Attribute Day Dungeon
"Attribute Day Dungeons appear once a week, on specific 'days'—literally just that. They pop up completely at random across the fields, but you can usually guess the concept from where they spawn. If one shows up in the northern field, the Eternal Snowfield, expect ice-element monsters and related rewards. West Forest means wind, near the sea or lakes means water, and so on."
Reina, with her network of informants across the entire academy, occasionally hands out sub-quests once your affinity hits a certain level. I never imagined she'd use it like this.
Hmm. Now that the game has become reality, how the hell do these day dungeons even work?
In the Salenium Saga, 'dungeons' are explained as pools of concentrated natural mana, or ancient setups by big names from the past, or hidden shelters—settings that make them naturally appear and vanish. The day dungeons probably form the same way.
Our destination was beneath Salenium's south gate—the southern exploration field, the Scorching Desert.
Like all exploration fields, the outermost edge of the Scorching Desert had desert foxes and wild camels scurrying about. But push a little deeper...
"...Moving cacti? Hmm? The terrain's changed too."
Instead of flat sands, dunes and eroded rocks start appearing, along with some seriously threatening monsters. The Salenium Saga's explorations are artificial environments, but they feel utterly real. Naturally, monsters spawn too.
"Yeah, Ultra Cacti. They shoot spines and throw fruit, so watch out. The fruit are bombs."
Ultra Cacti are cacti rooted in the ground, but with eyes and wriggling bodies. Step into their detection range, and they unleash a barrage of spines in every direction. Annoying bastards. The ones with fruit occasionally rip them off and hurl them—those explode on impact, and they're lethal if they hit.
Of course, even these have counters.
"Kalen, hold position."
I pulled out a branch of Spiritwood just outside the cactus's detection range.
"Low-tier Wind Elemental Magic: Wind Blade."
Whoosh!
The fierce gale rushing forward nearly stripped off my robe hem and hood. The wind blades sliced through the cactus's body—
Thud thud thud thud!
Simple counter: if they're a pain up close, just shred them from afar. Sure, I could block the spines with a single dagger, but no need to waste effort here.
Whish.
The sand-laden wind whipped our hair side by side. The wind was strong. The terrain had fully shifted. Which meant...
"Mid-zone now."
"From here on, mid-zone."
From the mid-zone, it's not just Ultra Cacti—you get Venom Scorpions and Sand Worms too. Kalen kept her hand on her sword hilt, vigilance unwavering, as she pressed on. I followed close behind.
Kalen crested a dune, sinking ankle-deep in sand, then froze.
"Adrian. Something's there ahead. But... it's weird."
"Weird how?"
"There's no way something like that could be in the middle of a desert, right?"
I followed her pointing finger and grinned.
"Found it."
"Found what?"
"Ah, Adrian! Dangerous!"
I strode forward without hesitation. Kalen yelled a warning but scurried after me anyway. After some time...
"...An oasis, right here?"
"Yeah, an oasis."
In the middle of endless dunes, an oasis sat awkwardly prominent. Emerald-green water and a single palm tree.
"Shall we rest a bit?"
"No, this is our goal today."
"...Pardon?"
Before Kalen could react, I dove into the water. My feet hit liquid, and the scenery warped. No desert—just a dim cave.
You have arrived at the Attribute Day Dungeon, 'Underground Defective Golem Warehouse'.
This dungeon is a warehouse storing defective golems created by ancients in a mythic era to fight demons. All were fully slated for disposal, but 'earth mana' seepage can cause malfunctions.
This week's Attribute Day Dungeon element is 'Earth'.
...Here it was. The earth-attribute exclusive day dungeon: Underground Defective Golem Warehouse.
Looking around, golems without heads, missing arms, or even seemingly intact ones with cores gouged from their chests leaned against walls or lay scattered on the floor.
You could snag a Low-tier Earth Elemental Magic: Ground Lock acquisition tome here. With luck, earth-infused gear too—like a shield.
That's why I'd brought Kalen.
"Hah!"
"You're late."
"Don't just charge ahead without warning, Adrian. It's dangerous."
She puffed her cheeks, glaring at me.
"Worry about your own safety first. I'm fine."
"I figured you'd say that... So, we just push forward from here? This is the dungeon we came for... right?"
Faint torchlight on the walls kept it from being pitch black. She scanned around, startled by an armless golem, and drew her sword.
"Adrian, get behind me now...!"
"Look closely, Kalen."
"We need to leave immediately! While I hold them off, the exit is..."
"Calm down and observe."
I soothed her, stepped forward, and swiftly smacked the armless golem's head with my Spiritwood branch. Crack! The head rolled across the floor.
"It... doesn't move?"
"Most here are already immobilized. Shall we go deeper?"
"I've said it a million times: let me take point. In dungeons, the tank leads."
Kalen dashed up and resumed walking ahead.
The game had 'dungeons' too. I'd told her we were heading to one from the start.
"I've only read about them in books—real dungeons are a first..."
She'd fumbled a bit at the entrance but quickly composed herself and advanced.
"Only golems spawn here."
"...How do you know that?"
"Repelheit knows all."
I continued. "This is a warehouse for defective golems humanity made to fight demons long ago. All flawed, so your attribute sword can handle them fine."
Eh, that's the lore. The real deal earth golems are tucked away in Scorching Desert ruins or buried in field sands. These are just the ancient rejects dumped underground like landfill. The name says it all: Underground Defective Golem Warehouse.
Then—
Thud! Thud!
The ground shook. From the shadows ahead, a massive rock bulk lumbered toward us. Jerky movements, light flickering in one dented helmet eye.
"A real... golem."
Kalen manifested her attribute sword and gripped it two-handed.
The Salenium Saga's base elemental system demands interactions in combat. Bringing a lightning mage here would've been useless; fire too. Water's supportive, so weak DPS. But ice has no real interaction—neutral and reliable.
"Hyaah!"
Since entering, Kalen had been mowing down low-tier golems like wheat. Her white longsword gleamed, tracing smooth, arcing trajectories. Clean lines scarred limbs before they shattered apart.
I wasn't idle either. I methodically dismantled low-tiers with Spiritwood—versatile for magic or physical. I'd stun with a head smack for her finish, or she'd pin limbs while I magicked them down.
"Defective, so their movements are all off-kilter. We can conserve energy."
"Conserve more. Boss is ahead."
Attribute Day Dungeon difficulty? Not too bad. Clearable by mid-Act 2. I figured even solo post my STR 7/MNA 8 would work. Rewards are just low-tier magic tomes and D-grade gear—beginner fodder by Act 4.
And repeatedly: I needed Ground Lock. Plus, this was for Kalen too.
But the boss? That one needs a bit of focus. Not Lycanslope-level, but we'd wrap it in 15 minutes easy.
"By the way, Kalen."
"Yes?"
"Don't knight faculty usually wear their uniforms properly?"
"More or less."
She nodded, casually roundhouse-kicking a mid-tier golem to rubble. Her current outfit: blue gym clothes with the knight faculty emblem on the chest.
"Uniforms get in the way during movement. Still... I was surprised you called me, Adrian."
"Why?"
She scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Well... I haven't done much. In the last fight, Senior Lumen, Sub-Marquess Ebnis, Erhan, and Lady Wolfgang from the magic faculty all shone. I didn't contribute much..."
"So you thought I wouldn't call?"
"Yes... pretty much."
She thought that, huh.
"Won't happen."
"Pardon?"
"Kalen, you know my situation at this academy."
"...Yes."
"Yet from our first meeting, you treated me warmly. Even knowing I'd been disowned, that I'm just some commoner now, you never changed how you treated me."
I probably know her character better than she does.
"I don't forget, Kalen Snowwhite. Even if you abandon me someday, I won't abandon you."
She halted, bowing her head.
"Always saying that..."
What? Barely caught it.
"The dungeon's master is just ahead. Chin up."
"Ah, right here..."
"Tired? Then let's clear it quick."
"No, not tired at all. I was just thinking I wished this time would pass slower."
She shot me a pouty smile and quickened her pace.
Is that so? If you say it is, then it is.
"Ah, there's a door here!"
"Mm, be right there."
Sheesh. If I'd known she'd be this thrilled, I would've taken her somewhere better.