System Change

Derek leaned forward in his seat, waiting for Edgar to begin his explanation.

“First, as you know, a raid dungeon requires a party of up to 25 people. This already makes it very different from your run-of-the-mill dungeons, whether average or elite.” Edgar stated.

Derek nodded his head. “I know that much already.” One of the few things Derek already knew was the number of people allowed to enter a raid dungeon. The other thing was the supposed length of the dungeon. He kept hearing that they would take a few months to complete.

“Now, the thing about raid dungeons is the size of the dungeon. By that, I mean that raid dungeons are like their own small world inside, yet they are fortunately still somewhat linear.”

“So it’s easy enough not to get lost,” Derek said.

“Exactly,” Edgar replied. “Still, the size of the dungeon, plus the usual high amount of enemies, traps, and puzzles, usually make the average raid dungeon take at least a few months to complete. That is, of course, with a highly competent party.”

Derek nodded while listening along. So far, Edgar hadn’t spoken about anything game-changing to him.

“Unfortunately, there are very few who have experience with raid dungeons. The Kingdom only has a few raid dungeons, and they activate very seldomly.” Edgar continued.

“Wait…” Derek cut him off. “What do you mean they activate seldomly?”

“Once a raid dungeon is completed, it becomes dormant for a set amount of time. Nobody knows how long the dungeon will remain dormant, so we always have some stationed by the raid dungeons checking on them occasionally. It’s really a good thing. It’s not easy to get a group of 25 competent people together to complete a raid dungeon.” Edgar explained. “If a raid dungeon were to overflow, it would be disastrous.”

“I see…” Derek nodded.

“Even if you can get a team together, after completing the dungeon, most people in that team will have leveled up past the level requirements. So, it’s a blessing that raid dungeons go dormant.”

“Have you been to a raid dungeon before?” Derek asked.

“I ran one when I was younger. It was level 125 and had a water theme. I was chosen because of my lightning attribute. You see, lightning does wonders against water type elementals,” Edgar replied. “It was a pretty tame raid dungeon, though. It wasn’t considered elite, and we made it through with only a small number of casualties. Still, it took us around four months to complete it.”

“So three months is the fast estimate?” Derek asked.

“Yes and no,” Edgar answered. “We went a little slower than we could have and set up camp and rested a lot. We weren’t on a timer, so we were being safe. It was everyone in the party’s first raid.”

Derek nodded. “And you were the raid leader?”

“Oh, no. I was just one of the grunts at that time.”

“I doubt a Prince of the Kingdom would be considered a grunt,” Derek snorted.

“Well, maybe not a grunt, but no, I wasn’t in charge. But, because of it, I do have a small amount of raid experience. Which is why I think your prison will be a game changer.”

“Why is that?”

“First, we will have a portable safe zone, and even if we can’t access our skills when the door is closed, it seemed like my stats still worked like normal. Almost like it would be if you were an Oathbreaker. So, it will allow for our party to safely use our natural regeneration. Then, if you leave the door open, we could still use our skill, I think, at least. That way, we would only need one person standing guard… preferably you… and all you would have to do is close the door if danger approached.” Edgar explained.

Derek could see where this was going.

“Second, the time distortion you have. That seals the deal. If you control the time in your prison, we could rest and recover without time passing. Which, for a raid dungeon that already has time distortion, would be vital. Hell, a quarter, if not more, of the time spent in a raid dungeon is spent on rest and recovery. With you there, the time it takes to complete the dungeon could be cut down significantly.”

“That’s if the Time Prison works in the raid dungeon the same way it works everywhere else,” Derek said.

“True…” Edgar agreed. “But it’s something we need to see. If anything, even if you can’t control the time while in the dungeon, it is still a mobile safe zone.”

“And are rewards for raid dungeons good? Better than regular dungeons?” Derek asked.

Edgar shrugged. “That is both subjective and to be seen. Like I said, we don’t have many raid dungeons in the Kingdom. Those we do have are low level. So, while the rewards may be grand for the level they are, to us high level people, they aren’t much. Honestly, if I wouldn’t have had to power level to lead the raid, I would have jumped all over the chance to be the first to complete a new level 250 raid dungeon.”

“Speaking of that…” Derek said. “You talk about not taking your own team in so they didn’t lose the ability to train their skills easier. What about me?”

“What about you?” Edgar tilted his head in confusion.

“Yes…” Derek said. “Won’t going into such a high-level dungeon mean that I will basically be power leveling myself without raising my skills?” he asked. This would let Edgar know that Derek wasn’t yet at level 250, but it wasn’t really something he needed to hide anymore.

“You…” Edgar muttered. “You’re not level 250 yet?”

“Nope.”

Edgar’s mouth fell open in shock, then he began chuckling before doubling over in a full fit of laughter.

“What?” Derek asked.

Edgar raised himself back up and leaned in his chair with his hand covering his belly. “I didn’t think you would have a legendary class, is all.”

That was some pretty quick deduction. Derek thought. “Why would you think I have a legendary class?” Derek asked.

Edgar leaned forward conspiratorially and motioned Derek to do the same. In a whisper, Edgar said, “Because I also have one.”

Derek’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

“Yup… sure do. You’re actually the first person to know. Well, I have a nagging feeling that Natalie Savannah also knows, but she hasn’t said anything to anyone, so that’s fine. The last thing I want is for my family to find out, then bug me to write some logs about everything I’ve ever done. I just want to adventure and grow as strong as possible.” Edgar explained.

“I see…”

“The fact that your aura is stronger than mine, yet you aren’t at max level yet means that you must have gotten your legendary class at an even earlier level. Lucky!” Edgar praised. “Unless you’ve been eating Void Beast meals since you were an infant. Doesn’t matter either way, I guess.”

Derek laughed. You don’t know the half of it. Nobody would ever think that he technically started off with the stats of someone level 70+. But still, Edgar was on the money. He had gotten his legendary class at an earlier level.

“So, you see my dilemma?” Derek asked. “About the whole leveling thing?”

“I do, but I don’t think you need to worry about that,” Edgar said.

“And why is that?”

“You’ll be going into a dungeon with 25 other people. The experience will be massively split. It’s not like you need to rush in and do everything yourself, either. Hell, you could hang back and protect the healers and mages. Also, depending on the enemy, there could be some great skill leveling opportunities as well.”

Derek thought about that. It was true that if he didn’t do all the damage, he would split the experience points with everyone who did… along with the healers and support classes. Going in without knowing if the rewards were going to be good would also be a gamble. Though, lately, he didn’t know what to do next.

He had Brandi set up with everything she needed. He had also just gotten everyone different skills that would allow them to grow however they wanted to. Still, he wasn’t sure about leaving them all alone, now.

“I don’t know,” he finally said. “We just got settled into Savannah. I don’t know if I should leave so soon.”

“What is there to worry about?” Edgar asked. “That boy… Thomas, right? Yeah… he’ll be leaving for the Academy soon. Enrollment is in a couple months. Plus, Gerald is taken care of. Wasn’t he the only reason any of your people were in danger? That entire family will be kaput soon. They have much bigger things to worry about… like surviving. So you don’t have to worry about their safety.”

“That’s true…”

“And… always being around them will make you their crutch. Especially that boy. I don’t know the rest of your people that well, but it’s good to let them go it alone for a bit. You’ll be surprised by how much they grow when they don’t have you to rely on completely. At least… that’s what I’m expecting of my team…” Edgar smiled.

“Your people live in the richest city in the Kingdom. It also happens to be one of the safest places in the Kingdom. So I know you’re not worried about that. What is it that’s holding you back?” Edgar asked.

“That…” Derek couldn’t answer that question. Everything Edgar said was true. What was holding him back? No… I know what it is… I’ve finally gotten comfortable. He thought. He had a place of his own, and some people he cared about who depended on him. It was a nice change.

At the same time, he was always itching for adventure. Plus, he was excited to see what kind of changes Brandi and Thomas would show in a few years. If he went into the raid dungeon, then he would be able to see those changes even sooner. Well… not for them, but for him, at least.

Derek shook his head and sighed. “I don’t know. Give me some time.”

“I can do that. But know you will be making the raid much easier for everyone involved if you go. Even if you sat back and did nothing, your mobile safe zone would be more than enough of a contribution.” Edgar stood and stored his chair, then, after Derek stood, he stored that one, as well. Then he pulled a badge out of his storage ring and handed it to Derek.

“What’s this?” Derek asked.

“It’s the badge of the royal family,” Edgar replied, like it meant something to Derek. He sighed. “You can use it to teleport to the capital any time you wish.”

“Oh…”

Edgar rolled his eyes. “The raid team will be meeting at the palace in five days. I hope you’re there.”

“We’ll see,” Derek said.

After that, the two left the Time Prison and Edgar went on his way. Derek stood in the office, silent, in deep thought.

“Uhem…” A cough suddenly broke Derek out of his thoughts. Rudy was sitting at his desk, smiling awkwardly. “I’m not sure what that was about, but… uh… you standing there like that is kind of… distracting.”

“Ah… sorry about that.” Derek apologized. “Anyway, follow me. It’s time for gifts.”