Nightclown considered the previous engagement. The loud WHOOM was efficient for a single, isolated target. But it was too risky otherwise.
The dungeon was not empty. He needed stealth. He needed control. He needed something sustainable.
He moved further and found another Gloomfang Spider very soon.
This one was clinging to a stalactite. Its eight gloomy eyes were glinting viciously. But it hadn't detected him yet.
Nightclown activated [Hide!]. Instantly his coloring became camouflaged. An invisible ripple against the rock. The spider remained oblivious.
He prepared another dart. Another [Immobilizing Mystic Iron Darts]. And the first mode of [Puff!]. The silent one. A quick exhalation of Glitch. And...
Ffft! The dart, barely audible, struck the spider's body.
[Status Effect: Immobilized (12 seconds)]. The spider fell to the ground awkwardly. It couldn't move.
Nightclown charged. His [Lightning Spear] was ready. He pierced its head. Cracking its carapace. He stabbed his spear twice more. It shuddered, then fell.
Result: Good control. Decent killing speed.
Next, after he discovered another Gloomfang Spider target, he tried a [Weakening Bone Dart]. Silent [Puff!].
Ffft!
The dart found its mark on a spider scuttling across the floor.
[Status Effect: Weakened (12 seconds)]
The spider slowed down slightly. Its movements became a little sluggish. Its carapace seemed duller. Less imposing. This was interesting.
Nightclown closed the distance. The spear had transformed back into [Thunder Nunchaku] for speed. He swung. The weakened carapace offered less resistance. WHACK! A dull thud. The spider staggered. Another swing. CRUNCH! The spider crumpled.
Result: Better. And faster. It took only two hits with the nunchaku. What about the spear then?
He tried again. Finding another lone spider.
[Hide!]. [Weakening Bone Dart]. Silent [Puff!]. Ffft. [Weakened (12 seconds)].
Nighclown immediately transformed the nunchaku into [Lightning Spear]. He charged and thrust. The spear, meeting less resistance than before, plunged deep. Total penetration. The spider died. Only after one thrust.
Result: Excellent. Silent application. Quick kill. Minimal effort. One dart, one thrust. As quick as the loud [Immobilizing Mystic Iron Dart]. But with less energy consumption and without the noise. This was the one.
Nightclown decided this was the optimal combination. He had limited time. Efficiency was paramount. He needed to make every second count.
He spent the remaining forty-five minutes of his Toonworld session systematically clearing sections of the fourth floor. It became a rhythm. Now, it was even mixed with his [Steal!]. A deadly, silent ballet of robbing predator and helpless prey.
Target acquired. A Gloomfang Spider, perhaps a bit larger than average, was methodically spinning a web between two gnarled roots.
[Hide!]. He melded with his surrounding and sneaked closer. [Puff!] The silent Ffft! sound of the blowgun.
A [Weakening Bone Dart] flashed through the air. Striking the spider's leg. [Status Effect: Weakened (12 seconds)]. The spider shuddered. Its web-spinning motion faltered. Its eight legs seemed to lose some of their spring.
Nightclown moved. A blur of grey hare. Before the spider could fully process its weakened state, Nightclown was upon it.
[Steal!]. His hand, a fleeting shadow, brushed against the spider's abdomen. The system flashed: [Failed attempt!]...
Nightclown didn't mind that. Not everything was guaranteed. He needed to be quicker. Or luckier. Or both. The spider was still weakened now.
He retracted his hand. No need to waste time for a second steal attempt this time. The cooldown for [Steal!] was five seconds. And the target was just weakened. Not paralyzed.
He made a thrusting move with his [Lightning Spear]. The spear point penetrated the weakened carapace. Piercing deep. Effortless. A single, decisive strike. The spider convulsed, then went limp.
[Gloomfang Spider defeated!]
[Experience Gained: +900 XP!]
And he also gained 250 Coins and an [Ironwood Branch]. Not bad.
He reset the routine and repeated the process. Find target. [Hide!]. [Puff!] (Weakening Bone Dart). [Steal!] (Success or fail, didn't matter for the kill flow). [Lightning Spear] thrust. Target died. Move to the next target.
Sometimes [Steal!] would succeed. Yielding an extra [Gloomblack Silk]. About 30% of the tries, it failed. But the core kill method was solid. Silent, quick, efficient. This was serious farming. Not elegant. But brutally effective.
He kept track of his dart count. Each successful kill consumed one [Weakening Bone Dart]. He had started with 100 darts in that type. He estimated he had used about 60 of the Weakening Bone Darts.
He would definitely need to restock this specific type. Mr. Gorhammer's Smithy would be his first stop tomorrow.
His time began to dwindle. Indicated by the subtle interface overlay in his vision. It seemed that it would still be impossible to reach Level 20 tonight. But Nightclown still pushed himself.
He wanted to maximize every remaining second. Each spider was a step closer to higher power. To provide better way of survival and better protection for those he cared about in Sherra.
The memory of the Academy invasion, of his friends' death, of Vale's missing legs... They fueled his focus. This wasn't merely a game. This was critical training.
His [Glitch] energy reserves were holding up well. It recovered itself quickly outside of combat. The silent [Puff!] consumed a small but noticeable amount. [Hide!] was relatively cheap. The primary cost was not the energy, but the darts themselves.
Time Remaining... 7 minutes. He moved deeper into the dungeon. Trying to find a few more spiders. The passages he entered this time was twisting and turning. Revealing pockets of strange beauty amidst the cartoonish gloom.
He noticed phosphorescent fungi clinging to damp walls. Their soft glow illuminating peculiar crystalline formations.
Cammy kept following and recording. Silently.
Then, Nightclown rounded a bend and stopped. The view was breathtaking. It was vibrant. He had stumbled upon a clearing within the dungeon.
A small, circular cavern, open to what looked like a sky of shimmering, unidentifiable lights far above. In the center, it was a fountain. A beautiful fountain...
The basin was formed from iridescent, shell-like material. Perpetually overflowing with water that glowed with a soft, ethereal blue.
Around it, flowers bloomed in impossible colors. Their petals were pulsating with inner light. Luminescent insects, like tiny, colorful fireflies, danced in the air. Creating intricate, fleeting patterns.
It was strikingly beautiful. Cartoonish, yet artistically beautiful.
Nightclown approached cautiously. Wary of traps or hidden monsters. His system, however, gave no indication of danger. Instead, a prompt appeared as he neared the fountain.
[The Fountain of Fortune]
[Description: A rare, mystical spring rumored to be a nexus of Toonworld's inherent luck. Throw a coin into its waters to receive a temporary boost in your fortune, increasing the likelihood of a special encounter for the current Toonworld session.]
[Effect Duration: The rest of current Toonworld session.]
"A luck boost, huh?" Nightclown mumbled. His hare ears were twitching. The rest of his current Toonworld session was just a few minutes away.
He checked his inventory for coins. He had accumulated a decent amount from his earlier hunts. He pulled out a single Toonworld coin. A circular piece of polished brass with a smiling sun etched on one side. And a cartoonish number one in the other side.
Cammy, hovering quietly beside him, gave a soft whirr.
He tossed it into the glowing blue water. Plink! The coin vanished beneath the surface. And the water rippled outwards with a sudden, brighter flash of light. A faint, melodious chime echoed through the cavern. Quickly fading.
[Fortune Boost!]
[Lucky Encounter chance significantly increased!]
Well, that was straightforward. He had about five minutes left. Not much time for a 'significantly increased' chance. But it was worth a shot. He quickly continued his exploration.
He left the beautiful clearing. The soft glow was slowly fading behind him as he re-entered the gloomier passages. He didn't have much time left. Just about four minutes. He thought his 'lucky encounter' might not work this time.
He turned a corner. And there it was. He was proven wrong. He did face a lucky encounter. A spider. But not a regular Gloomfang Spider.
This one was smaller. Noticeably so. About two-thirds the size of the others he'd encountered. And its carapace was a vibrant, alarming shade of crimson.
It scurried with an almost frantic energy. Its movements was like a blur against the dark rock. It was unique. Extremely rare. This had to be the lucky encounter.
Nightclown immediately activated his appraisal function. He wanted to know what he was dealing with.
[Gloomfang Spider (Special)]
[Description: An extremely rare, special variation of Gloomfang Spider. It is smaller, its carapace is weaker, and its movements are twice as fast as the normal one. Its web functions as a binding agent that rapidly hardens.]
[Abilities: Quick Jump! Paralyzing Bite! Web Spray!]
[Resources: 90 XP, 2500 Coins, Power Broccoli]
Nightclown's eyes widened. '90 XP? That's almost nothing.' He thought. Normal spiders gave 900 XP. This was a tenth of it.
But... '2500 Coins?!' That was ten times the normal amount. And then, the last item was the main point this time. [Power Broccoli].
He quickly recalled the [Vigor Eggplant], [Drive Tomato], [Speed Radish], and [Sense Spinach] he previously encountered. In this Toonworld, a cartoon logic often reigned supreme.
[Power Broccoli] could only mean one thing... a permanent stat boost. Specifically, for Power. Just like those other vegetables he previously encountered.
This was huge. A permanent buff. This was far more valuable than XP or even coins. He absolutely had to get it...