Reward Granted: Class

  Abyss Diver (Unbound)

  Forged in the dark trenches of the world, the Abyss Diver learns not to move with the water, but to survive within its weight. Each breath, each motion defies the depth that would tear lesser beings apart.

  Passive: Stillness of the Deep

  The body and mind remain calm under all forms of stress. Incoming physical, magical, or emotional shock has reduced effect. Fear, pain, and confusion resistances greatly increase.

  Skill Granted: Crushing Descent

  Anchor your mana to the environment, increasing local gravity and pressure before releasing it in a downward shockwave.

  Holy shit, holy shit, I did it. I fucking did it. An Unbound class, wow. I can’t believe it. It didn’t come with additional stats or anything like that, but it had a passive effect. I’m not sure if this means that all Unbound classes have passives or just this one, but the fact that I have one now is more than I can ask for.

  Although it didn’t necessarily give me an increase in any of my stats, I’m not stupid enough to not see the usefulness of such a passive. There is no world where this isn’t helpful to me, at least none that I can think of.

  And to top it all off, not only did I get a new passive, but I also received a skill.

  And it sounded like something serious. I don’t know if it’s the chronic LitRPG reader in me, but it essentially sounded like I can force people to their knees. That’s one of the lines that authors love, Grandpa included, and the skill would practically give me the ability to do that.

  Of course, that thought alone isn’t why it sounds like a good skill. Outside of that, it genuinely looks like something that would be very effective against my soon to be opponents. The only problem is I would need to get rid of a skill. Ocean’s Maw is definitely not going anywhere. Aqua Barrage... well, maybe. Ebb and Flow... even more of a maybe.

  The first of the last two gives me a lot of range and the ability to hit multiple targets at once. The second helps me to fight and use these powerful skills with far more frequency.

  But at the same time, while it was initially a very easy skill to make use of in the midst of battle, I quickly realized that sometimes, and actually more times than not, I’m going to need to do something during the ebb state.

  Of course, that state doesn’t last all that long, not even a minute, just a few seconds. But I’ve already experienced just how much a few seconds can change one battle. If I’m sitting there on the back foot while waiting for the flow to come back and a life-threatening attack is coming my way, I have to fight back.

  And if me fighting back leaves me feeling like a dry sponge, then what the hell am I going to do when another life-threatening attack comes my way right after that? What if there’s no water nearby for me to go relax in?

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  I don’t blame myself for choosing this skill since it doesn’t explain every single detail when it’s offered. Something like this I simple wouldn’t have a proper understanding of until it happened, and I’m glad I do now.

  That makes it a bit easier for me to choose Crushing Descent, but that isn’t the only reason. My Trait Heart of Currents also boosts mana and stamina recovery and allows me to fight at my peak for longer. So with both of those skills and Traits, losing one isn’t the worst case scenario, not when I’m replacing it with something powerful.

  I can only imagine just how much of an effect it would be to hit a group of those lava bastards with Crushing Descent and follow it up with the maw of a Leviathan on top of their heads.

  That sounds like a deadly combo, one that I don’t think I can pass up. And since I no longer have Surging Step to take me across the battlefield, having a ranged ability seems like something of a necessity.

  So I stopped doubting it and made my decision. Ebb and Flow, you served me well in the short time that I had you, and I wish you all the best in your future plans. But things change, and I have to change with them. Crushing Descent is here, and I have a feeling I won’t regret it.

  With that, I’d completed battle number 50. I know it mentioned something about an E Grade lobby, but I’m not currently at E Grade, so I’m expecting to be transported out of the dungeon.

  When the scene before me shifted, I had my spear ready to attack anything that might be in front of me, only to find myself still in the dungeon, just not in the same lobby. I was so used to seeing that small, rustic lobby that didn’t have many defining features. This one, on the other hand, was different—very different.

  If the place I was in before was something of a rustic waiting area for the sake of having one, then this was a proper lobby. It still had that rustic vibe to it, but there were a lot more things.

  First of all, the space was a lot bigger. Second, there was an entire wall dedicated to what looked like some type of market. I saw multiple counters that appeared as if I could walk up to them and buy goods or exchange things. I wasn’t really sure, but—

  "Ah! Someone has finally made it here. Welcome, welcome! Surely you’re tired from your journey to make it through the Gauntlet. My name is Acolyte Aranda, and it is my pleasure to welcome the first of your people to make it to the E Grade Brazer.

  “Don’t worry about the empty counters; they will be filled with people soon enough. For now, let me give you a tour."

  …What the fuck?

  Out of nowhere, some random man dressed in what looked like priest garb appeared, but instead of being colored white or maybe even black, they were blue with a hint of yellow. There was a weird image of something that looked like a creature, or at least a silhouette of one, on his chest, surrounded by yellow streaks of light…and didn’t he introduce himself as an acolyte? No... no way...

  Don’t tell me the Gauntlet Dungeon is run by a religion of zealots, and I have somehow tied myself to them or some shit. Man, isn’t that too cliché?

  Sigh.

  Well, whatever the case, I don’t think it’ll help my time down here if I just ignore him.

  Though thinking about it, that tour will have to wait.

  "Thank you for the warm welcome, Acolyte Aranda. My name is Freddy, but I’m afraid I don’t have time to stay for a tour. I have pressing matters to attend to outside. Could you please point me to the exit?"

  "I see, I see. Well, no matter. I’ll be here when you return, and the tour will still be available. And to answer your question, if you want to leave, simply wish for it. A few seconds will pass, and you’ll be transported to an instance of the F Grade dungeon where you’ll be able to leave."

  "Thank you for the help, Acolyte Aranda."

  He simply smiled at me, but for some reason, it looked creepy. Anyway, I did as he instructed, and after wishing to leave, about five seconds later I vanished and reappeared in the same rustic lobby as the F Grade dungeon.

  Thankfully, that was the case because my bag was still here. I grabbed it and then left. It was time to go out there and find out what’s been happening to my family.