected."

"Are you kidding?" Rexar exclaimed. "You seriously want us to venture deeper into the dungeon?"

"Do you have a better plan?" Lyanna challenged. "If so, I'm all ears."

"Dammit!" Rexar drove his fist into his palm. "I feel like I want to punch Osten square in the face; this is all his fault!"

The samurai coughed, peeking through one eye playfully. "Well, if I recall correctly, you were one of the first in line to grab a Mana Crystal."

Rexar stammered. "Ah—well, that was... you see..."

Laughter erupted among the group, a moment of relief amidst their challenging circumstances.

***

Following a unanimous decision to venture onward to the tenth floor, the party embarked on their slow and perilous descent through a narrow crevice in the ground. Daisuke had Zephyr cradled in his shirt, the pup still soundly asleep.

To ease the sense of claustrophobia, they engaged in conversation as they descended. The luminescent fungi clung to the walls, casting a soothing blue glow upon their faces. The atmosphere was chilly, and the air hung heavy with mustiness and humidity.

Surprisingly, Milo remained calm despite his earlier nervousness. As conversation flowed, Daisuke discovered that the tank's name was Gavric, and the samurai's name was Finnian. Like Elena, Rexar, and Milo, they had been adventurers for a significant period of time but struggled to make substantial progress.

As they carefully descended along the vertical path, Daisuke took a moment to inspect his rewards from the Floor Guardian raid.

[Novice Dagger Mastery]

[Rank: Normal

Classification: Passive Skill

Lvl: 1

Proficiency: 0%

Dedicated practice and extended use of dagger-type weapons have sharpened your proficiency with these blades.

Skill Effect:

▪︎ Enhances Physical Attack Power by 5% and boosts Attack Speed by 10% when wielding a dagger-type weapon.

▪︎ Expands your foundational expertise in diverse dagger-fighting techniques. As your proficiency in this skill grows, so does your mastery of these techniques.]

I figured it was just a matter of time before I got this, Daisuke thought mentally, but why does it feel like it took way longer than the polearm and archery weapon mastery that I don't even use? Is the System messing with me?

[Magic Chains]

[Rank: Normal

Classification: Active Skill

Lvl: 1

Proficiency: 0%

Using the art of shape manipulation, mana is forged into golden chains designed to ensnare and immobilize targets. The chains' strength depends on the concentration of mana and the unwavering will of the caster.

Skill Effect:

▪︎ Entraps targets at a cost of 5 mana per second. For more formidable adversaries, the mana cost scales with their strength.

Mana Cost: 10

Skill Cooldown: 10 Seconds]

[Swift Leather Boots]

[Rank: Rare

Type: Footwear | Light Armor

Durability: 53/53 | Physical Defense: 9 | Magical Defense: 16 | Movement Speed: +10% | Evasion Rate: +10

Finely-crafted leather boots that bestow the wearer with exceptional speed and agility, allowing them to dart through challenges with grace and swiftness.

When a speed-type skill is activated, either by you or a party member, there is a chance of activating the Haste skill, granting a 30-second burst of heightened speed.

▪︎ Agility +3

▪︎ Int +5

▪︎ Chance of triggering Haste +10%

Conditions of Use: Lvl 21+ | Strength 70+ | Stamina 50+]

Alright, I take it back, repented Daisuke. I suppose the System isn't so bad. I've got plenty of titles and passives, but Magic Chains is only my second active skill, and it's not just your typical active skill either—it's a CC skill.

CC skills, short for «crowd control», grant the ability to partially or fully incapacitate one or more individuals or monsters, hindering their movement, weapon usage, or ability deployment using skills such as stuns and knockbacks.

In any situation, CC skills reduce the number of adversaries actively participating in an encounter and makes it possible to down enemies without sustaining much or any damage. Being overwhelmed becomes less likely as well.

With Magic Chains, I can immobilize multiple foes and deal with them at my own pace. My innate speed coupled with the haste skill on the new boots will make that pace pretty impressive. It's a shame the trigger rate is only 10%, and I'll have to wait until I get to the next level before I can equip it.

But—

[Commoner's Boots]

[Rank: Normal

Type: Garment

Durability: 3/5

Unremarkably common, unassuming boots with subpar durability, typically seen on the feet of ordinary folks.

Conditions of Use: None]

Even without the options, it's definitely better than the pair of junk I'm currently wearing, Daisuke thought embarrassingly. If I make it out of this dungeon, I really need to invest in better gear—

"Whoa!"

A poorly placed step sent pebbles plummeting down the narrow crevice.

Gavric, who was climbing down above Daisuke, looked down in concern. "Are you alright?" He asked, his deep voice echoing through the cramped space.

Daisuke grunted as he shifted his weight to regain his balance. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, his voice slightly strained.

"Watch your footing; this climb isn't forgiving if you slip."

"You're definitely right about that. I'll be more careful."

Daisuke sighed. I probably shouldn't be multitasking while I'm up here; it would be a shame if I got done in by falling to my death rather than in a fight against the monsters.