While Logan read and pondered, the headmaster sat quietly at his desk, wooden fingers folded. New flowers budded on the grassy knoll of his head. It was like sitting in a room with a Hayao Miyazaki character.
“So, there’s a real problem with all these things,” Logan said, glancing up at Shadowcroft. “You might get more powerful as you go, but my chances of surviving first-level encounters are terrible.”
Shadowcroft adjusted a flower on his head. “You aren’t wrong, Mr. Murray. However, your core simply can’t power anything better. Now, if you’d have come from an Apothos-rich world, like Eritreus, and if you were an Iron Trunk cultivator, C-Class—even a low-ranking one—you would have far more options with a much better chance of long-term success. Better still would’ve been the Azure Branch cultivator, B-Class, at any rank. We have some of those higher-level cultivators at our school. One of our top students in your class is a B-Class Abyss Lord, immune to non-magical weapons, able to summon hordes of devils and demons. He’s nearly undefeatable.”
“And I get to be a used Kleenex, a Red Lobster entrée, or Batman’s more mosquito cousin.” Logan blew out a breath and made his lips flap. “Great.”
The last in the line was the fungaloid class. Just looking at the image of the mopey little mushroom man made him depressed. He took a break to study the leveling system, which seemed to apply to both Dungeons and Raiders, so at least he’d have some sense of how he could progress.
<<<>>>
Ranks: All Classes are subdivided into ten ranks, starting at level 10, then proceeding incrementally to level 1. When a dungeon core or dungeoneer surpasses level 1, they advance to the next Class and begin the process over again.
U-Class (Dirt Cultivators): The masses. The vast majority of sentient fauna and flora fall into this category. U-Class creatures barely have enough Apothos to keep their hearts beating. Not particularly hardy, they are easily injured, cannot heal quickly, and are prone to sickness and death. U-Class do not have ranks. This is the foundational state of existence, only slightly more advanced than the dirt underfoot.
E-Class (Deep Root Cultivators): This is a starting hero. Deep Root cultivators have taken the first step to opening their cores to the power undergirding creation and have begun to passively cultivate small amounts of Apothos. They are slightly stronger than average creatures of the same type, but they have yet to commit to a cultivation path. Most cannot form an energy attack.
Elite soldiers or war-hardened athletes might have progressed to this level. Without training, such a dungeon core would be overwhelmed in minutes by even the weakest dungeoneers. The Deep Root cultivators, as with the rest of the cultivation levels, are ranked from 10 to 1, 10 being the highest, and 1 being on the cusp of advancement.
<<<>>>
Logan frowned. “So I’m a Deep Root cultivator, Class E, Rank 9. Some of that is probably thanks to the pawnshop game. Most of that is the Army. Hooah.” He kept on reading, though it was rather sobering to think that he was just a notch better than literal dirt. More daunting was how far he had to go until he advanced to an Iron Trunk cultivator—the basic entry level required for a successful dungeon core.
<<<>>>
C-Class (Iron Trunk Cultivators): This is the “average” dungeon core. They are just beginning but are still much stronger than most other creatures. Their bodies are harder and more powerful, and they have begun to actively cultivate the divine energy of the cosmos, putting them firmly on a class/cultivation path. No single C-Class dungeoneer could clear even the most basic C-Class dungeon singlehandedly—a group of Iron Trunk cultivators can be dangerous indeed.
Iron Trunk is the foundational class for most dungeons and dungeoneers because the Iron Trunk class transforms the body in dramatic ways, making those at this class sturdier and able to heal dramatically faster than those at lower classes. Those at higher tiers can heal grievous wounds quickly, while those in the highest Class Tier are even said to be able to regrow limbs. Most C-Class dungeoneers are still too squishy to survive alone in even low-level dungeons.
B-Class (Azure Branch Cultivators): At the third-strongest level, these cultivators are extremely powerful and dangerous. With focus and determination, they can externally shape their Apothos into devastating energy and magical attacks. A group of B- and C-Class dungeoneers is nothing to scoff at, especially for a new dungeon without much experience. Typically, Azure Branch cultivators comprise the majority of mid-ranged dungeoneers: successful and working their way up but nowhere near the top.
A-Class (Jade Leaf Cultivators): The second-strongest class, Jade Leaf cultivators are extremely powerful. Dungeon cores at the A-Class level are often entrusted with the defense of the most prestigious Celestial Nodes and are almost guaranteed any assignment they desire.
As for the Jade Leaf dungeoneers—even a single dungeoneer can clear a C-Class dungeon alone. Jade Leaf dungeoneers are both masters and specialists of their craft. Thanks to the hardy strength of Iron Trunk and the active cycling abilities of Azure Branch, these dungeoneers are nearly impossible to kill and can effortlessly shape their Apothos into attacks that defy explanation. Jade Leaf raiders frequently serve as powerful lords and ladies to the Monarch-Level S-Class. They often run powerful organizations or are senior guild members.
S-Class (Heartwood Cultivators): The strongest and rarest class of dungeons and dungeoneers. Every Heartwood cultivator is equivalent to a small army. Heartwood dungeons can span miles of territory and descend miles below the ground.
SS–Class (Crown): Little is known about Crown-level dungeon cores and dungeoneers or what they are capable of, in part because they rarely involve themselves in typical human affairs. Some dungeons, however, do achieve this ranking since they are capable of fighting more than one Heartwood dungeoneer at a time. The strongest Heartwood dungeoneer is approximately ten times weaker than the weakest Crown-class cultivator.
SSS–Class (Immortal Crown): Mythical beings with god-tier power. They are ascended masters of legend, and no one knows whether they even truly exist.
<<<>>>
Logan paused to think about the levels. Both dungeons and raiders were ranked in similar ways. The A-Class, or Jade Leaf cultivators, were like the B-Tier heroes of the Justice League while the S-Class, or Heartwood cultivators, were like the A-Tier. Logan figured the Heartwood cultivators would be like Superman deciding to do a dungeon crawl.
It was strange to think that these dungeoneers were actively raiding dungeons and destroying worlds. Did they know and not care? And why raid these places at all if it was so dangerous? What were their end goals? What did they get out of the arrangement that made it worth the risk?
He glanced at Shadowcroft, who was massaging the grass around one of his skull flowers. “So, hey, old-timer, what class of dungeon core are you? I’m assuming you’re a dungeon core, right?”
“Indeed, I am.” Shadowcroft smiled. “But what I am matters not to you. You must pick your guardian form, Mr. Murray. We have run out of time.”
Logan wasn’t going to press the question. Afterall, Shadowcroft he had to be at least S-Class since he was running the show.
But stalling for answers wasn’t going to change his situation. He needed to pick a guardian form, and he needed to do it quickly. The only other guardian left for Logan to study was the fungaloid. Reluctantly, he clicked on the image of the stumpy creature and pulled up its details. It wasn’t much at first glance. Little humanoid dude, about three feet tall, with a red-and-white toadstool head. Not only did the thing look silly, it had bad mobility and was super weak against fire. The little guy was as flammable as a newspaper soaked in lighter fluid. It also didn’t have any kind of physical attack, not at the first level, and its defenses were next to nonexistent.