Jester opened his eyes. He was back as Nightclown in Toonworld. Back to the fourth floor of the North Dungeon.
Cammy, his [Toon Camera Recorder], materialized beside him. The semi-sentient device bobbed gently. Its single lens blinking in acknowledgement.
It was ready. Its internal mechanisms whirred softly. Constantly recording everything visible.
He had entered and explored some parts of the fourth floor yesterday. After they returned back to Oakhaven. From the capital.
He quickly adapted with the place. The stone tunnels of the fourth floor were predictable. It suited Nightclown's current objective. Optimized grinding.
The environment was a humid, silent tunnel maze. Occasionally broken by the flicker of stylized, glowing plants.
The air felt heavy. Filled with the omnipresent scent of something similar to jackfruit. A smell left behind by the massive, rubbery [Gloomfang Spiders]. The native inhabitants of the floor.
He still remembered vividly the system information provided about the monster...
[Gloomfang Spider]
[Description: A robust arachnid known for inhabiting deep, dark toon environments. Its carapace offers decent resistance to blunt force, and its movements are surprisingly rapid. Its web functions as a binding agent that rapidly hardens.]
[Abilities: Quick Jump! Paralyzing Bite! Web Spray!]
[Resources: 600 XP, 250 Coins, Ironwood Branch, Gloomblack Silk]
Nightclown moved with economic precision. His dark grey ninja outfit blended seamlessly with the shadowed rock formations. He was not sightseeing. He was accumulating resources.
The [Gloomfang Spider] was robust. Its cartoonish grey bulk was powerful. It wasn't fast enough to be a true threat in open ground. But its primary defense mechanism, [Web Spray!], was effective area denial.
Dealing with one was easy. Dealing with two was challenging. Dealing with three... He would rather retreat.
...
Nightclown encountered a single spider just around a tight bend.
The spider reacted instantly. Launching a defensive [Web Spray!].
However, Nightclown had anticipated the move. He instantly activated [Shrink!]. His glitch energy compressed his form into a tiny, fast target. The thick, sticky white webbing splattered harmlessly against the wall. Exactly behind the place he had been standing.
As the spider attempted to adjust its aim, Nightclown closed the distance with [Sprint!]. His now-four-star [Speed] made his movement much much faster.
He popped back to normal size. And swung and slammed his [Thunder Nunchaku] into the creature's head. Multiple times.
BANG! CRACK! BANG! Powerful barrages of collision overloaded the creature's senses.
In the middle of the attack, Nightclown activated his [Steal!]. Attempting to rob a piece of [Gloomblack Silk].
[Successful attempt!]
[Item acquired: Gloomblack Silk]
Nightclown didn't stop his continuous attack. The spider's health was quickly reduced to zero. It dissolved into purple smoke and a shower of coins.
[Gloomfang Spider defeated!]
[Experience Gained: +600 XP!]
Nightclown immediately bent down. Looting the drops...
[ITEM ACQUIRED: Ironwood Branch]
[COINS ACQUIRED: 250 coins]
He continued deeper. His Rogue specialization relied on agility and surprise. He used the maze-like structure to his advantage. Ensuring he only engaged isolated targets.
Fifteen minutes into the rotation, he finally found the target he was specifically looking for.
He rounded a corner. Into a large, dusty section of tunnel. One where a landslide had occurred. Rubble—stylized cartoon boulders was piled high.
A small, visible edge of treasure chest was the only sign of the value of the object buried underneath.
"About time!" Nightclown muttered. Moving to clear the debris.
Cammy zipped and circled around him. Capturing his effort from different angles. Its movements were fluid. Like a tiny, enthusiastic drone.
The physical labor was slow. Requiring him to strain his strength. Pushing the oversized boulders aside. Until the small, dark wooden chest was exposed. Still half-buried in the damp soil.
He opened the chest. It was unlocked. And yielded easily. Opening with a satisfying cartoon CLUNK.
Inside, the treasures lay waiting. Two oversized, vibrant orange-red carrots. And a single, intensely blue berry that pulsed with low-grade energy. He quickly put them into his inventory.
[ITEM ACQUIRED: Growth Carrot (x2), Speed Berry (x1)]
[Temporary Consumables] updated.
He didn't hesitate. He took a deep, theatrical breath. Then bit into the first [Growth Carrot] with an audible CRUNCH!
A flash of light. Too bright for reality, erupted around him. Accompanied by a sound like a tiny, celebratory firework. The carrot vanished. Leaving only a faint, sweet aftertaste.
Cammy recorded it all with glee. From many different perspectives.
[Experience Gained: +5000 XP!]
It tasted just like what he remembered. Powerful, slightly sweet. But it ewas the XP notification that put him off balance.
He remembered the first time he consume the same type of food. He only gained 500 XP at that time. It seemed that the consumables scaled with his Tier.
He was an Initiate Transcender now. The item's value had increased tenfold compared to his initial encounters. This was critical information.
Jester thought for a while. It would be much more effective to save the second carrot for when he increased his tier. But, he couldn't wait for that long. He decided to consume the second carrot immediately.
[Experience Gained: +5000 XP!]
His experience bar surged. Pushing him closer to the next level threshold. The grind was accelerating.
He then examined the Speed Berry again.
[Temporary: Speed Berry]
[Tier Quality: ✪]
[Characteristic: Temporary Boost]
[Description: This potent berry pulses with concentrated energy. When consumed, it grants a significant boost to movement and reaction speed. The effects are short-lived (3 minutes). But it can turn the tide of a difficult battle.]
It was the speed version of [Power Berry]. Three minutes of enhanced speed was for a tactical choice. Not a casual buff. He should save it for an overwhelming situation.
He continued his loop. Still hunting cautiously.
Cammy, his Toon Camera Recorder, followed him. A silent, yet enthusiastic floating observer. And video recorder.
He engaged two spiders simultaneously afterward. Forcing them to coordinate their [Web Spray!]. He used [Sprint!] and [Shrink!] and even [Stretch!] in rapid succession. Dodging the webbing and forcing the spiders to entangle their own environment.
They were not stuck in their web though. It seemed that they were immune to the restraints produced by their own webs.
Nevertheless, Nightclown managed to dash closer. And used his [Thunder Nunchaku] to execute a rapid-fire series of unstoppable [Toon Momentum] blows. Wiping both creatures out before he could even gain enough momentum to unleash his [Thunder Blow].
The encounters were intense but short. He didn't even have time to steal the [Gloomblack Silk].
He made the decision to push for maximum gain next. He continued exploring. And encountered a large chamber.
Before he could investigate the chamber further, however, the structure trembled. A patrol of five Gloomfang Spiders emerged. Two from the front. Two from the side crevices. And one dropped right behind him.
Nightclown immediately rolled away. Five targets. This was his high-risk engagement. But he had no time to retreat. The spider formation was cutting off his path back to known territory.
"I knew good fortune would always be followed by bad one." Nightclown grumbled immediately.
He instantly activated [Sprint!]. The world seemed to shifted into slow motion. The five spiders looked sluggish. Despite moving in a coordinated pattern.
Three of the Gloomfang Spiders immediately initiated [Web Spray!].
Nightclown quickly moved. Turning into a streak of grey against the gloom. His now-four-star [Speed] made him moved so fast that he left shimmering after-images behind him.
He bypassed the webbing easily. He struck the first spider. Delivering five consecutive brutal hits. Against the creature's head. Before it could even complete its attack animation.
It disintegrated.
The remaining four were now enraged and focused. Spamming [Web Spray!] to his position. Flooding the place with webs.
Nightclown used the speed advantage to circle the group. Staying behind their line of sight. Safe from the webs.
It forced them to spin awkwardly to track him. This maximized the window for his attacks.
THWACK! CRACK! BANG!
He took down the second and third spiders with rapid efficiency. Delivering pinpoint momentum gathering strikes to their weak points.
Only two remained. He re-activated his [Sprint!] and rushed the fourth spider. Intending a quick kill.
But the remaining fifth spider, managed to launch a surprise [Web Spray!] right into his path. He would get trapped and immobilized if he passed that location.
Even when moving at extreme speed, Nightclown made a spontaneous move. He activated [Stretch!] and extended his left arm upward. Slightly diagonally. Grabbing the stalactite on the ceiling.
Using it as the holding point, Nightclown jumped. Bypassing the webbed floor. And swung like a chimp toward the fourth spider.
He quickly finished the fourth spider with another momentum gathering strikes.
And then, he threw his nunchaku to dispatch the fifth. It rotated on air and struck the fifth Gloomfang Spider. Unexpectedly, the [Thunder Blast] weapon skill was activated. Demolishing the spider entirely.
Five high-threat targets cleared in less than a minute. Nightclown opened his mouth wide. He couldn't believe it himself.
The XP flowed in... 4500 XP.
He checked his Toon Watch. The daily allocation time for Toonworld access was... 0:02:18.
Only two minutes left. No time left to explore. He made mental calculation. When he entered the Toonworld tomorrow, it should be mid morning already in Toonworld. The stores would be open then.
He reached for his [Hearthstone]. Activated the recall function. And, together with Cammy, he warped back to the relative safety of his tree-stump home in the Toon Forest Village.