The stone pillar leaned against the pit wall, about four or five meters in diameter. Its surface was uneven, offering plenty of places to climb.
"Roughly ten meters or so." Anser made a quick estimate of the distance to the top of the pillar.
From this angle, he couldn't see if anyone was up there, but he had to climb up regardless. The stone pillar could collapse at any moment; time was running out.
He took off his tattered boots and stepped barefoot onto the protruding rocks. They felt cold, but not painful. The Dragon Kin Physique combined with the Tough feat made him a different person than before.
Taking a deep breath, he climbed upward with alternating limbs. His movements were skilled, agile, and light, as if he were a veteran climber.
"Whew, how thrilling."
He looked down at the dark abyss below, his heart rate quickening involuntarily.
He was a little afraid, but it wasn't a major issue. He knew Feather Fall and could cast it instantly as a reaction if he fell, ensuring he wouldn't plummet to his death.
However, what truly surprised him were the "Basic Actions" granted by the Character Card after becoming a Professional.
Attack, Dodge, Dash, Disengage, Hide, Jump, Climb, Swim... In the game, these were just unremarkable basic abilities, but now they transformed Anser into a well-trained athletic elite.
Combined with his proficiency in Acrobatics and Athletics, he could consistently reach the upper limits of his physical attributes.
His movements were crisp, neat, skilled, and elegant—something most Professionals, let alone ordinary people, would find difficult to achieve.
After a few meters, the pillar's angle approached a vertical incline, forcing him to circle around it to find better handholds.
But just as he turned an angle around the pillar, he caught a glimpse of another stone pillar out of the corner of his eye. A young man was standing on top of it, staring at him in stunned silence.
'Holy crap!'
Anser tensed up, pressing his body tightly against the stone pillar as he looked up.
No one was looking down; everything seemed normal.
He glanced to the side; the young man had looked away and was now sitting on the ground with his knees bent, facing sideways. He held a sword in one hand while subtly pointing diagonally upward with the other.
'Smart.'
Anser nodded slightly and continued his climb, being even more cautious and pausing every few steps.
The young man communicated with him using Adventurer hand signals from time to time, and they quickly developed a silent rapport.
There were two enemies; one was likely that Gray Dwarf, whose status was unknown.
As he neared the top, Anser became increasingly careful.
The last three meters!
The young man suddenly stood up and threw a stone toward the top of the pillar where Anser was.
*Clack—*
His aim was true; the stone landed on the platform with a crisp sound, drawing the enemies' attention.
"عداوةތެރިން..." (Goblin)
Footsteps and sharp curses rang out in succession.
Anser understood the signal and immediately circled to the other side of the pillar.
The young man continued throwing stones and shouting curses with a hysterical edge that didn't sound like he was acting.
After pausing for a few seconds, Anser exerted all his strength to climb up, then lunged forward and leaped onto the stone platform.
His gaze swept across the area quickly. The platform was four or five meters in diameter, with two short figures on it.
One sat in the middle—short, stout, bald, and gray-skinned—with a warhammer resting by his side.
The other was near the edge of the pillar with its back to Anser. Less than a meter tall, with sharp teeth and ears and grayish-green skin, it was brandishing a scimitar to intimidate the young man.
The sudden appearance of a figure took both of them by surprise.
The Gray Dwarf grabbed his warhammer and turned toward Anser, but instead of standing up, he shouted loudly.
The Goblin cowered, failing to charge forward immediately.
By then, Anser had already activated his Innate Spellcasting. Grasping the crystal on his chest with his left hand, he focused his mind, sensing and guiding the surging mana by instinct to construct a simple Spell model.
About a second passed.
"જાદુઈવિસ્ફોટ" (Draconic)
Accompanied by a resonant, metallic Draconic incantation, a cluster of light and shadow shot from his fingertips. It crossed the two-meter gap instantly and exploded with a roar, slamming a deafening thunderclap right into the Gray Dwarf's face.
Cantrip: Sorcerous Burst - Thunder!
Despite it being his first time casting a Spell, Anser didn't miss against a stationary target.
The Gray Dwarf groaned, his face covered in blood as he fell backward.
Simultaneously, the dice in Anser's mind spun wildly, and a text prompt flashed through his heart.
[You cast Sorcerous Burst on the Gray Dwarf; the enemy is Surprised and Prone.]
[The Gray Dwarf was hit, taking 15 points of (Critical) Thunder damage. Current HP: 4/26...]
Anser was overjoyed; the dice actually had this function.
But now was not the time to investigate. The Gray Dwarf wasn't dead yet, and he possessed Spellcasting abilities.
He took a few strides to reach the Gray Dwarf, pinned the warhammer down with his left foot, and raised his right foot to stomp heavily on the dwarf's neck.
[You launched a melee attack against the Gray Dwarf; the enemy is Prone, Frightened, and Deafened.]
[The Gray Dwarf was hit, taking 4 points of (Critical) Bludgeoning damage. A fatal blow, the target is dead. Gained 200 combat experience...]
Anser felt a wave of relief and immediately turned to face the Goblin.
In just a few seconds, the most threatening enemy, the Gray Dwarf, was dead, leaving only the terrified Goblin.
'So slow. Haven't you heard a thunderclap before?' Anser gripped the crystal and cast his Spell again.
The Goblin reacted late, charging forward with a roar.
"જાદુઈવિસ્ફોટ"
A thunderclap erupted, knocking the Goblin over. It sprawled on the ground, wailing as it clutched its bleeding ears.
Being so close, even Anser's eardrums were ringing.
Enduring the discomfort, he quickly picked up the warhammer. It was a bit heavy, so he had to grip it with both hands. He stepped forward and brought it down on the Goblin's head.
[...The Goblin was hit, taking 6 points of (Critical) Piercing damage. A fatal blow, the target is dead. Gained 50 combat experience...]
Anser scanned the surroundings and, after confirming there was no danger, finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew... how thrilling!"
In reality, a Goblin's Challenge Rating was only 1/4 with 7 HP; he could have handled it in melee. But this was his debut battle, after all—how could he not be nervous?
'Sorcerous Burst is really useful,' Anser thought to himself.
Sorcerous Burst was a 0-level Spell exclusive to Sorcerers, belonging to the Evocation school. It had a range of 120 feet (≥36 meters) and dealt 1d8 (1-8) damage upon hitting. The damage type was determined by the caster: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Poison, Psychic, or Thunder.
If it dealt maximum damage (an 8), the Spell's energy would burst again. At higher levels, it could potentially trigger a chain reaction of bursts, dealing significant damage.
Anser recognized the Gray Dwarf and knew he might have resistances to things like poison or psychic damage, but he likely lacked resistance to thunder. Thus, he chose thunder, and the practical results were excellent.
Actually, the strongest offensive Spell he knew was the 1st-level Spell Chromatic Orb, but casting it required a diamond worth at least 50 gold pieces, which he didn't have.
Furthermore, 1st-level Spells were more difficult to cast; there was a chance of failure given the Weave's instability and his own nervous state.
'Fortunately, I performed steadily.'
Looking at the corpses on the ground, he felt a bit uneasy, especially those two pairs of blood-stained eyes that seemed to be staring intently at him.
He kicked the corpses' heads aside and began to gather his loot; his time was very limited.