Akashic_Tales Originals
God-Tier Shop System: I Sell Everything But Mercy
[Author – SYTTROX]
[Editor – MiT7]
Chapter 5: Dungeon Dive (1)
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The forest floor cushioned their steps with a carpet of luminescent moss that dimmed momentarily beneath their boots, as if recoiling from their touch. Lin Tian followed Kiera's lead, mimicking her careful movements, heel-to-toe steps, pausing to listen after every few paces, staying within the shadows cast by massive tree trunks.
"First rule of dungeon survival," Kiera whispered, her voice barely audible above the forest's ambient sounds. "You're not the hunter. You're not even the prey. You're just an intruder in someone else's home."
Lin Tian nodded, absorbing the wisdom. His concealment cloak hummed against his shoulders, bending light around him without rendering him completely invisible, more like a living shadow that eyes tended to slide past. The system interface flickered periodically in his vision, analyzing their surroundings.
[Environment Analysis]
[Outer Ring: E-Rank Zone]
[Detected Lifeforms: 17 within 50m radius]
[Immediate Threats: 0]
[Resource Nodes Nearby: 3]
"There," Kiera pointed to a cluster of mushrooms growing from a fallen log. Unlike the blue bioluminescent fungi lighting their path, these were deep crimson with gold-flecked caps. "Bloodspore mushrooms. Worth fifteen stones each outside. They only grow in dungeons with high mana concentration."
Lin Tian approached carefully, examining the mushrooms through the system interface.
[Item Identified: Bloodspore Mushroom]
[Quality: Common]
[Uses: Minor Blood Replenishment, Cultivation Aid, Alchemical Catalyst]
[Market Value: 12-18 Spirit Stones Each]
[Harvesting Method: Twist and Pull from Base]
He harvested several, storing them in a pouch at his belt. "First dungeon material acquired."
Kiera smiled approvingly. "Quick learner. Let's keep moving. We want to test your repellent against actual beasts, not just gather mushrooms."
They ventured deeper into the outer ring, the forest growing denser around them. Strange sounds echoed through the trees, chittering calls, distant roars, the occasional crash of something large moving through undergrowth. Lin Tian's pulse quickened, but he maintained his composure, focusing on Kiera's steady presence ahead.
"Hold," she whispered suddenly, dropping into a crouch. Lin Tian followed suit, scanning their surroundings.
Twenty paces ahead, a creature resembling a wolf prowled between the trees. Its fur glowed with faint blue patterns, and six eyes arranged in a circle around its head swiveled independently, searching for prey. Sharp tusks protruded from its lower jaw, gleaming in the forest's ethereal light.
"Hexeye prowler," Kiera explained softly. "E-rank predator. Perfect test subject for your repellent."
Lin Tian retrieved a vial of beast repellent from his belt. The blue liquid inside seemed to absorb the ambient light rather than reflect it. "How do we test it without becoming the test?"
"Apply it to something the beast would normally hunt." Kiera pointed to a small rodent-like creature nibbling on moss nearby. "Like that mana mouse."
With practiced precision, Kiera nocked an arrow and fired. The arrow pinned the mouse to the forest floor, its squeal cut mercifully short. The hexeye prowler's head snapped toward the sound, all six eyes focusing in their direction.
"Now," Kiera urged. "Before it charges."
Lin Tian darted forward, uncorking the repellent vial. He poured a few drops over the dead mouse, then retreated quickly behind a massive root. The hexeye prowler approached cautiously, drawn by the fresh kill. It sniffed once, twice, then recoiled violently, shaking its head as if struck. With a frustrated growl, it backed away from the mouse and disappeared into the underbrush.
"Effective," Kiera noted with approval. "Most repellents just make beasts hesitate. Yours actually drove it away."
Lin Tian smiled, satisfaction warming his chest. The system chimed softly.
[Product Test Successful: Beast Repellent]
[Effectiveness Rating: 93%]
[Market Value Adjustment: +5 Spirit Stones]
[Reputation Increase: Minor]
They continued deeper into the dungeon, testing the healing salve on a small cut Kiera deliberately made on her arm (it closed within seconds), and the bowstring enhancer on her weapon (increasing arrow penetration by approximately thirty percent, according to the system's analysis).
Each successful test strengthened Lin Tian's confidence. His products weren't just marketable, they were superior to standard offerings. With proper certification and distribution, he could genuinely disrupt Crimson Hawk's monopoly.
"We should head toward the middle ring boundary," Kiera suggested after they'd gathered more dungeon materials, luminous moss, beast fur shed on thorns, and crystallized sap from the massive trees. "There's a stream that marks the transition. Better resource nodes there, though the beasts get more dangerous."
Lin Tian checked the time through his system interface. They'd been in the dungeon for nearly two hours, with two more before their planned exit. "Lead on."
As they approached the boundary between outer and middle rings, the forest's character subtly changed. Trees grew closer together, their bark darkening to almost black. The bioluminescent fungi shifted from blue to purple, casting an eerie violet light across their path. The air grew thicker, heavy with mana that made Lin Tian's skin prickle uncomfortably.
The promised stream appeared ahead, a ribbon of silver water that seemed to flow both with and against gravity in defiance of natural law. Crystalline formations jutted from its banks, refracting light in hypnotic patterns.
"Mana crystals," Kiera breathed, eyes widening. "Unrefined, but still valuable. One good-sized crystal could fetch a hundred stones."
Lin Tian approached the stream's edge, the system automatically analyzing the phenomena.
[Environment Transition Detected]
[Middle Ring: D-Rank Zone]
[Warning: Increased Beast Activity]
[Resource Quality: Improved]
[Recommended Caution Level: High]
As Kiera carefully harvested a crystal formation, Lin Tian scanned their surroundings. Something felt off, a prickling sensation at the base of his skull that couldn't be attributed to the ambient mana. The forest had grown quieter, the background chittering and rustling suddenly muted.
"Kiera," he whispered, hand moving to his father's dagger. "We're being watched."
She froze, then slowly straightened, her experienced eyes sweeping the treeline. "How many?"
"I don't know. Just a feeling."
She nodded, not questioning his intuition. "Back to back. Draw your weapon."
They positioned themselves defensively, Kiera with an arrow nocked, Lin Tian with his dagger drawn. The moonshade steel blade seemed to drink in the purple light, its edge gleaming with an inner fire that responded to his tension.
The attack came from above, a dark shape dropping silently from the canopy. Kiera's arrow flew with blinding speed, striking the creature mid-fall. It screeched, a sound like tearing metal, before crashing into the underbrush.
"Shadowleaper," Kiera identified, already nocking another arrow. "They hunt in—"
"Packs," Lin Tian finished as three more shapes detached from the shadows.
The creatures resembled panthers with elongated limbs and too many joints, their bodies seemingly composed of living shadow given partial substance. Only their eyes and claws appeared solid, the former glowing red, the latter gleaming like obsidian knives.
"D-rank," Kiera warned, loosing another arrow. "Too many for us. Run!"
They bolted along the streambank, the shadowleapers in pursuit. Lin Tian's concealment cloak flared with energy as it attempted to mask his presence, but the beasts tracked them by some sense other than sight, perhaps the disruption of mana in their wake.
"The stream!" Kiera shouted. "They hate water!"
Lin Tian didn't hesitate, plunging into the silver flow alongside her. The liquid felt strange against his skin, neither hot nor cold, but somehow both simultaneously. It clung to him like mercury, yet flowed like water.
The shadowleapers prowled the bank, growling in frustration as their prey escaped. One braver than its fellows tested the water with a paw, then recoiled as if burned.
"Told you," Kiera said, relief evident in her voice. "They can't cross running mana streams. Something about the flow disrupts their semi-corporeal bodies."
Lin Tian nodded, catching his breath. The system chimed with a notification.
[Warning: Mana Exposure]
[Current Status: Minor Meridian Stimulation]
[Recommendation: Limit Exposure to 10 Minutes]
"We can't stay here long," he said, showing her the notification.
Kiera's eyes widened. "You have a system interface? That explains a lot."
Lin Tian hesitated, then nodded. There was no point hiding it from someone who'd seen the display. "It's complicated."
"Isn't everything?" She glanced at the prowling shadowleapers. "We need to find another way back to the outer ring. There's a patrol path about half a kilometer downstream. Guild hunters use it regularly, so it should be relatively safe."
They waded downstream, keeping to the center where the current was weakest. The silver water swirled around them, occasionally forming patterns that almost resembled writing before dissolving back into chaos. Lin Tian felt a strange tingling in his chest, centered around his damaged meridians.
[Alert: Unusual Mana Reaction]
[Meridian Status: Temporary Stimulation]
[Bloodline Indicators: Active]
The patrol path appeared as Kiera had promised, a trail of packed earth running parallel to the stream, marked with occasional guild symbols carved into trees. They climbed from the water, their clothes instantly drying as the strange liquid simply evaporated upon leaving the stream.
"That's convenient," Lin Tian remarked.
"One of the few perks of mana streams," Kiera replied, checking her weapons. "The downsides include possible mutation, mana poisoning, and attracting energy-sensitive predators. So let's not linger."
They followed the patrol path at a brisk pace, alert for any signs of danger. Lin Tian's meridians continued to tingle uncomfortably, the sensation growing stronger rather than fading. He accessed the system interface, concerned by the unusual reaction.
[Meridian Analysis]
[Status: Temporary Activation (17%)]
[Cause: Mana Stream Exposure + Bloodline Resonance]
[Duration: Unknown]
[Warning: Unstable Energy Pattern]
"Something wrong?" Kiera asked, noticing his distraction.
"Just checking our route," he lied smoothly. No need to worry her with his physical anomalies.
They had traveled perhaps half the distance back to the outer ring when Lin Tian's chest suddenly seized with pain. He stumbled, gasping as liquid fire seemed to pour through veins that had long been dormant.
"Lin Tian?" Kiera was at his side instantly, supporting his weight. "What's happening?"
He couldn't answer, couldn't breathe. His vision blurred as the system flashed urgent warnings.
[Critical Alert: Meridian Cascade Failure]
[Bloodline Power Surge]
[Emergency Stabilization Required]
[Recommendation: Seek Safe Location Immediately]
"Need... cover," he managed between clenched teeth. "Not... safe here."
Understanding immediately, Kiera half-dragged him off the path and into a hollow formed by the massive roots of an ancient tree. She positioned herself at the entrance, bow ready, as Lin Tian curled into himself, fighting the pain that threatened to tear him apart from within.
The system interface expanded without his command, filling his vision with diagnostic information.
[Emergency Protocol Activated]
[Host Condition: Critical]
[Bloodline Power: Attempting Self-Activation]
[Blocked Meridians: Resisting]
[Conflict Resolution: Initiating]
Lin Tian felt as if molten metal had been poured into his veins, seeking channels that had been sealed since birth. His mismatched eyes burned in their sockets, and the silver streaks in his hair seemed to glow with inner light. He bit down on his sleeve to muffle his screams, aware that any noise could attract predators.
Through the haze of agony, he heard Kiera's worried whisper. "Hold on. Whatever's happening, fight it. We need to get you out of here."
The pain peaked, a supernova of sensation that obliterated thought. Then, abruptly, something inside him shifted. A barrier that had existed his entire life, or rather, the original Lin Tian's entire life, cracked like thin ice beneath a hammer blow.
[Breakthrough Achieved]
[Partial Meridian Restoration: 23%]
[Bloodline Activation: Minimal (7%)]
[New Status: Qi Foundation Stage 1 (Unstable)]
The pain receded to a dull throb, leaving Lin Tian gasping on the forest floor. He felt... different. Energy hummed beneath his skin, faint but undeniable. When he opened his eyes, the world seemed sharper, colors more vivid, details that had been invisible now clear as daylight.
"Your eyes," Kiera whispered, staring at him with a mixture of awe and concern. "They're glowing."
Lin Tian touched his face, feeling heat radiating from his skin. "What color?"
"Red. Both of them now, not just the one."
He accessed the system interface, which had stabilized along with his condition.
[Host Status Updated]
[Cultivation: Qi Foundation Stage 1 (Unstable)]
[Bloodline: Partially Awakened (Unknown Type)]
[Combat Capability: Marginally Improved]
[Warning: Condition Requires Stabilization within 24 Hours]