Upgrade, Open the Treasure Chest

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"

Two inn attendants grunted as they loaded all ten large barrels filled with flammables onto the Floating Disk.

A barrel of strong liquor weighed fifty pounds, while a barrel of lamp oil weighed forty—well within the Floating Disk's carrying limit.

Since the most important thing when dealing with a Gelatinous Cube was to stay quiet and avoid revealing themselves, only Marvin and the gnome proprietor descended into the cellar again today. The inn staff remained aboveground.

"If we don't come back, report this to the Flaming Fist Mercenary Company." The gnome proprietor left these last words with a tragic expression. "And tell my parents that I love them."

Marvin found it amusing, but said nothing.

Following yesterday's route, the two arrived once more before the cellar's large iron door.

The gnome proprietor took a deep breath and opened it.

The sound of the ancient, rusted latch disturbed the behemoth lurking deep within the cellar.

That clammy, skin-crawling squelching sound rose again, drawing closer and closer.

Marvin used the same trick as before, raising a curtain of wind at the doorway with [Wind Dance] to cut off the airflow between inside and outside.

Before long, the Gelatinous Cube stopped moving when it failed to smell any organic matter.

The disgusting squelching ceased.

"Thank the Vigilant One, the Gem Cutter, the greatest master of pranks..." Freed from danger, the gnome proprietor prayed under his breath.

The many titles he recited all belonged to one being—the gnome chief god, Garl Glittergold.

Marvin had no interest in praying to gods.

He began planning the next step.

At his mental command, the Floating Disk laden with flammables silently glided into the cellar until it reached its maximum distance.

Marvin picked up a pebble from the ground and cast [Light] on it.

White radiance instantly filled the entire space.

He then took two bottles of Alchemist's Fire from his robes. They were supplies the original owner had prepared for adventuring. After his failed first venture, only these last two bottles remained.

Marvin handed the two explosive bottles to the gnome proprietor. "Wait for my command."

Seeing the gnome proprietor accept the Alchemist's Fire with trembling hands, he reassured him, "Don't worry. The enemy is huge, and there's plenty of light. You won't miss."

Seeing how calm Marvin was, the gnome proprietor finally settled down.

Then Marvin dismissed [Tenser's Floating Disk].

BOOM!

The ten wooden barrels crashed to the ground.

He immediately threw in the glowing stone as well.

This series of noises thoroughly disturbed the Gelatinous Cube.

The wet, sticky squelching that made one nauseous sounded again, growing faster and faster.

Under the illumination of magical light, the two finally saw their enemy clearly.

A mass of muddy substance that blocked the entire passage surged from the depths of the cellar like a living wave.

Within its translucent wine-red body, thousands of bones large and small rolled and churned with its movements, creating a bizarre and horrifying sight.

"Garl Glittergold above, I absolutely refuse to be eaten by that thing!" The gnome proprietor's beard shook wildly as he sucked in a sharp breath.

The Gelatinous Cube spread its body and swallowed the barrels of liquor and lamp oil in a single gulp—well, that was not quite accurate. A Gelatinous Cube had no mouth, or rather, its entire body was a mouth.

In any case, Marvin knew the perfect opportunity had arrived and shouted, "Now!"

The gnome proprietor jolted and hurled the two bottles of Alchemist's Fire.

It was said that every gnome inherited stone-throwing skills from their ancestors' battles against giants. So despite his lack of combat experience, the gnome proprietor accurately threw the Alchemist's Fire onto the Gelatinous Cube.

The glass bottles shattered. The flammable alchemical substance burst into two fireballs upon contact with the air, engulfing the Gelatinous Cube.

However, the Alchemist's Fire only threw the Gelatinous Cube into confusion and pain; it failed to ignite the flammables inside its body.

At that moment, rapid Draconic echoed through the tunnel.

Marvin was casting a spell.

He drew upon magic and shaped it into a spell.

Incantation, gestures—flawless.

The results of the original owner's countless spell practices in the mage tower manifested at that moment.

"Burning Hands!" A scorching torrent of fire burst from Marvin's palm and pierced the Gelatinous Cube's jelly-like body.

BOOM!

The flammables within the Gelatinous Cube ignited instantly. The flames expanded violently and completely devoured its massive body.

"Control Fire!"

Marvin acted again, promptly confining the raging flames within the cellar.

This cantrip could control the direction in which nonmagical fire spread. Otherwise, the two standing at the doorway would have been caught in it too—at best covered in soot, at worst burned all over.

The flames relentlessly consumed the Gelatinous Cube's alcohol-soaked body.

This sludge-like monster, which had devoured who knew how many lives, let out a silent scream of agony. The entire cellar trembled faintly, and stone chips rained down from the ceiling.

Marvin remained unmoved and continued casting [Wind Dance], sending fresh air from outside into the cellar to intensify the combustion.

After an unknown amount of time, a notification rang in his mind.

"Gelatinous Cube killed. Gained 200 experience."

Only then did Marvin stop casting.

The two silently watched as the flames in the cellar dwindled from a roaring blaze to nothing.

Once the temperature inside the cellar had fallen to a level humans could endure, they went in to inspect it.

The once-massive monster had vanished completely in the flames, leaving behind only scattered "kitchen scraps" that testified to its former existence.

Crack!

The gnome proprietor stepped on a bone that had been carbonized by the heat and become especially brittle, startling him.

Then his voice turned excited. "Gold coins, so many gold coins, and gems! Oh, poor John, this was his favorite dagger..."

A Gelatinous Cube could only digest organic matter. The unlucky people it consumed left metal and stone items behind inside it.

Killing a Gelatinous Cube was equivalent to opening a treasure chest. With good luck, one could make a fortune.

However, Marvin had no time to collect the spoils.

Because the system in his mind had begun calculating his rewards.

Quest: Clear the Friendly Arm Inn Cellar

Successfully completed.

Beginning reward calculation.

Ding!

"Total success rate reached 100%. You have received the base reward: one Intelligence Fragment."

Ding!

"Total success rate reached 200%. You have received the additional reward: choose one level 2 class feature from the eight major schools."

Ding!

"Total success rate reached 300%. You have received the advanced reward: 300 experience."

"Congratulations, you have reached level 2. You may level up an existing class or multiclass into a new class."

As a spellcaster, he should not mess around with multiclass acrobatics. He should first raise his main class level and gain more powerful spells.

Marvin silently said, "Level up my existing class."

"[Mage · Scribes Guild] has reached level 2."

"Level 1 spell slots +1. Spells prepared per day +1."

"You have mastered the Scribes Guild level 2 features [Mage's Quill] and [Awakened Spellbook]."

[Mage's Quill]: Create a quill with magic. Writing with this quill does not consume ink. The time required to copy scrolls and transcribe spells is reduced by half.

[Awakened Spellbook]: Your spellbook can be used as an arcane focus. When you cast an attack spell, its damage type may be replaced by that of another spell of the same level in your spellbook.

Although the Scribes Guild mage subclass was not especially powerful in direct combat, its methods were flexible and varied, and it offered numerous bonuses when copying scrolls.

For Marvin, who had resolved to lie low and develop steadily, this class suited him perfectly.

Not only would it give him a more ample stockpile of supplies, it also provided another means of making money.

The level-up notifications continued pouring in.

"You have mastered the mage level 2 universal feature [Scholar]. Choose one proficient skill to upgrade to expertise."

"I choose [Arcana]."

"[Arcana] has been upgraded to expertise. Please choose two spells to add to your spellbook."

By increasing mage levels through the panel, he automatically gained two new spells at every level.

That was far more convenient than the natives of Faerûn, who had to slowly learn spells themselves.

Marvin browsed the spell list and selected [Tasha's Hideous Laughter] and [Feather Fall].

The former was an enchantment spell that could make an enemy laugh uncontrollably.

The latter could reduce a target's falling speed and prevent all falling damage. It could prove extraordinarily useful in many situations.