《The Dungeon's Worst Little Mistake》


 Prologue + Chapter 1.1- Birth of a Bug

    -The Dungeon''s Worst Little Mistake-


    -Book I-


    Creation


    -Prologue-


    //System status = online


    //51865 days since Dungeon_System_117 operations commenced


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //>Run.Order Daily_Routing _Maintenance


    //Running¡­


    //Running¡­


    //Running¡­


    //Order complete


    //System status complied


    //Mana intake up 1.07%


    //Floor_7/Construction Project complete


    //Floor_18/Damage Repairs complete


    //Floor_21/Level Skip patched


    //Bug.1387 ¨C Bug.1412 patched


    //>Stop


    //¡­


    //System_Maintenance_Notes stopped


    //27 other System_Maintenance_Notes unread.


    //System_Patch_Notes delivered to inbox


    //¡­


    //>Run.Order Floor_Status_Check


    //Running¡­


    //Order Complete


    //Floor_Status_Check compiled


    //Floor_1/ 0%


    //All mobs cleared


    //All treasure cleared


    //All resources cleared


    //All traps disabled


    //Floor_2/ 5%


    //All mobs cleared


    //All treasures cleared


    //All resources cleared


    //Floor_3/ 17%


    //All treasures cleared


    //Floor_4/ 34%


    //All treasures cleared


    //Floor_5/ 73%


    //Boss Status/ W/L = 2/4


    //Floor_6/ 92%


    //Floor_7/ 98%


    //Floor_8/ 98%


    //Floor_9/ 97%


    //Floor_10/ 34%


    //Boss Status/ W/L = 0/2


    //Floor_11/ 91%


    //Floor_12/ 98%


    //Floor_13/ 98%


    //Floor_14/ 97%


    //Floor_15/ 93%


    //Floor_16/ 96%


    //Floor_17/ 92%


    //Floor_18/ 99%


    //Floor_19/ 86%


    //Floor_20/ 51%


    //Boss Status/ W/L = 1/1


    //Floor_21/ 91%


    //Floor_22/ 98%


    //Floor_23/ 97%


    //Floor_24/ 97%


    //Floor_25/ 91%


    //Floor_26/ 96%


    //Floor_27/ 90%


    //Floor_28/ 80%


    //Floor_29/ 69%


    //Floor_30/ 93%


    //Boss Status/ W/L = 1/0


    //Floor_31/ 100%


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    //Floor_32/ 100%


    //>Stop


    //¡­


    //Floor_Status_Check stopped


    //>Run.Order Floor_Restock


    //Running¡­


    //Running¡­


    //Running¡­


    //Running¡­


    //Order Complete


    //All floors restocked


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //Error detected


    //Order Completed Incorrectly


    //>Show Error


    //Floor_Restock/ Bug.1413


    //Floor_Status


    //Floor_1/ 101%


    //Error_ Description [Excess Mana sent to floor_1. Suspected to be caused by rounding error. Bug has been noted and Ticket made for next scheduled patch.]


    //>Run.Order Mana_Drain/Floor_1/01%


    //Running¡­


    //Running¡­


    //Running¡­


    //Running¡­


    //Order failed


    //Failure_Description [All allocated mana manifested. Retrieval impossible until all entities on Floor_1 are cleared.]


    //Solution found


    //Solution_Description [Wait. Floor_1 has a near 100% clear rate since Days_Operated/ 496.]


    //>Run.Order Locate_Error_Entity/Floor_1/Bug.1413


    //Running¡­


    //Running¡­


    //Running¡­


    //Order Complete


    //Entity Identified


    //Gremlin.316.32.9898 [Designation changed to Bug.1413]


    //Bug.1413_Error_Description [Excess mana used during manifestation. Excess converted into 10 free stat point.]


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //Warning


    //Unpermitted Sapient_Entity detected


    //Bug.1413 sapience detected


    //Sapient_Dungeon_Mob_Protocols initiated


    //Grant Bug.1413 User_Level_Clearance?


    //>n


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //Admin override detected


    //¡­


    //Sapient_Dungeon_Mob_Protocols reinitiated


    //Grant Bug.1413 User_Level_Clearance?


    //>y


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //Bug.1413 User_Level_Clearance granted


    //...


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //Admin override retracted


    //All current tasks complete


    //Dungeon Status at 100%


    //Time 00:00


    //Starting Day


    <hr>


    -Chapter I-


    Birth of a Bug


    Tucked away in a dark corner, hidden behind the twisting corridors of rocky walls dripping with water and covered in damp moss, a large plant bulb rapidly grows and swells. Its bulb heavy with a sloshing liquid material which quickly solidifies into the silhouette of a form that shows through the protective flesh of the gestating plant¡¯s bulb.


    The plant¡¯s bulb, no larger than a human child curled up on themselves, is quick to complete its work. Within moments of growing, the plant is already expelling the contents of it bulbus womb.


    It tears; cell membranes releasing their bonds and allowing the skin of the bulb to split into four as amniotic fluid spills out through the opening. The plant, its job complete and no longer needed, promptly dies and falls apart as the dungeon cuts off its supply of mana through its roots. Unfolding to the floor like a wet blooming flower, it releases its package, which rolls off of it in a slow flow of fluids, umbilical cord coming loose and falling free as it tumbles away from the pod.


    The creature that was just birthed takes a few moments before beginning to violently cough. Hacking up a lungful of amniotic fluid and clearing its throat.


    The creature is wet and cold, its fur soaked in fluids and caked in dirt. Following its instincts, the creature sluggishly gets up onto its hands and knees and crawls over to the dead plant.


    Hunger pushes it to consume the plant that birthed it, and it continues to do so until there is nothing more than its withered base and roots left behind to rot and be absorbed back into the Dungeon.


    Stomach full and satisfied, the creature sets to work on cleaning itself. Licking off all of the amniotic fluid and wiping away the dirt that coats its fur covered body.


    It takes some time, but the creature eventually finishes grooming itself. It does not rush, as the Dungeon is still silent. The instincts that it was born with whisper that the Dungeon is safe at this hour.


    The entrance has yet to open for the day.


    <hr>


    The creature explores its new home curiously. Walking away on two legs that took only moments to learn how to use, it aimlessly looks around at everything it can find. Finding wet moss that is squishy under its fingers and taste interesting, wet rocks that are smooth and shiny under the light of the blue glowing mushrooms that fill the caverns corners and ceiling, lighting the Dungeon with a gentle glow. The glowing mushrooms are edible, but don¡¯t taste good. However, there are other mushrooms that the creature finds, but its instincts scream at it not to eat those. The moss tastes better anyways.


    Besides all of these interesting things, there are also other plant bulbs scattered about the place. Often times they can even be found practically filling some of the rooms that the creature walks past. They are heavy with the coming births other creatures and are close to bursting. The creature considers eating one but decides not to as it is already full. Its plant and the moss it''s been snacking on have already filled it up.


    Something in one of the rooms it was passing by catches its eye. Something shiny.


    It runs over, ignoring all of the bulbs filling the room it just entered and snatches up the object. Holding it up to the light of the glowing mushrooms, the creature looks it over from every angle, marveling as the light shines on the extra shiny blue rock. Its surface is reflective, showing images of the cave around it and the very creature that holds it.


    It blinks, peering into the reflective surface and marveling at the reflection of its own eyes. They shine blood red even in the reflection of the shiny blue rock.


    The creature, despite having hardly a single thought going through its head, instantly makes a decision.


    My rock.


    An awkward smile spreads across its face of its own accord as the creature stands up, shiny blue rock safely gripped in its hand. Leaving the room, the creature ignores the noises of plant pods bursting and of the other creatures being birthed. It knows that they will come out weak and will be taking their time to eat their pods and clean their bodies. They won''t be bothering the creature for now.


    Instead, it chooses to move and try to find a place to hide. The shiny blue rock is simply too much of a temptation. If the others were to see it, there is no doubt in its mind that they would try to take it for themselves.


    As it walks, taking turns and backtracking at dead ends, moving to find a quiet place to hide. The creature finds something shiny floating and flashing in its vision that it hadn¡¯t really noticed up until now. Being that it was far too distracted by squishy wet moss and shiny rocks, it is pretty easy to understand how it could ignore the little dot until now. But now it is sort of starting bother the creature, having this thing floating and flashing in its vision.


    Yet no matter how it tries to blink its eyes or rub at them, the shiny dot just simply doesn¡¯t go away from its vision. Getting a bit irritated, it tries taking some swipes at the dot with its hand, but it can¡¯t hit something that is floating in its vision. Irritation growing at this anomaly, it takes one last swipe, pushing its anger into its will and wishing to touch the dot.


    It finally responds and moves, scaring the creature into jumping a bit and letting out a startled call. Thankfully it didn¡¯t drop the shiny blue rock in its fright. It has no idea if dropping it would break it or not.


    Now though, the creature comes to a new problem. The dot got much bigger. Having grown to the point of blocking most of its view.


    Thankfully, the creature can still see through the obstruction some. But having some glowing thing -not exactly a dot anymore- blocking its vision is not exactly ideal. Especially if it is going to get in the way of looking at the shiny blue rock.


    The creature gets angry again, swiping away at the glowing thing obscuring its vision.


    The swiping isn¡¯t working, but it notices an area that is flashing. Maybe if it hit it there like it did the dot? Perhaps that will make it go away?


    Putting in some effort, it swipes at the flashing light, and something manages to happen, much to the joy, and then subsequent disappointment of the creature.


    The light thing didn¡¯t go away. Instead, it just changed a bit and now there is a bunch of other flashing lights.


    Annoying! Ahhhhhh!


    The creature, having learned that hitting the flashing lights makes stuff happen, simply starts to hit anything that it can. Hitting and hitting and hitting until all the lights stop flashing and there is only one left. It is larger that the others, and it didn¡¯t start flashing until the others stopped. It must be important.


    The creature hits it, only needing one try this time as it has gotten much better at hitting the glowing lights during the last minute or so.


    The light thing changes again. Subtlety. But the creature can feel something happening.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Pain¡­


    Pain¡­¡­.


    Pain!


    It hurts!!!


    ¡°AhhhhhhhhhhhhhAhahaaaaaaaAA!!!!!!¡±


    Pain flashes through the creature and it screams, writhing around as it falls to its knees. Collapsing to its side, the creature kicks and flails, burning pain coursing though its head and down though its entire body like fire in its veins.


    It wants the pain to stop. Anything for the pain to go away as its body heats up and it starts to drip with sweat.


    Its eyes fall onto the shiny blue rock. So beautifully shiny in the light of the glowing mushrooms.


    It doesn¡¯t hesitate.


    It bashes the shiny blue rock against its own head.


    Once.


    Twice.


    Thrice.


    It goes for a fourth blow, but the energy to move quickly falls away from the screaming creature. Its arms falling to the floor, the shiny blood covered blue rock dropping from its grip as its vision goes dark.

 Chapter 1.2- Birth of a Bug

    ¡°Ehhhhh¡­¡­ greeeee¡­.¡±


    Consciousness comes back like a slow wave of sludge. Slowly filling the mind and drawing awareness to the surface. With heavy eyelids, she slowly drags herself back to awareness, her mind taking its time to process everything as aching bones and muscles work to pull her into sitting upright.


    Bleary eyes finally starting to work, she blinks again and again as her pupils take a second to adjust to the soft light of the Dungeon.


    ¡°What in the¡­? Achh! Ouch¡­¡±


    Moving a hand up to her head, she pulls it away wet with a bit of blood. Her head aching as she looks around.


    Rocky cave walls, wet with water, green squishy moss, blue glowing mushrooms, and a hard dirt covered floor¡­


    ¡°This is the Dungeon¡­ Yes, yes. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m in the Dungeon. I was walking and then¡­ Ahhhh! My rock! Where is my rock?!¡± She asks, looking around franticly, even as the motion hurts her head and makes her feel dizzy.


    There it is!


    Sitting just off to the side, she finds it. It had rolled away from her after she had let it go. Quickly lunging for it, she scoops it up and tightly holds it to her chest.


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness¡­¡±


    Pulling it up, she looks into the rocks surface. Half of it is regretfully covered in dried blood now. But she had found a number of springs and ponds earlier in her wandering. She can wash the blood off, and it will be just fine.


    Looking at her reflection, she finds a curious sight. Her eyes. She could have sworn that her eyes had shown red in the rock''s reflection. But now they are green¡­


    My eyes changed?


    My¡­?


    Wait¡­ Me?


    She looks down at herself. Her own pain and the worries for the shiny blue rock no longer filling her mind. Taking in her hands, arms, leg, and feet. Looking over and feeling at her body inquisitive. Her hand stopping just as it feels over her chest, catching the rhythm of her own beating heart.


    ¡°Wha¡­ What is this? Who¡­ Who am I?¡±


    ¡­


    She just keeps sitting there on the dirt covered floor. Her head aching as she looks around at the Dungeon.


    She knows that this is the Dungeon. It is where she was born. She knows that the moss is edible, tasty even. The water is drinkable. The rocks are good for throwing. She knows that she isn¡¯t the only one here and also that, despite being born from the Dungeon, she is not safe in the Dungeon.


    But she doesn¡¯t know who she is¡­


    She doesn¡¯t even know what she is¡­


    Her body is small, she thinks? She hasn¡¯t had a chance to compare herself to other beings yet. She is covered in brown fur, but not her entire body. The fur only covers her arms up to her shoulders, and her legs and waist, stopping at her hips just shy of reaching her navel. The rest of her, from what she can see is hairless, her skin a shade of tan. But she cares little for such details, let alone the growths of fat on her chest. She hadn¡¯t even cared about those before, and honestly, they don¡¯t really seem all that important. So, she ignores them.


    Examining her hands, she finds that her fingers end in little claws. She¡¯s not entirely certain how useful they would be in a fight, but she does figure out that they are useful for when she has an itch to scratch on her leg. And looking behind her, she finds a long skinny tail that grows from her back side. It has a light covering of tiny, practically invisible, hairs that runs down its length, but from how it looks, it might as well be hairless.


    Reaching up, she feels at her head and finds some short lengths of hair that covers her head. She doesn¡¯t remember having hair¡­ Besides that, is her ears, which are big, long, and fluffy. They move as she pokes at them. She is curious about why it is that she had never noticed her own ears of all things until now, especially considering how big they are... Other than that, there is a big bloody welt on her head from where she had hit herself. Touching it hurt¡­


    How is she only just now learning what her body looks like? Her memories literally go back all the way to her birth, but yet, somehow, at no point had she tried to really figure out her own body. Almost as if she had zero interest in who or what she was right up until this moment¡­


    Although, honestly, she can¡¯t remember doing very much thinking at all up until she just woke up¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­ None of this really tells me who or what I am¡­¡±


    Scratching at her head and squinting her eyes, she tries to focus on the information that she was born with from the Dungeon. Something tickles at her mind, and she manages to fight and grab it through the pain of her headache.


    Humans? Am I a human?


    ¡­.


    Mmmm, no¡­ No, I¡¯m not. Humans don¡¯t have fur or tails or ears like mine¡­ I think that there are other races, but I can¡¯t really think of them very well. Just that some of them have horns¡­ And some do have fur and tails? Huh¡­


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    So, I¡¯m not a human, but then what am I?


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Finally, she notices the flashing light in the corner of her vision. Her memories instantly go back to the flashing lights that she had tried hitting and then the searing pain that ripped through her entire body.


    Fear goes through her at the sight of it, but also curiosity¡­


    It is what caused all of this and maybe, just maybe. It might have the answers that she needs.


    With much trepidation and a shaking hand, she reaches out and touches the dot of flashing light.


    It responds to her touch and expands across her vision, making her suddenly jump in fright. Arms crossed before of her face, she waits for the pain to come, but nothing happens.


    Instead, as she lowers her arms, she finds a floating square in front of her. A screen with text written on it.


    Blinking a few times at the weird sight, she decides to read the text that she finds. Not even thinking to ask why it is that she can read the words displayed before her.


    Build, Inventory, Stats, Dungeon Map, Points Store, Mail, and Settings. These words rest at the top of the screen. Looking over the current display, she finds an image of herself displayed before her, standing up straight with her arms at her sides. Her image is displayed within a window and surrounding it is a bunch of brackets that are all showing as [None Equipped]. She looks over the brackets, reading some.


    ¡°Chest, legs, feet, hands, head¡­ What¡¯s this?¡±


    Noticing a little ¡®i¡¯ symbol she clicks on it. Another window pops up.


    ¡°Any clothing or armor that you wear will be listed and displayed here¡­ Information will also be displayed to help you better understand the defensive capabilities of any gear that you wear. If you wish to compare any gear to something that you are already wearing, simply hold it and press the compare item button. This feature is intended to help you find and use the best gear that you can. Though, nothing is stopping you from wearing as much as you can fit on you person. Your body is your own limit, and the system will adapt to accommodate¡­¡±


    Poking around, she hits a little red ¡®x¡¯ in the corner, and it closes the helpful window. ¡°Oh!¡±


    Up in the corner of the main screen is another little red ¡®x.¡¯


    ¡°So that¡¯s how I was supposed to get rid of it¡­ Great, I wish I would have known that earlier¡­¡±


    Besides everything else on the screen, the image of her body is at least somewhat interesting to look at. Though she quickly finds herself losing interested in how she looks.


    My eyes are pretty at least. Shiny and green. I wonder if I can find any shiny rocks that look like them?


    Shifting her attention back up to the top of the display, she finds two things of note. One, the word ¡®Build¡¯ is currently looking more solid and forward than the rest, like it is a part of the current screen that she is on. And second, the word ¡®Mail¡¯ is flashing at her like it wants to draw her attention. Honestly, it is sort of annoying¡­


    Deciding that clicking on it will probably make it stop flashing, she goes ahead and does so.


    The screen changes as a result, ¡®Build¡¯ moving to the back some while ¡®Mail¡¯ comes forward along with the new screen.


    Looking over the screen, she finds a few options.


    Send Mail, Inbox, Chat, Rewards, Bug Report.


    ¡®Inbox¡¯ is flashing, so she clicks on it, causing a new window to pop up. Inside is a single line of text with a letter and a present symbol. The text simply read, ¡®Welcome!¡¯ and is flashing, so she clicks on it.


    Much to her bewilderment, yet another window pops up, this one with a bunch more text. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Just how many of these things are there going to be?¡±


    Huffing at this weird thing, she reads the words.


    <hr>


    Dear, Bug 1413,


    Welcome to the System!


    We are proud to include you as one of the select few to be granted access to the Protype Magical Operating System developed by REDACTED. As of right now, this system is only in use by Dungeons and their Sapient Class Entities for the purpose of testing and quality control.


    As a Sapient Class Entity under the command of a Dungeon, you have been granted access to the System! Congratulations!


    As a newly born Sapient Class Entity, we are certain that you have a lot of questions and concerns. We understand, and it is our desire to assist you to the best of our ability.


    Contained within this message is a gift. Please click on the link bellow to receive it. This is your beginners package put together, just for you, by REDACTED. Please enjoy!


    After receiving your gift, you can find it in your inventory.


    Best of luck and please enjoy your access to the System.


    Sincerely and with best wishes, REDACTED.


    <hr>


    ¡°Ok¡­ So, this is the System?¡± She asks. Looking up to the beginning of the message, she reads the first line again. ¡®Dear, Bug 1413,¡¯


    ¡°Is, is that my name? Bug 1413? Hmmmmm¡­ Well, I certainly don¡¯t feel like a bug, or look like a bug¡­ But I guess it is at least something for now. Bug 1413¡­ I think I¡¯ll just call myself Bug. It¡¯s easier.¡± Bug tells herself.


    Nodding her head, she follows the directions written in the letter and clicks on the link. Yet another window pops up and tells her that a gift has been placed in her inventory. Closing all of the extra windows and cleaning up her view, she follows the directions and clicks on ¡®Inventory.¡¯ Her screen changes and shows a display of rows and columns of boxes. Only a single box has anything in it. A picture of a little present with a red bow on top.


    Clicking on it, a prompt pops up asking if she would like to open it.


    She clicks yes and the prompt disappears. In her inventory, several of the boxes get filled with new icons. One looks like a letter and is flashing, so she clicks on it, causing yet another a new window to appear.


    ¡°Hello, Bug 1413, good job on opening your first gift box. If we had the Quests and Achievements system up and running, you would have just earned one¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s an Achievement? Ehhh¡­¡±


    ¡°In this gift, we have given you some clothes so that you aren¡¯t running around naked. We know that Entities in your current position don¡¯t typically care about nudity, but you will quickly come to find clothes and armor to be quite useful. Please get in the habit of wearing them¡­¡±


    Bug looks down at herself. ¡°Is it weird to be naked? Hmm¡­ If it¡¯s useful, then I¡¯ll use it.¡± She says with a shrug.


    Continuing to read out loud. ¡°The other items that have been provided for you is a dagger, a canteen for storing water, a cookie baked by REDACTED just for you, and a handy Knowledge that will help you learn to navigate the basics of the System. It will also provide you with some very basic information outside of your standard Dungeon-Born Knowledge. Please note that you don¡¯t have to actually read the manual. The Knowledge is just learned when you accept it¡­¡±


    Bug continues to read over the letter until she gets the basic idea of what she is supposed to do. Following the instructions, she clicks on the book in her inventory and selects yes when prompted to learn it.


    Yet again, the system makes another window pop up. This one with a little bar that is filling up from left to right.


    ¡°Why does the System have to make so many of these boxes keep popping up? So annoying¡­¡±


    Watching the bar fill, Bug find that her head is hurting a bit more. Once the bar fills up completely, she gets hit with a burst of pain that has her collapsing to her knees and gritting her teeth.


    ¡°Ahch¡­.! Ahhh! Why does it have to hurt!?¡±


    Thankfully, the pain passes quickly, only leaving her with a slightly worse headache and the bloody bump on her head pulsing angrily.


    ¡°Ahh, that sucked¡­¡±


    At least it wasn¡¯t as bad as the first time.

 Chapter 1.3- Birth of a Bug

    Working through her headache, Bug looks to the System displayed before her, and for the first time in her life, all of the buttons and options before her finally make sense.


    She immediately clicks on the ¡®Settings¡¯ tab and starts going through the menu. Selecting different options and toggling different settings on and off. Dragging things to where she wants them and resizing things that are too big or too small.


    Hitting ¡®Save,¡¯ her display immediately shifts and collapses on itself down to the bottom of her vision, no longer blocking most of her vision.


    ¡°There we go, now I have a HUD¡­ Much better.¡±


    Along the bottom of her field of view is the line of tabs. Directing her attention to a specific tab and willing it open causes it to display itself. Experimenting, Bug opens and closes several tabs and pop-up windows. Seeing how fast she can direct and navigate them.


    Much easier than having to click on everything. They even have a way for using gestures to control everything. Why is pushing buttons the default setting? Just doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡±


    Aside from the Menu Tabs displayed on the bottom, Bug went ahead and enabled her mini map and compass in the top right corner of her vision. More features that should have been on by default in her opinion. While in the bottom right is her display for heath, stamina, and mana. Their values are determined by a number of variables that all go over Bug¡¯s head due to being too complicated, but as far as she needs to know. If her health hits zero, she¡¯s dead. If her stamina hits zero, running and fighting will become much, much, more tiring; even to the point of hurting herself if she pushes herself too hard. And finally, if mana hits zero. Bug will be unable to use magic¡­


    Bug doesn¡¯t know any magic¡­


    Guess I don¡¯t have to worry about that for now.


    With her HUD set up and her system working a bit more intuitively. She opens up her inventory and follows the other instructions noted in the letter.


    A cotton shirt, shorts, some underclothes that are supposed to be for protecting her decency or whatever, and lastly, some simple leather arm guards and leg guards. She didn¡¯t get any boots because her feet aren¡¯t exactly footwear friendly. The new information in her head tells her that she should be able to find some magic boots at some point that will solve that problem.


    Going over each one of the items, Bug equips them all. The items materializing out of thin air and already dressed on her body. Experimenting, she equips and unequips her shirt a few times, watching as it goes in and out of her inventory.


    Still not sure about clothes¡­ At least the guards give me some protection. I guess the clothes will help keep my body warm where my fur doesn¡¯t reach. And it seems like the chest wrap that goes under the shirt is useful for keeping these mounds on my chest from moving around too much¡­ Guess I can keep wearing them.


    With that out of the way, Bug brings up her shiny blue rock and tries to put it in her inventory. With a little push of will, the shiny blue rock disappears, and one of the boxes gets filled. She clicks on it and its information gets displayed.


    ¡°A small mana crystal [Covered in blood]. These crystals are generated by Dungeons as lootable resources and are highly valued by mortals. Dungeons are one of the few places in the world with a constant and near infinitely renewable supply of these resources. It is primarily for this reason that Dungeons are not just tolerated but are also fiercely protected by mortals. Often times, a Dungeon could become the foundation of entire cities or even Kingdoms as mortals continuously plunge their depths in search of these treasures¡­¡±


    Pulling the mana crystal back out of her inventory, Bug admires it and smiles. ¡°Treasures¡­ so that means that I can find more of these, right?¡±


    She puts away her treasure and looks down the halls of the Dungeon. Checking her clock that she placed above her mini map; she smiles as she gets to walking.


    ¡°I¡¯ve two hours until the Dungeon opens for the day. Before the humans start coming in here, I¡¯m going to find as many of these treasures as I can! Not like I have anything else to do¡­ Hmm, I guess that the Dungeon does wants me to kill the humans though¡­ So, I could try doing that. But before that! Most importantly, I want the TREASURES!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡®A smooth rock. Fits well in the palm of the hand and is good for throwing.¡¯


    ¡®Dungeon moss. A source of food for the weakest of the Dungeon¡¯s creatures. Tastes alright.¡¯


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡®A sharp rock. Hit someone hard enough with it and they will probably bleed. A poor alternative to a blade.¡¯


    ¡®A piece of flint. Good for starting fires if you know how. Or can be used to make a shabby knife or arrowhead. If you know how¡­¡¯


    ¡®A bundle of rope. A lost item most likely dropped by an adventurer. Rope has a lot of uses if you can learn to tie knots.¡¯


    ¡®A boot. Sort of useless without its pair¡­ If your desperate, you can boil it and eat it? Or maybe wear it as a hat. You could throw at people! That¡¯s a good use.¡¯


    ¡°What the hell is up with these item descriptions?! Especially that last one¡­¡±


    Bug looks at the boot and decides to toss it. She doesn¡¯t need it taking up space in her inventory. Instead, as she walks, she continues to snatch up any smooth and sharp looking rocks that she can find.


    Conveniently, the inventory has a system of stacking similar items rather than taking up more slots. After learning this, Bug has made it a goal to have as many rocks as she can stored at all times.


    Beside the knife that she got in the gift, she doesn¡¯t exactly have any other way of attacking threats. So having the option of throwing an endless number of stones at things is a very appealing idea.


    Disregarding a few more trash items laying around the Dungeon, Bug continues to wander the halls, no real destination in mind.


    As Bug walks, she grimaces a bit from the pain in her head. Reaching up a hand and feeling at it, Bug finds the wound has stopped bleeding, leaving a patch of dried blood in her hair.


    She checks her HP and find that it still sitting at 26/30 just like it was when she had first checked it.


    Mmm, annoying. I wonder how long it will take to heal?


    Adding another smooth rock to her inventory, she notices the cookie that was part of the gift. Curiosity compels her to click on it and read the description.


    ¡°Chocolate chip cookie. A tasty treat baked just for you by REDACTED. She saw that nasty head wound you got and wanted to give you something to help it feel better. Please Enjoy!¡±


    A tasty treat? Hm, well I guess I could give it a try¡­


    Taking it out of her inventory, she gives it a look over. It is surprisingly warm and soft, and the little black bits are melting some, getting on the palm of her hand and her fingers. Thankfully, her hands aren¡¯t covered in fur, so she doesn¡¯t have to worry about getting any of it stuck in there.


    But besides the warmth and just the general feel and look of the cookie, there is the smell. It is a smell that Bug has never smelled before in her short life, and it is nearly intoxicating. Before she knows it, her mouth is already watering just from being in the presence of this mysterious thing.


    She takes a bite, and for a short moment, she experiences true unadulterated happiness and pleasure.


    The contact of warm melting chocolate on her tongue alone is almost enough to bring her to her knees. Tears threating to fall from her eyes, she crams the rest of the cookie into her mouth, chewing it as warm melty dough fills her cheeks and sugar lights her brain up with bursts of dopamine like firecrackers popping in her skull.


    She swallows it, the cookie disappearing forever into her stomach as she frantically works to lick up any loose crumbs and smudges of chocolate that she can find on her hands.


    And then it was gone.


    Breathing hard and shaking, staring at her hands like a mad woman, she finally realizes what she had just done. She had eaten the cookie far too quickly. One bite and it was gone. The taste still lingers on her tongue, but she knows that that to shall soon disappear.


    She collapses to her knees; arms raised to the heaven and screams a cry of remorse. ¡°NO!!!!! Why? Why only one!? It was so delicious!!!!!!¡±


    She drops her arms, defeat filling her body as she regrets the loss of the tastiest thing she has ever eaten.


    A thought comes to her.


    More! There has to be more somewhere!


    Bug opens her inventory, franticly searching through pages and hoping that she had just missed something. Nothing.


    She goes into her mail and finds the first message still sitting there, displayed as read. She tries franticly to hit ¡®Accept Gift¡¯ again, but the link is unresponsive. It has already been claimed.


    Defeat, bitter and most certainly not cookie flavored¡­ Where is she going to find another cookie again. Can they be found in the Dungeon? Maybe a human will have some? Can she make her own? With what? Moss and rocks!?


    ¡°Ahhhh! Please! Just one more cookie! I don¡¯t know who you are Redacted, but please, just one more!¡±


    Bug holds her hands together before her in a motion that feels right and natural, directing a prayer to the unmoving and uncaring ceiling of the Dungeon.


    For a while, nothing happens. Until eventually, the Mail tab starts gently flashing.


    Message!


    With no hesitation, she throws open her Mail tab and flies into her inbox. One new message.


    Bug reads it over with much hope and excitement in her heart.


    <hr>


    ¡°Hello cute little Bug,


    It makes me so happy to know that you enjoyed my cookie. It was from a new recipe that I am trying out, so it is great to see you enjoying it so much! Definitely put a smile on my face. Plus, I am glad that it helped make your head feel better. That was a rather nasty looking welt you had there.


    As for your request for more cookies, and as much as I would love to send you more, I am afraid that I cannot at this time. We have policies against provided to much help to our System Users. Regretfully, the one cookie was already pushing it on the amount of help that I could provide. If I could, I would have sent you a whole plate of them, just for you.


    But, there is some good news. You could receive more cookies and other treats in the future if you are lucky. If you manage to earn yourself more gifts, I will be certain to include as many treats as I am able. You have my promise on that.


    Aside from that, if you really want more sweets, you could always try to find a way to leave the Dungeon. There is a world of tasty things out there.


    I wish that I could provide more aid and advice beyond just this, but I am afraid that that would require me to break a few rules and that would get my boss very upset with me. And well, he is already upset with me¡­


    Regardless, I give you my best wishes and hope that you will find more sweets to enjoy. Best of luck little Bug!


    Sincerely and with so much love, REDACTED.


    <hr>

 Chapter 1.4- Birth of a Bug

    Defeat. Sheer and utter, complete defeat.


    No more cookies. No gift attached to the letter. Nothing. Not ever a crumb or a tiny cut of chocolate¡­


    Nothing but a goal. A purpose other than mindlessly wandering the Dungeon searching for treasures and picking up rocks.


    I will get more COOKIES!


    Gripping her hands into fists, Bug makes her resolve know. She has a goal now.


    The only question is how to go about it¡­


    Leaving the Dungeon would be suicide. I would have to head towards the humans, and I have no idea what is waiting for me outside. The item description for my mana crystal says that humans like to build cities and kingdoms on top of Dungeons¡­ I have no idea what those are, but my best guess is that it is where lots of humans live¡­ Too dangerous¡­ Which leaves earning gifts.


    Finding a corner to hide in, Bug looks over her system and sees if she can find any clues. Eventually, she settles on her Status Tab.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Dungeon Spawned Sapient Entity: Gremlin


    Class ¨C None


    Level ¨C 1


    EXP ¨C 0/10


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 30/30


    Stamina ¨C 15/15


    Mana ¨C 30/30


    Vitality ¨C 5


    Endurance ¨C 5


    Strength - 4


    Dexterity - 7


    Magic - 3


    Intelligence - 10


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    ¡°Dungeon Spawned Sapient Entity: Gremlin¡­? Is that what I am? Umm, I guess I¡¯ll just call myself a Gremlin then? At least that solves one of my problems¡­ Hm?¡±


    Bug hears some noise coming from down the corridor. What sounds like some of the other Dungeon mobs wandering about and making unintelligible calls at each other. Bug goes quiet, pulling herself deeper into her corner as she listens to them walk away.


    Instinct says that the other Dungeon mobs can¡¯t be trusted. While most of them shouldn¡¯t attack her on sight, there is still the possibility of it happening. There are no rules that prevent the mobs from preying on each other after all.


    She checks her clock. One hour left until the Dungeon¡¯s entrance opens for the day. Then she¡¯ll have humans to worry about and she still hasn¡¯t found any more treasures yet. She makes up her mind to hurry.


    For now, I don¡¯t really have any good ideas for how to get more gifts. Maybe if I manage to level up some, perhaps that will be enough to earn a gift? From what that book made me learn, anyone that has access to the System can gain levels by killing things and doing other tasks. And when you gain levels, the system gives you points that you can use to make yourself better in different ways and even gain powers, skills, and knowledge¡­ I feel like the System wants me to level up a bunch, so if I do that, I should be rewarded with gifts. Hopefully¡­.


    So, that will be my objective for now. Kill stuff for levels and find treasures. I should try and do as much as I can before the entrance opens. I don¡¯t know how strong the humans are, but it is safe to assume that they are dangerous and will probably try to kill me on sight.


    Nodding to herself, her mind made up, Bug pulls herself out of the corner and sets off.


    Moving through the halls, she listens for the sounds of the others moving around. They are clearly not trying to conceal the sounds of their moving around. It is almost as if they have no survival instincts in their heads. Just noisily wandering around or yelling at each other with sounds that hold little meaning.


    Taking a corner, Bug comes to a stop as she finds her first mob. She had heard the gooping noises of something wet and sloshy moving around, so she had headed that way. What she finds waiting for her is some weird gelatinous blob that is about the size of her head. It is busy seemingly trying to absorb a shoe.


    Watching it from some distance, she tries to figure out what the heck this thing is, the knowledge that she was born with doesn¡¯t go as far as knowing the other inhabitants of the Dungeon. She wasn¡¯t even born with knowledge of what SHE is in the first place. Why it is that the Dungeon didn¡¯t see the need to birth her with this knowledge is beyond her at the moment though, so she sets that question aside for another time.


    Instead, she simply observes the thing as it slowly surrounds the shoe and brings it into its body.


    It doesn¡¯t seem all that dangerous¡­ Should make for a good first try.


    Slowly creeping up to the slimy thing, she continues to get closer and closer, watching it as it absorbs the shoe. It doesn¡¯t have eyes or a face, so there is no way to know if it can sense her approaching or if it even cares. Eventually, she gets within a few paces of the thing.


    Drawing her knife from the inventory, she takes a step forward and the thing freezes. She stops as well, mid step and knife raised. Watching the seconds tick by, neither of them move an inch, the slimy thing¡¯s body releasing a few bubbles as the shoe slowly dissolves within its body.


    Pushing forward, she moves to draw closer, and the little blob starts to bubble and vibrate, making waves on its surface. Is it trying to intimidate her? Communicate? She draws closer until she is standing before it, knife at the ready.


    The thing just continues moving weirdly until it suddenly draws in on itself. Drawing back like a wave, it comes forward again, launching itself off from the ground with a blooping sloshing noise towards Bug¡¯s face.


    She quickly retreats a step, and the thing drops to the floor with a splat. It had hardly covered any distance with its jump.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Deciding that it probably isn¡¯t that much of a threat, she moves forward and quickly buries the end of her dagger into the thing¡¯s jello.


    It pops. Liquid exploding out of it as its form loses the ability to hold itself together.


    From a window in the corner of her vision, some text pops up.


    //Killed Lvl 1 Jelly ¨C 1 exp gained!


    Huh¡­ Well, that was easy. I basically just poked it and it popped. Why is it so fragile?


    Looking at where the Jelly had died all she finds is a transparent skin and a bunch of liquid that is being quickly absorbed into the dirt covered ground of the Dungeon. She picks up the skin and looks it over as it drips with liquid.


    Bug decides to store it so she can read its description.


    ¡®Jelly skin. The remains of one of the many different scavenger species of monster that calls the Dungeon home. Jellies solely live for the purpose of eating trash and other matter left behind on the Dungeon¡¯s floor. The skin is edible as is, but it is typically used in cooking as a thickening agent. Also used in making candies, typically by mixing with honey and then letting sit to harden for a day.¡¯


    ¡°Oh? You can eat it or even make candies? Those are sweets, right?¡±


    Taking the skin out of her inventory, Bug bites off a corner and gives it a taste.


    Hmm¡­ not really much of a flavor to it. Definitely chewy though. I wonder if I could find some honey somewhere. I could try making candies then¡­


    Taking another bite of the skin to chew on, she stores the rest and starts walking. She can hear what sounds like some other mobs fighting up ahead, so she decides to go check it out.


    Walking through the halls, she gets closer to the sound of the fighting until she is certain that it is just around the corner. Grabbing the wall, Bug peaks around and takes a look. A bit of a distance further ahead, three of her fellow Gremlins are fighting each other. Two of them are busily beating up on one that has curled up on the ground, holding something to its chest.


    Trying to see what it is, Bug watches until she catches a flash of blue light from within the Gremlins hands.


    Hn! He has a mana crystal! Those other two, they probably want it, don¡¯t they?


    Watching them kick the downed figure, she takes but a few seconds to decide what to do. Bug wants the mana crystal for herself, and those two have their backs turned to her.


    Silently moving from around the corner, she approaches them, dagger at the ready. Watching them continue to kick the stuffing out of the one, she catches as it notices her approaching. It lets out a squeak of defeat and curls up even tighter.


    But Bug doesn¡¯t care about the one on the ground right now, the other two still haven¡¯t noticed her, apparently having far too much fun kicking the poor thing on the ground.


    Wanting to do this quickly, Bug double checks which side her heart is on in her chest. Left. She aims for there as she draws up behind her target.


    She doesn¡¯t hesitate as she plunges the entirety of her blade into the back of her fellow Gremlin. She doesn¡¯t feel anything from killing one of her own kind. Her only priority is getting that treasure for herself.


    The second target doesn¡¯t even notice as the first coughs up blood, far to enthralled in its fun to care about anything else.


    Pulling back on the dagger, Bug dislodges it from his back, feeling as the blade scrapes against bone on the way out, tearing flesh and drawing a spray of blood from torn arteries and a punctured heart.


    She kicks the corpse forward, ignoring the notice that pops up in her feed and moves for the second. The second one, a female, has barely a moment to react, being far too startled by the sudden death of her companion that just collapsed before her. Bug slams into her, tackling her to the ground and plunging the blade into her stomach.


    The female lets out a scream of pain and coughs up a mouthful of blood as they hit the ground.


    Twisting the dagger and pulling it up, Bug forces the blade to tear through her stomach and rip through her abdomen until it hits her ribs. The female kicks and screams in pain, managing to grab a rock laying on the ground beside her.


    In a rage of desperation, she tries to hit Bug with the rock, but Bug simply pulls back, forcing the dagger out as she moves. The one under her lets out a pained gasp as the blade leaves her body.


    Still not dead yet.


    Bug continues to sit on top of the other as her flailing grows weaker and weaker. Slowly, she loses the ability to make noise and can only cough up mouthfuls of blood that threatens to drown her. Once Bug is certain that she isn¡¯t going to get a rock to the face, she raised her dagger, holding it with two hands, and plunges it into the naked chest of her unfortunate opponent. The thing gets buried to the hilt; blade planted in her heart.


    It takes only a couple of seconds, but soon enough the notifications arrive. She ignores them for now. Only caring that it means the two are dead.


    Yanking her bloodied dagger free from the corpse, Bug stands up and turns to the last one. He is playing dead under the corpse of the first. Does he believe that she will leave if she thinks him dead?


    Walking over, she kicks the corpse off of him and calls out, ¡°Hey! I know that you¡¯re not dead. Get up before I stab you.¡±


    He peaks open an eye and looks at her. Looking to the corpses and then back to her, some thought must have gone through his brain as he immediately starts to smile.


    Weakly and on shaky limbs, he manages to bring himself to his feet. Letting out a happy sounding call, he starts kicking the bloodied corpses, smiling a bloodied and bruised smile as he does so.


    After getting in some revenge against the dead, he turns to Bug, giving her a broken toothy smile as he calls out happily and tries to touch her. She backs away from his hand and points the weapon at him.


    What? Does he think that I killed them to save his life?


    She points to his hand that is holding the crystal, ¡°I didn¡¯t do that to save your life. Hand over the crystal or I will kill you too!¡± She exclaims threateningly.


    His smile instantly falls off his face, realization setting in as to what Bug wants. He pulls the crystal up and hugs it his chest, a threatening call escaping his broken lips and making his choice clear.


    ¡°I will kill you if you don¡¯t give it to me. Do you want to die? Hand it over!¡± She threatens.


    He looks at the bloodied blade aimed at him and then at the corpses on the ground. The single thought going through his brain is clear to see in his bruised and fearful eyes. He makes a decision and turns to flee.


    Bug lunges forward, swiping her dagger at the turning target, her blade drawing a line through his back as he lets out a scream and runs for his life with an obvious limp.


    Bug scowls as she follows behind him, having no trouble following the slow target, not even having to run as she follows his limping gait.


    ¡°Just give me the crystal and I will let you live. You don¡¯t have to die over this!¡±


    He just continues to run away, tripping over a crack in the ground. Looking other his shoulder he sees Bug drawing closer, her dagger still dripping with blood. Scrambling to get back to his feet, he tries to run again just as Bug reaches him.


    She slashes him across the back a second time as he gets up, but instead of falling, he continues to try and flee.


    ¡°Haaaahh¡­. Seriously, if you just give it to me, I will let you live. Don¡¯t throw your life away over this¡­ You can¡¯t get away. ¡°


    The fleeing male manages to reach the end of a hall, slamming into the corner with a pained grunt as he continues to move using the wall as a support to hold his weight. Bug takes the corner at a casual pace; she doesn¡¯t even need to speed walk anymore to keep up. Looking past the fleeing male, Bug finds a dead end. He has nowhere to go.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡± Letting out an exacerbated breath, she continues to follow him as the guy corners himself. As she walks, she watches her stamina meter slowly climb back up to full. She had expended some when she had tackled that last one to the floor. The extra effort of that kill costing her some stamina, versus the one she had stabbed in the back which had cost her virtually nothing.


    She does notice that her food meter - a little orange bar tacked onto her stamina bar - has gotten a bit lower, having been used for fueling her stamina regen, but the bar is still mostly full and there is plenty of moss growing everywhere that she can snack on.


    Oh, I should make sure to get lots of Jelly skins. They don¡¯t taste like much, but they are at least something to chew on¡­


    Thinking absent minded thoughts, she corners the male as he backs into the dead end. A fitting name considering what is about to happen if he doesn¡¯t do as she says.


    She points the dagger at him as he clutches the treasure to his chest. ¡°Hand it over or die. I¡¯m not giving you any more chances. Now!¡±


    He looks around fearfully, his eyes darting from wall to wall as if he might find some secret to his escape. He finds nothing but a single way out. A path blocked by the female that had just killed two of their own and will kill him next if he fails.


    Desperate rage fills his eyes, and he screams. Lunging forward with everything he has; he swings for her head with the precious shiny blue crystal that he had fought so hard to protect.


    She takes a step back, surprised by his sudden outburst of violence, and dodges the blow with room to spare. He takes his opening, putting everything he has left into moving his legs forward. Running, he tries to shove his way past her, pushing forward with his shoulder as he fights to get past her.


    She moves aside as he shoves her, his way forward clear and several paths ahead that he can try to use to lose her. He won¡¯t be losing the shiny today! It is his!


    Pain.


    Pain lances it way through his body as something plunges itself into the back of his neck. He had hardly taken a few steps before she had caught up to him.


    Crumpling to the floor as his body gives out from beneath him, he watches as his shiny drops from his hand, tumbling away from him. He tries to crawl forward, to retrieve what is his, but his hand never reaches it. His body simply won¡¯t move.


    A pair of feet walk past him, and he is forced to watch as the female scoops up his prize and looks it over with a happy look in her green eyes that shine like gems.


    She turns her vision the male, a look of bewilderment and pity among other things that he cannot understand.


    ¡°You could have lived. All you had to do was give this to me.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t understand her noises, but he can understand that she is disappointed in him. He watches as the shiny crystal disappear in a flash of light.


    Gone.


    Never to be seen again¡­


    His vision fades as his heart slowly gives out on him. The last few beats slowly ringing in his ears until everything fades away into darkness.

 Chapter 1.5- Birth of a Bug

    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 2! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 3 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 1 Skill point!


    ¡­


    Looking over her notification, Bug grimaces as her body starts to heat up a little. The pain passes quickly, but it was still a bit distracting.


    Shaking herself a bit to loosen the lingering discomfort, Bug pull up her inventory first and makes sure that her new treasure is safely stored away. She smiles as she sees the two boxes filled. One still showing as [Blood covered].


    If I wash my first one, they should stack in the inventory¡­


    Looking around for a puddle, Bug walks over and takes a drink before pulling out both mana crystals and giving them a wash.


    As she occupies herself with washing them both clean, she wills the Status Page to open.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C None


    Level ¨C 2


    EXP ¨C 6/15


    Free Stat Points - 3


    Heath ¨C 36/36


    Stamina ¨C 15/15


    Mana ¨C 30/30


    Vitality ¨C 6


    Endurance ¨C 5


    Strength - 4


    Dexterity - 8


    Magic - 3


    Intelligence - 11


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    Hmm, my Vitality, Dexterity, and Intelligence all went up by one. That increased my heath to 36¡­ So, one point of Vitality is six points of health? Going from what I learned from the manual, Endurance is for my stamina and makes me a little more resistant to stuff. Strength is for how strong I am, while Dexterity is for speed, flexibility, and precision. Magic controls how much mana I have and how big of a spell I can cast. And then there is Intelligence, which increases control over mana and also helps to make me smarter¡­ Sort of? It¡¯s a weird stat from what I understand¡­


    Bug doesn¡¯t even bother thinking about the Luck stat, as there is currently no information on how it works, and she can¡¯t even use it.


    Looking over her stats, she decides to allocate her free stat points to Endurance and Strength, bringing them both up to six.


    Confirming the spent points causes another flash of pain to go through her body, but it is thankfully quick to pass. Moving her arms around, she certainly feels a bit stronger. Maybe the shape of her muscles has changed a bit?


    Hmm, interesting. I could have put them into Magic, but I don¡¯t even have any spells to use yet. Would be a waste for now. Better to stick with making myself stronger.


    Finishing up on washing the mana crystals, Bug stands up and holds them both under the light, marveling at their glow and how they reflect the world around them.


    ¡°Beautiful¡­¡±


    Storing the both of them safely away once she has had her fill, Bug double checks her inventory and smiles.


    ¡®Mana Crystals x 2.¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s nice seeing the numbers going up. Makes me feel like I accomplished something. Almost like I earned a gift¡­?¡± She asks to nobody in particular while looking up at the ceiling.


    She waits, but nothing happens¡­


    ¡°Well, was worth a try¡­ I got that other thing too, lets focus on that for now I guess.¡±


    Opening up her Points Store, Bug looks over the page.


    Displayed in the top left corner is her balance. It currently shows as having one Skill Point. There is another point type apparently, called Item Points, but Bug currently has none of those. Bug opens the information tab for those and reads them over to compare to her knowledge she got from the manual.


    ¡®Skill points. Granted as rewards for leveling up and for completing various other tasks. Can be spent in the Points Store for Skills, Spells, and Knowledge.¡¯


    ¡®Item points. Can be earned by selling stuff from your inventory. Everything has a price, from rocks to corpses. If you can put it in your inventory, you can sell it. You can then use your accrued points to purchase anything your heart desires from the Item Shop.


    [Note: the ability to sell living things has been patched out, along with the ability to put living things in your inventory. Don¡¯t bother trying. Thank you, Shal¡¯magathor the Destroyer, for bringing this issue to our attention.]¡¯


    ¡°Huh¡­. Who the hell is Shal¡¯magathor the Destroyer?¡±


    Well, with a name like that, Bug quickly decides to avoid ever meeting them if possible.


    But, from the look of it, that knowledge book didn¡¯t actually teach me everything¡­ I know how to use the store, but I hadn¡¯t even known about the points, what I can buy, or even that I could sell items. Who ever made that manual did a shit job¡­


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Pushing that aside to complain about later, she looks over the store page and at some of the things she could buy.


    ¡°Weapons, clothing, tools, crafting resources, potions, books, toys, housing, vehicles, it just keeps going¡­ wait, why is there no food section?! You¡¯re telling me I can¡¯t just buy cookies! Damn half-finished System...¡±


    Pushing aside her disappointment in the System ¨C more things to complain about should she ever meet REDACTED - she opens Weapons and scrolls through, gawking at the number of zeros that are attached to the prices of some weapons. While some are some simply listed as being 10 points, others are listed as high as 100,000,000,000 points¡­ She pulls up the item description for the most expensive weapon that she can find.


    ¡®God Stinger. A single use weapon packed with enough mana to potentially kill a god, maybe¡­


    Note: This weapon will break after one use and will most likely kill its wielder upon use. High Vitality is highly recommended for anyone considering using this weapon. REDACTED is not responsible for the deaths of anyone that uses this weapon. You have been warned. No refunds!¡¯


    ¡°Ok¡­ definitely won¡¯t be saving up for that¡­ What else can I find?¡±


    Switching through pages, Bug works her way through the Item Shop, getting a general idea for some of the stuff that can be bought and their prices. She is tempted to spend more time simply browsing, reading the descriptions for the different items that catches her eye, but the Dungeon will be opening soon, and she needs to hurry.


    ¡°Ok, skill store. Let¡¯s see if I can get anything with my one point¡­¡±


    Switching to the Skill Store, she immediately sets the filter to only show stuff sold for one point. Even with the filter in place, there is still a baffling number of things that she could buy.


    A quick look through knowledge quickly has her dismissing those options. It covers everything from different kinds of math and doing taxes, to languages and how to conduct oneself as a noble. And those are just the one-point options, though they seem to only cover the basics and introductory knowledge, being labeled as volume 1 on many of them.


    Being able to buy knowledge could be useful, but it is pointless right now. Bug needs things that can help her survive right now, not in the future when she needs to know how to keep the tax man off her back or how to navigate social situation without making an enemy of a noble¡¯s spoiled daughter.


    Looking at her other choices, she decides to look at spells first. Filtering for one point of course.


    At the top of the page, a warning is listed.


    ¡®Please note new users, the System is powerful, but it cannot bend the rules of how magic works. At least not yet.


    Once you have selected your first spell, the type of magic that you pick shall become your primary element. Once your primary element has been selected, you will be unable to change it again and all options to purchase incompatible spells will be removed. This is for your safety and to keep you from accidentally wasting your points on something you can¡¯t even use.


    For more information on the workings of magic, primary elements, secondary elements, and the counters and reactions of different and opposing magics colliding, please purchase the knowledge linked <u>here</u>. For further study materials for any aspiring witches and wizards out there, we recommend checking out our ever-growing selection of books on the subject that can be found in the Item Store, linked <u>here</u>.


    Best of luck and thank you for your continued use of the System!¡¯


    ¡°Ok¡­ And how much does that knowledge cost?¡±


    Bug clicks on the link and her screen changes, showing the knowledge in question.


    ¡°Two points¡­ So, I will have to save up another point to get that then if I want to use magic... I could just get a spell that sounds interesting or cool, but I am really lacking knowledge on how magic works. And I definitely don¡¯t want to end up screwing myself over by picking a bad type of magic and getting locked out of using something better¡­¡±


    She looks over the list of some of the 1 point spells, scanning over them.


    Fire Spark, Lightning Spark, Wind Push, Flowery Scent, Make Water, Throw Rock¡­ Throw Rock!? Why would I want magic for throwing rocks? I can do that myself!


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I guess I¡¯ll just wait on doing magic for now. Now the question is if I should wait and save up points, or I if I should get something from the Skills?¡±


    Directing her attention to the Skills Store, Bug opens it and filters for 1 point only again.


    Much like the other shops, this page has a litany of options available, even just for a single point. The vast majority of them are the beginner¡¯s stage of a Skill, labeled as being lvl 1. There is anything from knife fighting, fist fighting, gymnastics, climbing, knot tying, and even fire making, extending to even skills like piano playing, carriage maintenance, horse riding, and AC installation and repair. Bug has no idea what pianos, carriages, horses, or even AC is, but if she wanted to, she could get the skills for doing it.


    This raises the question of how Skills are different from Knowledge, but thankfully the Knowledge that was gifted to Bug actually does lets her know the difference. Knowledge is for the mind, making you simply know things. While Skills are for the body. They guide your actions and help you do things correctly and more efficiently. By having both the Skill and Knowledge for something, you can become even more proficient in it, eventually even being able to master it.


    ¡°Hmm, for now, the best options are looking like Knife Fighting lvl1, Throwing Weapons lvl1, Stealth lvl1¡­ and a skill called Identify lvl1.¡±


    Bug gives the skill another look and reads its description.


    ¡®Identify lvl1. Become able to learn information about whatever you choose to observe. At lvl1, this skill is only capable of telling you what something is and, if applicable, their level. Further information can be provided at higher skill levels.


    [Note: When identifying a target that is not a registered user of the System, an appropriate level will be assigned to them based on the System¡¯s best calculations for their combat power. Please be aware that as targets get stronger, this calculation can become less accurate. Proceed with caution.]¡¯


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I could make myself better at fighting, hiding, or I can get a way for seeing if something is stronger than me¡­¡±


    Bug sits down next to the water, pulling a piece of moss off of the wall to munch on as she thinks. She has six minutes until the Dungeon opens for the day.


    Being able to fight better will help me level up faster. Being able to hide easier will help me avoid fights and even get away from enemies. And being able to scan enemies will make it so I can pick my fights better¡­ and I have no idea how strong the humans are¡­


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯ll get Identify.¡±


    Selecting the option in the store, Bug hits purchase. A loading bar pops up for about a second before immediately filling and disappearing, followed swiftly by a sharp pain in the back of both of her eyes that last for about a second.


    ¡°Ach! Why does this stuff have to hurt!? MMrrr¡­ damn System.¡±


    Rubbing at her eyes, the pain slowly goes away. Looking around, Bug feels intuitively able to use the Skill now. Just a small push of will towards her eyes is all she needs for the Skill to take effect.


    ¡®Dungeon wall. Wall of the Dungeon. It¡¯s wet.¡¯


    ¡®Dungeon floor. Floor of the Dungeon. It¡¯s covered in dirt.¡¯


    ¡®Dirt. It¡¯s dirt.¡¯


    ¡®A pond of water. Safe to drink.¡¯


    ¡®Dungeon moss. Edible moss that grows in Dungeons.¡¯


    ¡®Dungeon mushroom. Poisonous mushroom that grows in Dungeons. Do not eat.¡¯


    ¡®Glowing Dungeon mushroom. A glowing mushroom that grows in Dungeons. Edible but doesn¡¯t taste good.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡°Well, those aren¡¯t very useful¡­ I get more information by checking the items in my inventory and the store. Though, it is only lvl1, so I hope it will get better as I level it up¡­¡±


    Looking away from the random stuff in the Dungeon, Bug turns her attention to the dead Gremlin that she just killed and robbed. She gives him a scan.


    ¡®Lvl 1 Gremlin. Dead. A weak mob found in most Dungeons first floors.¡¯


    Bug grimaces at the description, giving herself a scan in turn.


    ¡®Lvl 2 Gremlin. A weak mob found in most Dungeons first floors.¡¯


    ¡°Great, well that doesn¡¯t make me feel very good about this situation. I had a feeling that we aren¡¯t all that dangerous, but to be called weak just like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ nothing I can do about it. I just have to keep getting stronger. Then it won¡¯t matter if my race is weak. As long as I am strong, that is all that matters.¡±


    Bug checks the clock. Three minutes left¡­


    Looking at her map, the Dungeon entrance is a distance to the north. Her map isn¡¯t filled in, only showing the areas where she has been. But thankfully it still shows the location of the entrance regardless of her not having been there yet.


    Alright, let try to keep as much distance as I can from the entrance for now. I¡¯ll keep working on gaining levels and gathering stuff while keeping away from the humans. Hopefully, I¡¯ll be able to either avoid them for a while, or get strong enough that I can kill them when we do meet.


    I should also see about gathering things to sell to the store. I could use some more stuff¡­


    Thinking that, Bug turns her attention back to the corpse.


    The shop did say that I could sell corpses¡­


    Getting up, she walks over to it, and places a hand on the bloody thing. It takes a bit more effort than with other objects, but eventually, the corpse vanishes in a flash of light.


    Checking her inventory, Bug confirms that it is there. She quickly finds the option to sell, trying to ignore the ominous description that she finds for her people. It isn¡¯t a pleasant thing to read.


    //Sold Gremlin Corpse x1.


    //2 Points Earned!


    Looking down at where the corpse used to be, Bug spits at the wall to try and get rid of the nasty taste in her mouth. Pushing down her feeling, she turns and heads down the hall, returning to where she killed the other two Gremlins.


    With no time left, Bug sells the corpses and then sets off, heading vaguely south, picking up any objects and trash that she can find as she goes, selling them all.


    Oh¡­ She found the missing pair to that boot she found earlier. People really need to be more careful about losing their footwear in the Dungeon.


    ¡­


    //Time 00:00


    //Starting Day

 Chapter 2.1- Open for Business

    Forty Smooth Stones. A Gremlin¡¯s corpse holds the same value as a bunch of rocks¡­


    Bug closes the sell option. Choosing to keep her stack of stones. Knowing that the System holds such little value for her kind is not a pleasant thought, but at the very least it isn¡¯t as low as the Jellies.


    Bug has killed two more of them as she wandered, storing the skins as she goes, and even two of them stacked is not even worth a single point yet. The one that she has already eaten some of doesn¡¯t even have the option of being sold and can¡¯t be stacked, taking up its own block of space in her inventory.


    Taking another turn at random, Bug notices some more trash, which she collects and them immediately sells. Even if the single piece of trash isn¡¯t worth a point, it seems to go towards a count in the system that slowly builds until she has earned another point.


    A welcomed discovery, as having to fill her inventory with trash until she can sell it all would have been a pain.


    Bug had considered trying to sell the moss that grows everywhere on the walls, but even after gathering a stack of a hundred moss, she had still yet to be able to sell the stack for even a single point. Better to keep it as food...


    Another hallway cleaned of trash and sold to the store; Bug continues on her merry way until she hears more noises. More Gremlins are ahead, and just like the last group, they are making a bunch of noise.


    Its seriously like they have no concerns about being heard. Did the Dungeon seriously make us to be so stupid!? It¡¯s almost as if they want to get killed!


    ¡°Haaaa¡­ Guess I¡¯ll go get some levels. Better than leaving them to get killed by the humans¡­¡±


    Taking a left at the intersection, Bug heads toward the noise until she finds one of those rooms that were filled with plant bulbs. Looking into the room, she sees the shriveled remains of the plants that are slowly being reabsorbed back into the Dungeon.


    Filling the room and making a ruckus is a about a dozen Gremlins.


    Bug stands there at the entrance to the room, a look of absolute disgust covering her face as she watches the occupants of the room. Off to one side, two of them are absolutely gorging themselves on a couple of corpses that looks like they were beat to death with rocks and are cut in a few places from a blade. She turns her eyes away from the cannibalism, her stomach turning at the sight of it.


    In the center of the room, two are busy beating each other senseless, fighting with their fists as everyone else in the room watches on and cheers.


    Off in one corner, a Gremlin is taking a nap on top of a large boulder, loudly snoring with his face messy and covered in moss. He rolls over and scratches his ass while he sleeps.


    And finally, off in the back of the room, separate from the audience is a pair of Gremlins busily fucking. The male is waving around a broken sword that he probably picked up from somewhere as he noisily and messily humps his female companion from behind like they are a couple of animals. The moans from mating pair mixing with the jeering and calls of the crowd that is watching the fight.


    Bug simply stands there openly in the entryway, eye twitching as she watches all of this unfold. Watching as her own people act like animals.


    Only that¡¯s wrong, isn¡¯t it?


    Even animals are smart enough to hide from predators and know when to keep quiet. Even animals have the decency to not act like¡­ Like this!


    The others of her species ¨C if they can even be considered that ¨C haven¡¯t even noticed her standing there, knife in hand. They just continue to revel in their own debauchery and the pleasures of the flesh when a human could come through here at any moment and kill them all.


    And what are they doing here when Bug KNOWS that they all are aware that the Dungeon has opened? They are fighting and sleeping and eating each other and FUCKING!


    Do they not have a single fucking thought going through their empty skulls. A single drive to live for more than a damn single day!?


    That last one. The guy with the Mana Crystal¡­


    He didn¡¯t try to think either. He only ran because he knew he couldn¡¯t win, but at the end of the day, the reason that he ran was to keep his treasure. He wasn¡¯t even smart enough to know that he could trade his life, his safety, for nothing but a single crystal.


    ¡°These things aren¡¯t my people¡­ Just pale mockeries¡­¡±


    No one reacts to her talking, being far to absorbed into their own pleasures and enjoyment.


    Ignoring the crowd, Bug walks into the room, rage filling her like boiling water as she moves around everyone and makes her way to the back. Towards the mating pair.


    Instincts tell her that the male is the alpha here. Something that was probably decided because he was lucky enough to find a weapon shortly after being born.


    As she approaches, he screams and finishes inside of his mate. Pulling himself from her, a satisfied look spread across his face, he stands and cheers. The female, she collapses to the ground looking spent as her body shakes with the aftershocks of an orgasm.


    The male turns and notices Bug approaching, his member still fully exposed and messy from finishing the deed. He smiles as he looks her over, seemingly not noticing the knife she carries or if he does, simply not caring. He just gets a stupid horny look on his face as she draws near, probably thinking that a second female has come to receive his seed.


    He reaches out a hand to receive her and Bug moves towards his chest with a quick step.


    He doesn¡¯t even move to defend himself as she plunges her blade into his chest and covers his mouth with her hand. His eyes are filled with panic as the pain assaults him, and before he can move to fight back, Bug draws the knife from his body and slits his throat.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Taking her hand from his mouth she reaches down and rips the broken sword from his grip before he can drop it from his shaking hands.


    I takes two seconds for his body to finally give out. He takes a shaky half step backwards and collapses, his member still sticking up in the air like some sick joke as he chokes on his own blood.


    Bug steps over his dying body, only sparing a moment to take notice of the notification for his death. Apparently, he was level 2.


    Walking over to the female that has, much to Bugs disgust, started pleasuring herself on the floor, she quickly stomps on her back and rams the broken end of the sword through her.


    She lets out a scream of pain, hand still buried in her crotch and one on her breast as she is pinned to the floor. The end of sword buries itself in the dirt of the ground after piercing through her body. Pulling hard, Bug yanks the sword left and right, shedding her insides as it is loosened until she is finally able to pull it free.


    Yanking the sword out of the female, she lets out one last pain filled cry as she collapses lifelessly into a puddle of her own bloody fluids.


    More notification.


    Bug spits, looking down at the dead pair of sweat covered and now bloodied bodies. She feels only disgust when she looks at them. These aren¡¯t her people. Not the things made by the Dungeon. There nothing but creature that need to be put down.


    Knife and broken sword in hand, Bug looks up at the rest of them. One sleeping, two still eating, the fight had finished at some point so now the crowd is six targets including the one fighter. The other one is laying on the ground looking half dead. The crowd and the fighter are looking at her now, having been distracted by the dying screams of the female.


    Ten targets total.


    They apparently don¡¯t know what to do with themselves. She just killed the Alpha and his mate. Should they attack her? Should they run? Should they cheer and whoop and holler for their new leader? They just don¡¯t know what to do. They aren¡¯t used to thinking for themselves.


    Bug makes the decision for them. She takes a step forward, weapons at the ready, and slashes the first creature that she reaches. It is dead by the time it hits the floor; its neck torn open by the rusted edge of her new sword.


    They finally react. Some turn and run, two turn on each other and start fighting for some reason, and the rest charge her, murder in their red eyes.


    Bug meets the first one with the sword again, swinging it sideways and planting its end into the rib cage of the leading male. She tries to wrench the sword out of his body, but with only one hand, she doesn¡¯t have the strength to pull it free. So instead, she pulls him towards her, yanking on the handle, before kicking him in the chest and sending him reeling back into the oncoming enemies.


    Falling back and arms flailing, he ends up grabbing onto another in his desperation and brings them both tumbling to the floor. Only two are left still attacking her while the third fights to get out from under the new corpse.


    She moves forward, getting low and switching her grip on her knife. As soon as the one enters her range, she lunges forward and grabs him, shanking him several times as she works the blade up his chest and towards his throat. As she ruins his body with her blade, she forces him to turn, keeping his body in between her and the last enemy. Four stabs, four bleeding wounds pissing blood out his body, but still no notification.


    It doesn¡¯t matter. He is already going limp in her grip, and she won¡¯t be able to hold his dead weight for long. She tosses him aside and manages to get him to land on top of the one that is still trying to get himself out from under the other corpse. He lets out a gasp as a fresh weight lands onto of him.


    She checks her stamina. Still good. Just have to keep things quick and lethal.


    Bug moves forward to meet the last one. He was the fighter that won and is still bloodied up. He throws a left hook as she enters his range, but he is slow. Bug can feel it, her Dexterity is already much higher than theirs.


    Not even needing to think, Bug shifts slightly to the side and lets the fist fly right past her face. She move forward as shock fills her opponent¡¯s face and sinks her knife into his throat. With her other hand, she reaches forward and grabs his face.


    With a violent pull to the side and a kick to the ribs, she forces her knife to the side, ripping it out and through the side of his neck.


    The notification comes before he hits the floor, his neck half ripped open and head hanging to the side, spine and open throat showing clearly to the world.


    Taking a calming breath and watching her stamina recover a little, Bug eventually turns her attention to the one that is pinned by two corpses.


    He screams with fear as she approaches, but she doesn¡¯t care. It¡¯s not one of her people. It¡¯s just a thing.


    She slits its throat and leaves it to bleed out where it lies.


    Looking around the room, she finds that the two cannibals have fled along with some from the crowd.


    The only one left is the sleeping guy on the boulder and the half-dead fighter that lost the fight. She finishes off the fighter and heads over to the sleeping guy. Marveling at the fact that he had somehow slept through all that noise. Looking him over she finds the cause. A half-eaten mushroom.


    ¡°What a fucking idiot¡­ our instincts know that those are poison, and yet you still ate it. So fucking stupid¡­¡±


    Bug slits his throat and walks away as he bleeds out. Looking out into the hall, she checks both directions but can¡¯t find the ones that ran away. Returning to the room, she looks over the dirt at the entrance and finds their footprints. They fled in hurry, kicking up dirt as they went, and it looks like they fled down the path to the left.


    ¡°If the humans don¡¯t get them first, I¡¯ll hunt them down later¡­¡±


    Looking around, the room has been reduced to a bloodied mess. The place was already trashed, but now it is just filthy.


    ¡°Haaa¡­.¡± Letting out a tired breath, Bug sets to work on collecting anything of value. Wrenching out her sword from the corpse, she looks it over. It is in even worse condition than it was when she stole it. Its rusted edges have broken and chipped, and the handle is making some concerning noises as she moves it around. It will probably break if she uses it more, so she sells it.


    //Sold Boken Sword x1.


    //3 Points earned!


    She clicks her tongue as she looks at the notification. Even a broken sword is worth more than a Gremlin corpse¡­


    Bug looks around at all the dead bodies.


    She doesn¡¯t feel anything for them. Not pity, nor remorse. Not even guilt. She only feels disgust as she looks at the naked and bloodied thing lying around here.


    They¡¯re not my people. They aren¡¯t even people to begin with. Just twisted mockeries. And I used to be one of them!


    I think I¡¯m finally starting to understand why I should wear clothes¡­


    With everything of any value in the room sold, Bug walks through the room and stores all the corpses.


    With a glance at the item description, she spits out her disgust and sells them.


    //Sold Gremlin Corpse x 11.


    //22 Points earned!


    ¡­


    Standing in the center of a messy room, Bug takes a deep breath, trying her hardest to calm her nerves. To bring down her boiling anger. Her breath is filled with the taste of death. Of spilt blood and expelled bowels.


    She wants to throw up¡­


    <hr>


    ¡®Gremlin Corpse. The remains of a Dungeon spawned Gremlin. Outside of the Dungeons, they are a peaceful race of Demi-Humans that thrive and live under the banner of the Demon Queen. Considered harmless by most races, they are often a pleasure to be around and are typically skilled craftsmen and are highly intelligent, though some human nations notably detest them, much the same as how they view every other Demi-Human.


    Please note that those spawned by the Dungeons are not peaceful and are created with the intention of being easy fights for new Adventures, as a way to lure people into delving the Dungeons Depths and help build confidence. They are not created with the intention of surviving more than a single day.


    While their furs have some value, the rest of the body is worth very little as most people don¡¯t like to eat them due to their human-like appearance.¡¯


    <hr>

 Chapter 2.2- Open for Business

    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C None


    Level ¨C 4


    EXP ¨C 19/30


    Free Stat Points - 6


    Heath ¨C 42/42


    Stamina ¨C 21/21


    Mana ¨C 40/40


    Vitality ¨C 7


    Endurance ¨C 7


    Strength - 7


    Dexterity - 9


    Magic - 4


    Intelligence - 12


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    Bug looks over her new stats as she walks through the halls, following the tracks of the fleeing mobs. Her body is still warm from the aftereffects of her new levels making her stronger.


    This is the second time that this has happened, so Bug has taken notice of an important detail. Apparently, level-ups only happen after fights have finished. So even if she hits the threshold for her next level, the stat growth won¡¯t happen until the fight is done.


    This is important, so Bug makes sure to remember it as she rolls her stiff shoulders.


    Looking over how her stats have grown; she learns some other pieces of info.


    First - and something she already knew ¨C Vitality increases her HP by six points per level.


    Second is that Endurance gives her three Stamina per level and Magic gives a surprising ten per level.


    She has no idea if this stat growth will change with time, but for now, the value of the Magic stat has just gone up in her heart. Even if she can¡¯t really use it just yet.


    The third piece of information is how her stats increase per level-up. They seem to alternate in giving stats. Her first level-up had increased Vitality, Dexterity, and Intelligence. Level 3 had given her Endurance, Strength, and Magic. While Level 4 had given her Vitality, Dexterity, and Intelligence again.


    A pull from the knowledge she gained from the manual draws her attention to the ¡®i¡¯ symbol she finds near None, marked as her Class.


    Opening the icon, she reads over the note.


    ¡®Class feature is unlocked at Level 10. Until then, all users bellow Level 10 will have the None Class. None Class has balanced stat growth, alternating per level-up, and rewards 3 Free Stat Points and one Skill Point per level-up.


    Classes unlocked for selection will be determined by User¡¯s stat values, skills, knowledge, and spells.


    Please note that Leveling past Level 10 without a Class is now impossible. [You can thank Tommy the None Puncher for us making that decision. Never again¡­]¡¯


    Another weirdly named person¡­ Not that I am much to talk considering that I am named Bug¡­


    Giving one last look over her stats, Bug distributes her Free Stat points.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C None


    Level ¨C 4


    EXP ¨C 19/30


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 60/60


    Stamina ¨C 21/21


    Mana ¨C 60/60


    Vitality ¨C 10


    Endurance ¨C 7


    Strength - 7


    Dexterity - 10


    Magic - 6


    Intelligence - 12


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    Dumping two points into Magic, one into Dexterity, and three into Vitality, Bug confirms her choice and watches as her health and mana both jump up to 60/60.


    Ten points of mana is too tempting as a stat. When I¡¯m finally able to use Magic and cast spells, it will be great to have.


    Now, with stats taken care of and her body tingling and warm, Bug finally addresses something that she has been putting off.


    One of the notifications she received after the fight.


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Skill!


    //Knife Fighting lvl1 unlocked!


    I am seriously going to strangle whoever it is that made that manual¡­ Why the hell was the fact that you can earn Skills not covered!?


    I was this close to buying Knife Fighting lvl1¡­ if I did, I would have wasted a point!


    Thinking back over the fight, Bug tries to remember when the notification had popped up¡­


    When I grabbed that guy and kept stabbing him. Then I moved past the punch and almost took that other guy¡¯s head off¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s when it happened¡­


    But that raises the question of what caused it to happen? Is it just a reward for killing things with a knife, or had she just gotten better at using a knife and the System recognized it as her having the Skill now?


    ¡°Seriously, why wouldn¡¯t this be covered in the manual?¡±


    Well, for now, this gives me some options. Instead of wasting points, I can earn Skills and I¡¯m guessing Knowledge. I mean, it makes sense that if I already know something, then I shouldn¡¯t have to buy the Knowledge¡­


    Taking that into consideration, Bug opens the skill store and look through as she tracks down the fleeing enemies.


    Throwing Weapons, Stealth, and Fist Fighting. All skills that she was planning on buying first, but now her plans have changed. If she can earn them, then she can save her points for buying magic spells and other skills that are harder to get.


    ¡°Is there a tracking Skill?¡±


    Scrolling through the list, she finds it. One point for the lvl1 version.


    Alright¡­ plan. Going to see if I can get Tracking lvl1 and Stealth lvl1 first. This will tell me if I can earn Skills through practice or if it is only through combat. Once I have the Skills, I¡¯ll start throwing rocks at them until I get the Throwing Weapons lvl1 Skill. Then, if they¡¯re not dead yet, I''ll beat them up and try to get Fist Fighting lvl1.


    Her plan made and a goal gained, Bug sets off with renewed vigor as she tracks down the fleeing mobs.


    Following the tracks, she keeps an eye on the mini map as the paths are slowly filled in. She notes where the entrance is and scowls.


    ¡°Those idiots, they¡¯re getting closer to the humans¡­¡±


    She picks up her pace until she can finally hear them. They¡¯re arguing with each other apparently.


    They still haven¡¯t learned¡­ Did they not think that I might track them down?


    Bug forces down her disgust as she gets low and peeks around the corner.


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Skill!


    //Tracking lvl1 unlocked!


    A smile spread as Bug reads the notification and gradually the feeling she gets from the footprints in the dirt changes.


    It sort of feels like it has gotten a little easier to notice the tracks now.


    Not very useful yet, but if I keep improving it, it should become more useful.


    Now to focus on Stealth lvl1¡­ If I just follow them around without getting spotted, that should be good enough, right?


    Watching from behind the corner, Bug observes them as they wander down the hall. Apparently, they really aren¡¯t considering the possibility of still being followed.


    They just keep walking as they bicker with each other. Occasionally they might pull some moss from the wall to munch on.


    They aren¡¯t very interesting to watch, is the conclusion that Bug comes to rather quickly¡­


    But, she keeps with it and continues to follow them from a safe distance, focusing on remaining as silent as she can be.


    Eventually, the ones that she is following end up running into another group. After a quick scuffle for deciding who is in charge, the two groups merge and become one.


    Well, there goes my plan for training those other Skills. I don¡¯t want to attack a group that big without using my knife. I¡¯ll get ganged up on¡­


    Continuing to follow the newly made group of mobs, Bug finds her opinion of the things to be steadily dropping with each passing moment.


    They keep getting closer to where the entrance is, and yet they are still being loud.


    Ehww¡­ That male keeps playing with female¡¯s chest. Why does she like it? Is that what these things are for?


    Bug touches her own breasts through her shirt and tilts her head.


    I don¡¯t see the appeal of touching these things¡­ But if anyone tries to touch mine, I¡¯ll cut their hands off.


    The group up ahead eventually disappears around a corner and Bug moves to catch up with them. Hugging the corner and staying low she keeps watching.


    They really are heading towards the entrance. If they keep getting any closer, I¡¯ll have to pull back and find a different ¨C


    Her thoughts are interrupted as an arrow flies from an intersection up ahead and takes out the leader of the group.


    With the arrow sticking from his chest, he crumbles to the floor as the rest start to panic.


    Before they can make any decisions on what to do, a tall figure in leather armor charges into the hall and cuts the head off of another with a single slash from his sword.


    Shit!!!


    Bug gets low, practically hugging the floor as she watches.


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Skill!


    //Stealth lvl1 unlocked!


    She disregards the notification after a quick look, noticing how her instincts are now whispering about how to better hide.


    Hugging the wall a bit better now, her presence slightly reduced, she watches as the humans slaughter the mobs.


    A second human has now joined the first and they are both busily killing the group with single blows. One tries to run away, but is rewarded with an arrow in the back.


    It takes less than a minute for the humans to completely slaughter them. By the time that they are done, the one with the sword is laughing.


    ¡°That was too easy! I told you guys we could handle the Dungeon, hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Shut up Kent, don¡¯t be getting cocky just because you killed some Gremlins. The rest of the Dungeon is a hell of a lot harder than this. We''re still just on the first floor.¡± Says the second one. He is dressed in dark leathers and has a hood up. He had used a pair of daggers to fight with, and even at a glance, Bug can tell that they are of a higher quality that the one she has.


    A third human, what Bug assumes to be a female, comes into the intersection holding a short bow. She scowls at the swordsman - apparently named Kent - and says, ¡°We agreed to take you on as our frontliner, so we need to know if you are worth the trouble of keeping around. Being able to kill some Gremlins isn¡¯t good enough.¡±


    The guy with the daggers speaks up next, ¡°She¡¯s right, now shut up and help us skin these things. It is getting closer to winter and the furs sell for a couple coppers each.¡±


    Saying that, he tosses a knife to Kent.


    He fumbles the knife in the air for a bit before finally catching it. ¡°Ah, ahhh, sorry¡­ Right.¡±


    Turning his back to them, they all set to work on removing the furs from the corpses. Bug grimaces as she watches. A chill running down her spine as she watches the knife slide through them, separating hide from meat.


    Ah, that is not pleasant to watch¡­ Ehhh¡­.


    But still, she observes them as they work, and because of that, she doesn¡¯t fail to notice as the two look at Kent¡¯s back. Bug gets the feeling that they probably don¡¯t have the best of intentions for their new friend¡­


    I think I¡¯ll try and stick near them. I have a feeling that they aren¡¯t going to be staying as a group for very long down here¡­


    Throwing out some Identifies; Bug scans the three of them.


    ¡®Lvl6 Human. One of the many Sapient Races that calls this world home.¡¯


    ¡®Lvl9 Human. One of the many Sapient Races that calls this world home.¡¯


    ¡®Lvl10 Human. One of the many Sapient Races that calls this world home.¡¯


    All three of them are stronger than me¡­ Hnn!


    Suddenly, the human with the daggers turns her way. Bug immediately pulls back around the corner. Her heart racing in her chest.


    He sensed me!


    Voices come from around the corner.


    ¡°What is it, Si? Something the matter?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Thought I felt something.¡±


    ¡°Should we go check it out?¡±


    ¡°No, it was nothing. Just focus on getting the furs. I want us to be on the next floor as soon as we can. The sooner we reach the first boss, the better.¡±


    Not wanting to risk peeking the corner again, Bug gets up and moves as silently and quickly as she can to get away from the humans.

 Chapter 2.3- Open for Business

    I need to get more levels. I would die before I even get close to them if I tried to fight them now.


    Pulling up her map, Bug places a marker on the spot where she found them as she heads deeper into the dungeon.


    Heading down a new corridor, Bug finds a Jelly that is busily trying to eat an old backpack. Poking the Jelly with her knife, it pops, and she stores its skin. Looking over the bag, she is dismayed to find it torn apart. One strap is broken and there is a huge tear in the bottom of it.


    She stores it and then sells it, her balance of points ticking up by one.


    Continuing down the twisting halls, Bug finally comes across some mobs. Peaking around a corner, she watches as two mobs are fighting over a mana crystal.


    Her eyes widen as she sees the shining treasure. Quickly scanning them both brings a smile to her face as the results come back as both being Level 1.


    Free Exp. and a treasure? Lucky me. The humans were too much, but this I can handle.


    Stepping out from the corner, Bug stores her knife and then withdraws a smooth rock. Getting to a comfortable range, she starts chucking one rock after the other. Just continuing to pull them out of her inventory as she throws with everything that her Strength enhanced body has.


    The first couple of rocks miss quite badly, soaring past the wrestling pair or landing at their feet. They don¡¯t seem to notice at all and just keep fighting.


    They do, however, finally start to notice as her accuracy gets better, and the rocks begin to smack against their bodies.


    They scream and cover their faces as the rocks keep pelting them. Slowly, Bug notices as her aim gets a bit better and the motion for throwing becomes more natural. Like her muscles are learning the motions and are getting better at repeating them.


    Probably my Dexterity stat doing its thing¡­


    Mentally shrugging, Bug just keeps throwing rocks for about five minutes. She has a lot of rocks in her inventory.


    Starting to finally get fed up with getting pelted by rocks, one of the two mobs finally lowers his arms to try and charge at Bug. He screams as he runs at her.


    He ends up getting a rock to the eye which sends him reeling back, tripping over himself. The other one is still protecting himself, curled up around the mana stone as if to protect it with his body.


    Fucking idiots. There is two of you here. If they were smart, they would have realized that they could have ran away or even tried to rush me together¡­ Doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯ll both be dead soon¡­


    Walking closer, Bug continues to pelt the one that fell down, occasionally chucking a rock at the cowardly one as well to keep him curled up.


    The one on the ground keeps trying to protect himself, but Bug just aims for wherever he isn¡¯t blocking. Stubbornly, he refuses to uncover his face again.


    Standing over him now, Bug looks him over a find a good spot to hit him. Pulling out a sharp rock, she throws it down as hard as she can into his crotch.


    He screams, his voice louder than any call that she has ever heard from one of them so far. Not even when they were dying at the end of her blade did they scream this loud.


    Wincing at the ringing in her ears, she pulls out the biggest rock she has and throws it down hard onto his head. He isn¡¯t protecting his face anymore but is instead holding his crotch with both hands.


    Something cracks under the blow of the big rock, and he stops moving. His body goes limp and soon enough the notification for the kill comes. She waits a moment, but nothing yet for the skill¡­


    Hmm¡­ Maybe one isn¡¯t enough? How many did I kill with a knife before I got the skill? I guess that I will just have to keep trying.


    Looking to the second one, who is peeking out at the one that just died with a pale face, Bug checks her progress.


    Just five more exp and then I¡¯ll level up again¡­


    ¡°Thankfully, I have five experience sitting right here for me.¡±


    The thing curled up on the floor looks up at her and quivers. A puddle of some pungent liquid forming below him.


    ¡°Fucking disgusting¡­¡± Bug spits at him as she watches him piss himself.


    Stepping around the growing puddle, not wanting to wet her feet. She approaches the thing as he backs away from her, his back eventually hitting a wall.


    Fear turns to desperation as he finds himself cornered, so he lunges for Bug. But she has already seen this happen before. This time it doesn¡¯t take her by surprise. Grabbing the hand that just tried to bludgeon her with the mana crystal, she pulls hard and yanks the thing to the floor.


    He tries to fight back, but her strength is already easily more than twice his.


    Pinning his arm holding the crystal to the ground, Bug raises her fist and punches him across the face. The first time she does it, her thumb was tucked into her grip and the blow made it hurt. Shaking her hand, she quickly adjusts her fist so that her thumb is on the outside of her fist before punching him again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.


    Pulling back her arm and punching forward, she repeatedly mashes his face into the ground with her fist.


    He had tried to protect himself for the first few blows, but her strength is already to the point that a couple of blows was enough to break a bone in his arm. Eventually he stopped trying to cover his face.


    His other arm, the one still stubbornly holding the crystal, eventually goes slack as he gives up. Bug releases the arm so that she can use both hands to beat him as she sits on his chest.


    Left, right, left, right¡­ His head keeps getting knocked to the side again and again as her fists break his face. She hears bones break under her assault, but it doesn¡¯t come from her hands.


    Eventually, she stops, her stamina running low as she breaths heavily on top of him. His face is nothing more than a pulped and ruined mess of torn flesh, broken bone, and bruised muscles. She can¡¯t even see his eyes through the swelling.


    For a few moments, he continues to breathe through labored breaths, until, with a final bloody cough, he stops. His body goes limp as he stops breathing and his weak grip over the crystal finally slackens. It falls from his open hand and rolls on the ground for a short distance before coming to a stop.


    Bug waits and breaths as she sits on top of the corpse, watching as the notifications go by.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 5! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 3 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 1 Skill point!


    ¡­


    ¡°Tisk¡­ No new skill¡­ looks like I will have to keep trying for that one as well.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Looking around, Bug decides that it would be best to get moving. They made a lot of noise as she was killing them, and she doesn¡¯t want to risk the humans sneaking up on her.


    Popping some moss in her mouth to eat, she gets up as her stamina hits half and starts collecting everything.


    She has a shit load of rocks to retrieve from the ground and after she finishes gathering them, she collects the corpses and sells them, earning her four points for the store. Lastly, and with great care, she retrieves the mana crystal.


    Bug allows herself a few moments to gaze into its beauty before finally storing it safely away.


    Checking her inventory, she smiles. ¡°Now I have three of them, hmhmhm~¡±


    Feeling happy from acquiring her new treasure. She sets off to find somewhere to hide for a bit. As she walks, she feels the stat adjustment take effect as her body grows a bit stronger. The pain is easier to deal with this time and it passes quickly.


    After wandering for a little while, Bug eventually stumbles upon a little discovery.


    High up in the wall of a dead end is a hole in the wall. From down on the floor, she can¡¯t tell if anything is in there or not, but it is perfect for her needs right now. Heading up to the wall, Bug uses her claws to get a hold on the cracks and ledges as she pulls herself up.


    Climbing comes surprisingly easy to her, and before she knows it, she has reached the hole. Taking a peek inside, it doesn¡¯t seem as if anyone is home, so she pulls herself in and crawls until she is nice and hidden from anyone that would be in the hallway.


    ¡°Haaaaa¡­.¡±


    Getting as comfy as she can, Bug takes out some more moss to eat and then spends her Free Stat Points.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C None


    Level ¨C 5


    EXP ¨C 0/40


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 60/60


    Stamina ¨C 24/24


    Mana ¨C 100/100


    Vitality ¨C 10


    Endurance ¨C 8


    Strength - 8


    Dexterity - 10


    Magic - 10


    Intelligence - 12


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯m getting magic!¡± Bug excitedly exclaims to herself.


    Throwing open the store and finding the link for the recommended Magic Knowledge, she only hesitates for a short moment before clicking Buy.


    Two points disappear from her balance and after hitting confirm on the prompt asking if she would like to learn, a new loading bar pops up on screen and begins to slowly fill.


    A bit too slowly actually, now that she is watching it. In fact, this one seems to be going slower than the Basic System Knowledge did¡­


    ¡°Shit, this is going to hurt, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡±


    Her mind is already buzzing as it loads, and dread fills her.


    98%... 99%....... 100%


    Bug grits her teeth, but it isn¡¯t enough. The pain slams into her like a hammer against an anvil. If she didn¡¯t know any better, she would think that her brain had just been reduced to mush.


    She reels back like she was just punched, falling deeper into the hole in the wall as she writhes and screams, holding her head and pulling at her hair as her head starts to feel like it is being split open, with hot liquid being poured in through the cracks.


    Tears running down her face, she screams as the pain tears her mind apart for what feels like hours but is probably only a few moments. And then it all stops.


    As suddenly as it came, it was now gone. Leaving behind nothing but a lingering headache.


    Bug remains lying on the floor of her hole, eyes staring up at the ceiling absently as tears run over her cheeks.


    She has to lay there for a while, letting her mind slowly pull itself back together from the shock. At the very least this time she didn¡¯t try to bludgeon herself with a shiny rock to run from the pain¡­


    Slowly, she pulls herself upright, her body covered in sweat and her head pulsing, and leans herself against the cold and damp walls of the dungeon. Letting the cold touch of stone leach away some of the lingering heat that is still bathing her mind.


    She doesn¡¯t know how long she stays sitting there, gently nursing her head. She doesn¡¯t bother checking the clock.


    Eventually, once she is finally ready, Bug pulls her head away from the cool wall and gets herself as comfortable as she can.


    Ouch¡­


    Looking up to the ceiling she screams, not caring who might hear her. ¡°Hey System! You mind making it to so that doesn¡¯t FUCKING hurts so much!?¡±


    Flopping her head back down against some moss growing in the hole, Bug catches her breath for a bit before finally opening the Skill Store and setting the filters.


    Looking over all the spells available to her, she finally understands them completely. Their strength and weaknesses. Which secondary elements would be available depending on what she picked as her first. Which elements are objectively better than others. And most importantly, which ones are better suited to helping Bug survive for more than a day in the Dungeon.


    She could pick any of the basic elements like fire, water, ice, wind, etc. But they all have the same problem.


    Their Level 1 spells are not truly intended for combat.


    While she could certainly throw a Fire Spark at someone. The best that that would do is give them a painful burn; maybe even ¨C if she is lucky ¨C set their clothes or hair on fire.


    Create Water? If she could get her hands over someone¡¯s mouth and nose, she could try to drown them. But if she is that close to them, then she may as well just slit their throat.


    The spells have their uses, yes. You can light a campfire with Fire Spark or fill your canteen with Create Water. Which, notably, actually doesn¡¯t ¡®Create¡¯ water. It just pulls the moisture out of the air and forces it to become water. An interesting fact which Bug notes but decides to leave for later to think over.


    This generally applies to all of the Level 1 spells in the basic elements. They aren¡¯t combat spells, but utility spells.


    Looking into the advanced elements, Bug finds spells for Darkness, Light, Space, and Time. These four make up the advanced circle of magic, and naturally, have the potential to become some of the most powerful, and even nigh unstoppable, of magics later on once they reach the higher tiers of power.


    The only problem is that they all start off incredibly weak and don¡¯t gain any combat spells until much later than the basic elements do.


    With Fire magic, bug could be throwing little fire balls by the second tier. But with say, Space magic, she would be stuck with levitating small rocks and throwing them as her best combat magic for a few tiers at best. She might as well just learn Throw Rock for all the good it would do her right now¡­


    At least with Darkness magic, Bug could coat herself in shadows to better hide in the dark. But it is incredibly weak to natural light and even fire in the early tiers. It is certainly an option if Bug wants to spend her days hiding away from everything, but what Bug needs is a way to harm her enemies and get kills. She needs levels if she is ever going to get strong enough to leave the Dungeon.


    Which leads to the final circle of magic. Existence magic.


    Life mirroring Death. Body mirroring Soul.


    Life focusses on healing very heavily and is for banishing the Undead.


    Death focusses on killing, causing harm, and excels at warding away the living through fear.


    The both of them, if taken, would have access to Body and Soul magic as secondaries. With Body and Soul having access to Life and Death as secondaries if picked.


    When a Life mage uses Body magic, it becomes spells that can regrow lost limbs and improve one¡¯s strength, providing buffs to allies. With Soul magic, they become even capable of bringing back the dead in higher tiers.


    When a Death mage uses Body magic, it becomes spells that can forcefully alter the body of the target, be it themselves or someone else. Be it to beneficial or detrimental ¨C even horrific - effects... With Soul magic, they can raise the dead as their minions and attack the souls of their enemies. For a powerful enough Death mage, even death is not the end.


    Body mages, with secondaries in Life and Death, become masters of their own body and are nearly immortal. They become berserkers that can shift their own form at will, heal their own wounds, and hold immense power in their body. All at the eventual cost of losing their sanity.


    Soul mages, with secondaries in Life and Death, become masters of their own soul. They don¡¯t really get any attack spells until much further on, but eventually they can discard their body and become an immortal living soul. Almost a god of sorts, but they are weak and vulnerable for most of their life until they reach that point.


    Taking in these four options, Bug immediately discards Life and Soul as viable options.


    Both options are entirely too reliant on having allies to help keep you safe. And while Light magic is incredibly strong against the Undead, even in the lower levels. Bug is not fighting the undead. She is fighting the living.


    Looking over both Death and Body magic, Bug eventually comes to her decision. Body magic is tempting. Very tempting¡­ But she doesn¡¯t want to risk losing her sanity in exchange for power and being nearly unkillable. There is no point in being alive if her mind isn¡¯t her own to control.


    She picks Death magic and selects the spell, Inflict Pain.


    Her last point spent; Bug settles in for more pain. The knowledge she gained helping her to know what is about to happen next.


    Her mana core, a small mote of a metaphysical organ, floating just above her uterus and right below her navel, is about to undergo a change from dormant and colorless, to Death.


    If she is going to be able to wield the powers of Death, then a small part of her needs to die first. Bug notes that this will also ruin her ability to ever conceive children, an option that she had never even considered in the couple of hours that made up her life so far.


    A part of her feels sad about this. She has no idea what the future will hold for her, but she is already losing an option that could have potentially been something nice.


    The feeling passes quickly, however. Bug is doing this for her immediate survival. Her future is one where she gets to leave the Dungeon. Alive and free, and eating cookies.


    She can regret the choices she made later when she is living under the light of the Sun. An interesting thing that she had just learned about and is very much wanting to be able to see someday.


    ¡­ The pain comes like an icicle stabbing through her intestines. Her vision goes white, and her hearing becomes static as she screams her throat hoarse.


    Her entire body goes cold, and Bug swears that she can feel the cold embrace of Death itself upon her shoulders. It envelops her in its presence. A single hand wrapped around her heart as it gives her a single, almost gentle and loving squeeze.


    A reminder of how close she now lives to the doorstep of Death.


    Pain that goes beyond what her mind is capable of processing rips through Bug, her very soul screaming out into the hallows of the Dungeon itself.


    Her mind blessedly chooses unconsciousness over awareness as she slips into the darkness of her own mind. Unrestful sleep taking her as her body continues to writhe and shake, tucked away in some dark hole in a corner of the Dungeon.

 Chapter 3.1- Die Humans!

    // Time 13:02


    Bug slowly wakes from her dreamless sleep, her eyes heavy with exhaustion as she coughs on some drool that is dripping from her mouth.


    She finds herself in a tangle of her own limbs with her head at an awkward angle on a bed of moss. She had kicked and turned quite a lot in her sleep apparently.


    Trying to pull herself up from her impromptu nest, she winces as her neck protests any motion, and she has to take a few minutes to massage her neck back into shape. Pulling it to the side some, Bug lets out a sigh as she pops her neck and works the last of the stiffness out of her.


    Unfortunately, even on a bed of moss, the rocky floor of a Dungeon hardly makes for a peaceful place to sleep.


    Maybe I should save up my points and buy a bed from the shop. They have some really fluffy looking ones¡­ They¡¯re just really expensive¡­


    Crawling out to the entrance of her hole, Bug peeks outside and takes a look around. The hallway that she is in looks to be clear, but further out in the Dungeon, things have grown to be rather noisy. Besides the loud calls of the mobs, there is also the sound of people talking and fighting, the sounds reverberating off the walls and carrying themselves to Bug¡¯s sensitive ears.


    She grimaces as she hears everything going on and finds herself unable to count how many there are now. There is just too much noise¡­


    Great, more humans in the Dungeon. They¡¯re probably going to kill everything on this floor before the day is over¡­


    Hmmm, I could head out and try to earn some skills, but I would probably get myself killed¡­ I¡¯m just going to stay here and wait for now. Maybe there are some skills I can earn while I wait here.


    Pulling herself back into the safety of the hole, Bug opens up her Skill Store and starts browsing for anything that she might be able to learn on her own. She eventually settles on Knot Tying lvl1 and pulls the rope she found out of her inventory to play with.


    Occupying herself with tying the rope into a bunch of messy knots, Bug eventually gives up on trying to ignore the feeling in her stomach.


    Putting a hand over where her core is, she shivers as she feels the cold touch of Death just under her hand.


    I did this for survival¡­ I can regret it later when I am alive and free.


    Pushing her thoughts away from her chilly tummy, Bug tries to focus on knot tying as best she can. Trying different ways of wrapping the rope on itself or tying it around a rock, or her arm, she experiments and plays.


    About an hour into messing around, she finally gets the notification.


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Skill!


    //Knot Tying lvl1 unlocked!


    Yes! Hmm, feels like it is easier to tell when a knot will work or not, and remember the ones that I have made before. Will probably just make me able to tie them faster and better as the Skill levels up.


    Putting away the rope, Bug looks to the clock and sighs. It¡¯s only two in the afternoon, and Bug knows that the Dungeon will remain open for business until ten, or 22:00 on the clock. It will then be closed for two hours so the Dungeon can do a restock on all the floors.


    Thankfully the Dungeon saw fit to include this with the Knowledge it birthed me with. Although it was probably just a part of the Knowledge of the time for when the Dungeon opens.


    As for what happens to the humans that are still in the Dungeon when the doors close for the night? Bug has no idea. But she imagines that the Dungeon has to do something to keep them from interfering with the daily restock.


    Resigning herself to spending another eight hours in this hole, Bug sets to work on finding another Skill to learn. She eventually settles on practicing Flexibility lvl1. The description says something along the lines that it has to do with being able to move your body in ways that it normally shouldn¡¯t, like doing the splits or whatever.


    I have no idea what the splits are or any of these other moves, but I wouldn¡¯t mind being able to move better. Gymnastics lvl1 also looks useful and I might be able to get it too.


    Happy to be moving around as much as she is able within the hole, Bug works on stretching her limbs and trying to get her body to move in ways that makes her muscles complain. Pushing against them until they start to hurt and then stopping to focus on some other areas.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    As she passes her time doing stretches on a bed of moss, Bug gets a bit irritated as a bunch of noises keeps getting closer to her hallway.


    ¡°Tich¡­ Humans are getting close¡­ Mmmmmmm~~¡­¡­.¡±


    Stretches actually feels really good. My muscles feel all loose and floaty now. I like this¡­


    Pulling herself back into a sitting position, Bug moves over to the entrance of her hole and peeks outside as the noises draw closer. Giving into her Stealth Skill, Bug gets low and watches as three figures round the corner and head towards the dead end where her hidey-hole is.


    Different ones than the other three. Do they always travel in threes?


    Watching them come closer, Bug notes their appearances and finds them much less frightening that the first three humans.


    These ones are noticeably younger looking than the first three and are smaller. A word comes to her mind that describes them¡­


    Teenagers? Not children, but not quite adults either¡­ They¡¯re a lot noisier than the first ones too. Don¡¯t move as quietly as those two scary humans either.


    Actually, I wonder what happened to those three? They said that they were going deeper, but yet, I doubt that that sword wielding guy will be coming back with them¡­ Huh, already forgot his name¡­ Ehh, doesn¡¯t matter.


    The teenagers eventually reach the end of the hall, stopping just below the wall where Bug¡¯s hole is. Hiding up above them, they don¡¯t seem to notice her watching as they loudly joke around with each other.


    From the look of them, it is three guys. They have different features and different hair colors and eye colors¡­ but Bug finds herself not really caring about that¡­ One is tall, one is short, and one is sort of fat. That is all that really matters to her when it comes to their bodies.


    Besides that, the tall one has a spear. The short one has an axe and a cheap looking shield that looks like the lid to a barrel¡­ No, no, it is definitely the lid to a barrel, he just fitted a handle to it and wrapped some cheap leather on the inside. And finally, the fat guy has a club that is probably just a thick tree branch that he cleaned up.


    Bug has never seen a tree or a branch before, but the Magic knowledge she learned had a lot to teach her about plants and nature due to some of the basic elements of magic that were covered. So even if she has never seen one before, she at least knows what it is.


    Bug comes to a quick conclusion as she looks them over. Weak and poor¡­


    A quick scan from her Identify confirms her thoughts.


    ¡®Lvl4 Human.¡¯


    ¡®Lvl5 Human.¡¯


    ¡®Lvl4 Human.¡¯


    Hmm, the one with the axe and shield is stronger than the other two.


    None of them seem to react to her scan, further fueling Bug¡¯s suspicions that they are weak. Their clothes even look a bit ragged and are patched-up in several places in an attempt to maintain them after years of wear and tear.


    But I¡¯m still not certain that I could take them¡­


    So, Bug chooses to wait and watch.


    The humans, as they continue to talk, set about setting up some wooden bowls and folded up blanket as they dig into their ratty packs. Sitting on the floor, they dig some food out and start to eat and drink water from their canteens.


    The food doesn¡¯t look all that appetizing, being hard bread and some dried nuts with berries, but Bug finds herself growing hungry as she watches them eat. She has only ever had moss and a single cookie after all, so any other food she can find is honestly pretty alluring right now.


    Bug has to hold back the urge to jump them right that moment, but she still doesn¡¯t like her chances. So, she waits¡­


    And she waits¡­


    Until finally an opening shows itself to her.


    ¡°Gonna take a piss. Be right back.¡± Says the fat one.


    Bug watches as he moves deeper into the dead end and starts working at untying his pants.


    Best chance I¡¯ll get. It¡¯s now or never¡­


    Slowly climbing out of the hole in the wall, Bug clings to the wall and quietly shuffles herself along until she is over the oblivious adventurer. She is very careful as to not knock any loose stones free as she moves, and stores any that she finds, just to be safe.


    Checking over her shoulder, she finds that the other two are still eating and talking, their backs turned as to not watch their friend relieve himself.


    Waiting until he is finished draining his bladder ¨C simply as a courtesy ¨C Bug lets go of the wall and draws her knife as he moves to retie his pants.


    Landing on his shoulders, Bug moves as fast as she can to cover his mouth with her hand as she buries her blade into his throat. Muffling a pained and surprised scream, Bug keeps her grip on him as he collapses to his knees.


    Pulling hard on the knife, she wrenches it out and tears his throat open in a spray of blood. His eyes roll back as his mind goes into shock and he falls forward against the wall, sliding down it until he collapses into a puddle of his own blood and piss.


    Bug doesn¡¯t bother trying to keep his fall from making noise. He is too heavy for her to bother trying to catch.


    Ignoring the notifications popping up, Bug throws herself into a sprint as she charges the two other boys. The tall one turns to see what the noise is as the short one makes a joke.


    ¡°Hey Bo, you taking a massive shit or something? We heard that from here, hahaha!¡±


    The tall one goes to yell something and reaches for his spear as he spots Bug. She is almost on top of them.


    Pointing at him, Bug silently activates her first spell. Inflict Pain!


    The invisible spell smacks into him before he can utter a word and he falls, screaming in pain. Falling backwards, he writhes as the spell ravages his mind, body, and soul, tricking his senses into believing that he is suffering from horrendous pain.


    The spell itself deals no actual damage. It simply forces a person to feel pain. At a cost of one point of mana per second, Bug can maintain it for a hundred seconds. With how debilitating the pain is, this gives her more than enough time.


    The short guy only has enough time to turn and gawk at his screaming friend for a second before Bug rams her knife into his back.


    He is apparently too poor to afford any armor, so her knife tears through his shirt and flesh, sliding between two ribs as it buries itself into his heart.


    Coughing up some blood, he turns and stares at the little creature that had just killed him, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere.


    The notifications come as the strength leaves his body. Pushing his shoulder, Bug knocks him over and lets her blade slide out of him as his body falls. Wiping it on his clothes to clean off the blood, Bug keeps her eye on the screaming human.


    Taking out her rope, she moves over to him and gags his mouth before tying his hands and feet together. Her knot tying Skill is already coming in handy it seems¡­


    With the human boy bound, Bug finally lifts her spell and makes the pain stop.

 Chapter 3.2- Die Humans!

    He is breathing heavily through his nose as tears run down his face, the memory of the pain still lingering in his mind.


    Bug uses both hands to forces him to sit upright and then slaps him to make him focus.


    His swimming eyes eventually focus on her and are filled with both confusion and fear in spades.


    Patting him on the cheek, Bug gives him a smile. ¡°Hello human. You¡¯re going to answer some questions for me. Ok?¡±


    His eyes widen as she speaks, surprise filling his face. He tries to mumble somethings through the rope gaging his mouth, but it comes out unintelligible and is lost to the gently wind of the Dungeon.


    Bug slaps him again, her strength surprisingly being enough to knock his head to the side. ¡°Shush! I will ask questions and you will answer. If you scream for help. I will kill you. If you lie. I will kill you. If you try to stall. I will kill you. Nod if you understand.¡±


    His eyes fall onto his dead companions, and he starts to cry.


    ¡°Haaaaa¡­¡­¡±


    Pulling out her knife, Bug stabs him in the arm. Not deeply, but enough to make him bleed and scream.


    She waits patiently as he lets out his muffled screams, drool slipping down his lips in a mess that mixes with his tears and snot.


    Once he has calmed a little bit, Bug takes his face and forces him to look at only her as she holds the knife to his face.


    ¡°Focus or I¡¯m taking one of your eyes.¡± She tells him calmly.


    His eyes focus on the blade, and he tries to move away from it in fear, but he can¡¯t as Bug holds his head up against the damp wall of the Dungeon.


    ¡°Focus. On. Me. Focus!¡±


    He finally stops and looks to Bug, fear overwhelmingly present in his eyes.


    ¡°Good¡­ Now, again. I will ask questions and you will answer. If you scream for help. I will kill you. If you lie. I will kill you. If you try to stall or waste time. I will kill you. Nod if you understand.¡±


    He quickly nods his head and Bug removes her hand from his face and lowers the knife.


    Giving him a pat on the head, Bug says with a smile, ¡°Good boy. Good boy. You do as your told and I promise to let you live, ok?¡±


    He nods, but Bug notices his eyes dart off to the side. Following his gaze, she finds his spear where it had been left on the floor.


    Bug raises the knife again, bringing it dangerously close to his eye. ¡°No, no, no, that is bad. You understand? You keep thoughts like that locked up or I am going to have to stab you again. Right?¡±


    He nods, trying to keep his eye away from the point of the blade. He tries to say something, but it is muffled by the rope in his mouth.


    Lowering the knife, Bug continues. ¡°Good. I¡¯m going to remove the gag. Remember to be a good boy. Good boys don¡¯t get stabbed.¡±


    With one hand she lowers the gag as her other keeps the knife leveled and ready. He can clearly see that the knife will be plunged into his heart if he makes even a single mistake.


    He whimpers as the gag is removed. ¡°Ple¡­ please don¡¯t kill me¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhhhhhh¡­ No talking unless it is to answer my questions. Do that again and I¡¯ll make you unable to walk.¡±


    He clamps his mouth shut and nods, tears running down his face.


    ¡°Now, my first question. What is outside of the Dungeon? Where do you humans come from?¡±


    He swallows nervously and through trembling lips, answers. ¡°Sil¡­ The city of Silest.¡±


    ¡°So, there is a city built on top of this Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± He nods frantically.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ And how many people live in Silest?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I uh¡­¡± His eyes are swimming as he tries to find the answer.


    ¡°Tell me, human. No wasting my time, remember?¡± Bug asks calmly as she draws back the blade and aims it at his leg.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I swear, I don¡¯t know! Please!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet.¡±


    He immediately shuts up as Bug looks in his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re not lying... Why is it that you don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡­ We¡­¡± His eyes drift to the corpses and Bug makes him focus, moving her knife towards his face a bit.


    ¡°We don¡¯t live in the city, but the outskirts in a village. I uh¡­ I don¡¯t know my numbers¡­ I only know that there are lots of people living in the city. We left our village to try and mak-¡°


    ¡°Shut up. I don¡¯t care about your life story or your motivations. Only answer my questions and nothing else. How far away is this city of yours from the Lands of the Demon Queen?¡±


    ¡°De-Demon Queen? I, I don¡¯t know. I only know that people say that she lives far, far to the east, past deserts and mountains. That all I know about that, I swear to the Goddess!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I believe you. Not a lie¡­¡±


    Far to the east huh¡­ So even after I escape the Dungeon, I¡¯m going to have a journey to go on. Great.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Next question. Does the city have cookies?¡±


    ¡°Cookies?¡±


    ¡°Sweets. Made with chocolate and fills your mouth with happiness?¡±


    Please tell me the city has them! Please!


    ¡°I know those! Yes, the noble¡¯s and rich merchant¡¯s food. I¡¯ve never had one, but my cousin worked as a cleaner for a noble¡¯s party once and was able to sneak one from the trash. She said it was the most wonderful thing she has ever eaten.¡±


    Bug lets out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Her goal has been reaffirmed. If she can just get out of the dungeon and into the city, then surely, she can find some cookies. Her future is already looking brighter.


    ¡°Haaah¡­. Good, good. Good boy, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean that I get to live. I can go right? Plea-¡°


    ¡°No. Shut up and remember the rules. Next questions are about the Dungeon. How many floors are there?¡±


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know. Nobody knows¡­¡±


    Hmm, nobody has made it to the bottom yet?


    ¡°How far have you humans made it into the Dungeon then?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Ru, rumors say that people have gotten as far as floor thirty¡­ I, I don¡¯t know that number yet, but I think it is big¡­ Are you really going to let me go if I answer your questions? Please, I have my ma that is waitin-¡°


    Stabbing the knife into his thigh, Bug covers his mouth as he cries. ¡°I told you to ONLY answer my questions! Otherwise, be quiet. Next question.¡±


    He whimpers as Bug pulls the knife from his leg and she forces him to look at her. ¡°What kind of creatures are found on floor 2? Tell me human. You want to live, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­!¡±


    A slap across the face sends him reeling. Grabbing him by the collar, Bug pulls him back upright.


    ¡°Answer the question human! What is on the second floor?¡±


    ¡°Gob¡­ Goblins, rats, jellies, and¡­ and uh, big spiders.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Goblins, how do they compare to Gremlins?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know! Please! Please, I just want to see my ma again! Please don¡¯t kill me too!


    Bug slaps him again, knocking him aside. ¡°I KEEP telling you that if you just answer my questions, I will let you live. Stop being an idiot and- ¡°


    He scrambles along the floor with his bound arms and legs as he moves for his spear.


    ¡°Haaaaaa¡­ For fuck sake¡­¡±


    Bug moves to follow him as he crawls, walking behind him as he gets his bound hands onto the spear.


    ¡°Stay away from me you monster!¡±


    He tries to take an awkward swing at her with the long weapon, but Bug is already well within his guard.


    Stopping the blow with her free hand by grabbing the spear¡¯s shaft, Bug points to him with her knife hand and one finger. ¡°Inflict Pain.¡±


    A single point of mana is all it takes to send him reeling. Pulling the spear away from him, she stores it in her inventory.


    Laying on the floor, the human looks up at her and begs. ¡°Please! Please! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll do whatever you say. Please, just don¡¯t kill me!¡±


    Bug scowls at the idiot at her feet. ¡°No.¡±


    He tries to let out one last scream, but Bug is already on top of him before he can move. A simple slap is all it takes to ward away his final defense as she knocks aside his bound hands.


    Pushing him down, she sinks her blade into his throat and watches as the life drains from his eyes.


    The notification comes and Bug disregards it as she looks to her mana bar. The little bit of mana that she has spent is steadily refilling.


    Mmm, that confirms that at least. Being around death makes my mana refill faster. Good.


    ¡­


    Sitting in silence for a bit, Bug listens to the Dungeon and the sounds of the other humans exploring. It doesn¡¯t sound like anyone is getting closer. Which is good considering how much noise the idiot had made at the end there.


    Giving herself a second to relax, Bug eventually looks down at the dead guy that she is sitting on. ¡°I really was going to let you go if you answered all of my questions. All you had to do, was not be an idiot¡­ I guess that was asking too much¡­¡±


    Wiping her knife on his clothes, she stores it and then gets to work. Going around their makeshift camp, Bug grabs everything she can and dumps it all into her inventory. She can sort it all later.


    Once everything is gathered up, Bug goes to each of their bodies and searches them for all their stuff. She doesn¡¯t bother taking their clothes, as they are now all soaked in blood ¨C one in piss ¨C and are honestly not even that good of quality. The clothes she got from her gift are honestly much better.


    With everything looted, Bug finally stores their bodies, but doesn¡¯t sell them. She has a plan for them.


    Looking around, the dead end is now cleaned of stuff. There are still the puddles of blood, but Bug knows that the Dungeon is already hungrily drinking those up. They¡¯ll be gone in an hour or so. And with them, all the evidence that anything had ever happened here.


    Satisfied, she climbs back up the wall and back into her little hole.


    ...


    //Killed lvl 4 Human ¨C 20 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Human ¨C 25 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Skill!


    //Assassination lvl 1 Unlocked!


    //Killed lvl 4 Human ¨C 20 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 6! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 3 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 1 Skill point!


    ¡­


    Sitting on some moss, Bug grits her teeth as her level-up increases her stats and her body grows a little stronger. Before the pain can finish, she spends her Free Stats so she can get all the pain out of the way quickly.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C None


    Level ¨C 6


    EXP ¨C 25/60


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 66/66


    Stamina ¨C 24/24


    Mana ¨C 110/110


    Vitality ¨C 11


    Endurance ¨C 8


    Strength - 8


    Dexterity - 13


    Magic - 11


    Intelligence - 13


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    With the level-up increasing Vitality, Dexterity, and Intelligence, Bug puts two towards Dexterity to bring it up to thirteen, like Intelligence, and then one more point into Magic, Bringing her Mana up to 110 points.


    Hmm, I don¡¯t like seeing my Stamina being so small¡­ Next level-up should put a point into Endurance, Strength, and Magic. I¡¯ll be sure to put a Free Point into Endurance then and bring it up to ten. But otherwise, I want to focus on Dexterity, Magic, and Intelligence.


    The System said that the Class offerings are dependent on our Stats, Skill, Spells, and Knowledge, so I want to try and get something that is good for survival and focuses on Death magic if I can.


    ¡°Just four more levels to go¡­¡±


    Turning her attention back outside once the pain has finally settled, Bug listens to the Dungeon and tries to find if anyone else is coming her way.


    ¡­


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like it¡­ There are, what, like eight other groups of humans on the first floor? Hmm? Does increasing my Dexterity increase my hearing ability? Maybe increasing Intelligence is making me better at understanding what it is I¡¯m hearing¡­ Interesting.¡±


    Feeling safe for a while, Bug returns deeper into her hole to go over some things.


    First and foremost¡­


    Humans give a lot of experience, don¡¯t they? A lvl 1 mob only gave me five and then six at lvl 2. But a lvl 4 human is worth twenty and a lvl 5 is twenty-five. So, would a lvl 1 human be worth five experience then? Humans really are the best thing for me to be killing then. With how the required exp per Level-up is increasing, getting to Level 10 shouldn¡¯t take more than a few humans to get there¡­


    What levels were those other ones again¡­? Six, nine, and ten¡­ right? So, if I killed them, I would get thirty, forty-five, and fifty experience each. Just that Level 10 guy alone is worth almost an entire Level-up¡­ Makes me almost willing to go risk it and hunt them down.


    ¡°Haha, though I don¡¯t think I would win¡­¡±


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Knowledge!


    //Basic Mathematics unlocked!


    ¡°Huh¡­? Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division¡­ Neat.¡±


    Well, on that subject, I guess I should look into that Skill I just got.


    ¡®Assassination lvl 1. This Skill helps guide your attacks against unaware targets to deal maximum damage. If there is a weakness in an enemy¡¯s defense, your blade will surely find its way to reach their vital organs.¡¯


    ¡°Helpful. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t have to spend a point to get it. So, I will gladly take it.¡±

 Chapter 3.3- Die Humans!

    With that out of the way, Bug turns her attention to her loot from the fight. Pulling a backpack out of her inventory, she looks it over and checks its contents¡­


    Wait a sec¡­


    She puts it back and looks at the three boxes that have bags in them¡­


    In another box is a wooden bowl. She takes out both the bowl and a pack, putting the bowl in the pack before then storing it¡­


    Just one box¡­


    ¡°System¡­ Why the hell was this not covered in the manual!?¡± She screams at the ceiling.


    Whoever the hell it is that wrote that manual, they need to be beaten over the head! Why is such a helpful way of saving space and organizing your inventory not covered in the manual, but yet, everything for how to optimize my settings and create a clean HUD setup is covered in great detail!? It didn¡¯t even properly cover the Points Store! Seriously, who the hell is the idiot that wrote this damn thing. I want to strangle them!


    ¡°Haaaaah¡­ Forget about it¡­ Let¡¯s just look through what I got and sell what I don¡¯t need. I can strangle the Devs later¡­¡±


    To start, Bug takes out two of the blankets and spreads them out over her bed of moss. They are scratchy and smell of age, but the two blankets add to her makeshift bed and make it much softer. Folding up the third blanket, Bug stuffs it with moss and makes a very basic pillow for her to relax her head on.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see here, I got some bowls, a couple of sacks with hard bread and a few with nuts and berries, some really shoddy looking knives¡­ Hmm, I guess I can throw these as weapons¡­ What else? Some forks and spoons carved from wood, flint, for making fires, I guess? Some random junk like a hand carved necklace¡­ What is this symbol for?


    Putting it in her Inventory, Bug reads its description.


    ¡®A poorly carved symbol of the Church of Light. Worn by followers of the Goddess to show their faith.¡¯


    ¡°Goddess? Hmm, that guy did say that he swears to the Goddess or whatever¡­ Meh, don¡¯t need. Sell. Oh, it¡¯s worth two points, nice.¡±


    Dumping out packs, Bug continues to sort everything out until she has everything she wants to keep separated from the stuff she doesn¡¯t need. Selling everything else, and notably some furs that she grimaces as she touches, Bug folds up the other two packs, stuffing them into the bottom of the best one out of the three, and then starts packing away everything that she doesn¡¯t need immediate access to into the one pack.


    By the time she is done, the first page of her Inventory is looking much cleaner now with only a few slots being used. Reduced to only being her mana crystals, two stacks of rocks, a stack of 3 shoddy throwing knives, a bundle of rope, a stack of a few hundred moss, some small sacks of nuts and berries and bread, a pack full of stuff, three human corpses [Regretfully do not stack.], and her handy dagger.


    ¡°Much cleaner now. Gonna put the corpses on page three, so I don¡¯t have to look at them and they don¡¯t get in the way¡­ There, much better. Now for the weapons.¡±


    Still sitting on the floor before her bed is an axe, a spear, a club, and a barrel lid shield.


    Pulling them into her inventory one at a time, Bug gives their description a look over.


    ¡®Wood Cutting Axe. Tool of choice for an aspiring lumberjack. Not really intended for use as a weapon, but there is nothing stopping you from using it as one.¡¯


    ¡®Foot Soldier¡¯s Spear. A cheap, mass produced, spear intended for use by peasant levies on the battlefield. Just point at the enemy and stab forward.¡¯


    ¡®Rough-cut Club. A wooden club made from the branch of an old oak tree. Apply directly to the head for best results.¡¯


    ¡®Make-shift Shield. Hardly able to be considered a shield at all, someone would have to be very desperate to rely on this to protect them.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡°Yeah, about what I expected¡­ Still, I¡¯ll keep them in case they become useful. At the very least, I can use them to try and get their Skills. Pretty sure that I saw Spear Fighting lvl 1 and Axe Fighting lvl 1 in the store¡­ Now then! Time to buy a new spell!¡±


    Opening the Store, Bug sets her filters and heads into Spells. At the top of the page, Bug notices that a new message has been place there.


    ¡®Due to your selection of [Death] as your primary element, your available selection of secondary elements has been modified.


    You now only have access to the following elements: Death, Body, Soul, Ice, Nature, Darkness, and Time.


    Please note that all spells you can learn have been modified to be [Death] infused. In order to fully utilize your secondary elements without being [Death] infused, you will require the Skill, Master Caster, found <u>here</u>, and the Knowledge, How to Fully Utilize Secondary Elements, found <u>here</u>.¡¯


    Curious, Bug opens both links and checks their prices.


    ¡°Sheesh¡­ ten points for each of them. Expensive¡­¡±


    Pushing aside those expensive looking things, Bug heads into the list of spells available to her and starts browsing.


    ¡°Cold Touch, Sharpen Claws, Evil Eyes, Slow Touch, Make Deadly Poison, Scary Shadow, Turn Undead¡­¡±


    Hmm, not really much to pick from for just one point. The touch spells and Sharpen Claws are all close-range spells. Evil Eyes makes it so I can make enemies that look me in the eye become afraid. Make Deadly Poison is only useful if I can poison someone¡¯s food or drinking water¡­ I could use it to coat my weapons or splash it on their face I guess... Scary Shadow is useless. It is just a passive spell that doesn¡¯t cost anything to maintain but makes my shadow look scary. And finally, Turn Undead. It makes undead that are weaker than me fall under my control. It could be useful later, but right now I don¡¯t have to worry about fighting the undead.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Hmm, right now I only want to be getting into close range if I can guarantee a kill. Cold Touch, Slow Touch, and Sharpen Claws are tempting, but I am better off just using my knife for now. I can see the uses for all three of them, but they just aren¡¯t worth it right now. So that leaves Evil Eye and Make Deadly Poison¡­¡±


    ¡°I could poison my throwing weapons, but I have no idea how effective the poison is without testing it. And Evil Eye could be useful during a fight, but it isn¡¯t a Passive. I have to activate it whenever I look someone in the eye for it to work. And I already have Inflict Pain¡­ Alright, Make Deadly Poison it is.¡±


    Clicking ''Buy'' on the spell, a quick loading bar pops up and disappears. A slight tingle goes through Bug¡¯s brain, but that is about it for the discomfort.


    ¡°I think I am going to save up three points next. I already know what spell I really want, and it should be worth the wait.¡±


    With that taken care of and not much else to really do, Bug lays down in her freshly modified moss bed and pulls out a small bag of nuts and berries.


    Her mouth is watering as she looks at the new food and she is quick to pop a couple into her mouth.


    ¡°Hmm, mmmm¡­ Definitely tastes better than the moss. Thank you, stupid humans."


    <hr>


    //Time 20:36


    The First floor is much quieter now. It has been drawing more and more deathly silent as the day draws on. Most likely, the humans have already killed almost everything else on this floor and have all either left or have moved down into the lower floors.


    During the seven hours that Bug had remained cooped up in her hidey-hole, she has only had a couple of guests come by this dead end of hers. A few Jellies had been drawn in by what Bug is guessing was the smell of blood. So now she has an extra three Jelly skins in her Inventory.


    Besides that, there was one more group of humans that had come by, but there was seven of them and Bug really didn¡¯t like her chances with fighting them. So, she remained hidden as she waited for them to leave. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t stay long and were quick to leave once they found nothing of interest in the dead end.


    The group was made up of a bunch of Human kids wearing the same clothes, being led around by an older human wearing a robe that was answering their questions and teaching them stuff. Which Bug found to be interesting. Probably some part of human culture or something. They eventually left after the old human finished a short lesson about dead-ends in dungeons.


    Apparently, on the lower floors, the dead-ends are often trapped in some way or have monsters waiting in ambush from unseen crevasses. This isn¡¯t a problem on the first floor though, he assured them. The monsters here are too dumb to lay an ambush, he tells them¡­


    Bug had to hold back some giggles as she laid in bed and listened to this. The irony was a bit much.


    Now, with the first floor of the Dungeon being blessedly quiet, Bug decides that it is safe to set out from her hole and further explore the first floor. Maybe if she is lucky, she will be able to find some stragglers that are weak and haven¡¯t left the Dungeon yet.


    Climbing down, Bug sets off. With no real course of direction, she decides that the best thing to do is to just fill out her map of the first floor. As she is about to take a turn away from her dead-end hallway, Bug makes sure to put a home marker down on the location for her hole. Just in case she needs a safe place to hide or sleep again.


    Wandering about, Bug comes across a few places where fighting had occurred. She ends up finding many corpses of the mobs of the first floor. They are usually in pretty bad shape.


    Many of them have been messily skinned for their furs, and all of the bodies are in different states of rapid decay as the Dungeon hungrily reabsorbs the bodies.


    Whenever Bug comes across such sights, she sighs as she gathers up the corpses and sells them. Some of the corpses are so ruined that they don¡¯t even earn her one point from the store, let alone the two that they are usually worth. Still, Bug needs the points, and she would rather sell them for her own benefit than let the Dungeon eat them. It can starve for all she cares¡­


    Besides the corpses, she also makes sure to pick up and sell whatever trash that she can find and sells it all.


    The humans sure do love to just dump their trash here, don¡¯t they? I guess they figure that the Dungeon and the Jellies will eat it, so might as well dump it here¡­ Oh, another point, nice.


    Another hallway cleaned and mapped, Bug takes a turn into unmarked territory and continues her little journey. After a few more turns, Bug comes across a room and stops in her tracks as she finds a mountain of trash taller than she is. Which isn¡¯t saying much considering that Bug doesn¡¯t even reach the waist of some of the humans she has seen¡­ Still, it is a lot of trash.


    ¡°Ehuu, I guess the humans really are using the Dungeon as a place to dump their trash¡­ Smelly¡­¡±


    Pinching her nose, she opens her map and checks it over.


    Ya, getting much closer to the entrance¡­ Hmm, maybe the humans chose this room as their dump because it is close enough to the entrance to be a short walk, but is far enough away that they don¡¯t have to smell it or see it when they are coming and going? I think that makes sense¡­


    Looking over the pile of trash, Bug picks out a few things of interest and looks them over. A piece of crinkled paper with rotting food on it has ¡®Great Boar Tavern¡¯ written on it in big letters, another thing is a broken broom, there is a broken stool, some shattered glass, a broken barrel, and half a deck of cards that is all soaked and water damaged. Besides those, everything else is just broken rotting stuff and food that has gone so bad that it guarantees a stomachache if eaten.


    It takes a while, and Bug is very careful as to not get messy, but she eventually manages to store and sell all of the trash. Having used just one finger to poke and store stuff, she holds her hand away from herself as she leaves the room and runs to find a clean source of water. As soon as she finds one, she puts her hands in and scrubs them until they feel clean.


    ¡°13 points for that whole pile. Trash really isn¡¯t worth much¡­¡±


    Looking to her clock, the time reads as 21:25.


    ¡°Less than an hour until the Dungeon closes¡­ Maybe I could go take a look?¡±


    Getting up, Bug listens to the Dungeon, but it comes back deathly quiet.


    "Sounds like this floor is empty. Should be safe.¡±


    Heading towards where the entrance to the Dungeon is marked on her map, it takes about ten minutes for her to find her way there. The sight that awaits her is a single hallway stretching out until it reaches a pair of massive doors. For a human, they might be considered big, but for a Gremlin, they are massive.


    Carved from stone, they are plain looking and hold very little ornamentation. On the floor is the marks left behind from where the massive heavy doors have opened and closed every day for many years. Bug¡¯s instincts tell her that when closed, those doors are impossible to open. Even if someone could break stone with their fists, those doors will remain untouched.


    Walking cautiously forward, Bug slowly approaches the doorway, ready to run away at a moment¡¯s notice should a human appear on the other side.


    Finally reaching the doors, Bug peers through the opening as she hugs the wall. Further ahead is a set of stairs that leads up, and from there, she finds light gently pouring down from outside. It is nothing like the light of the glowing mushrooms and is bright and warm.


    Bug wants to touch it. To run her hands under the warm beams of light that flow from a yet to be seen Sun.


    She takes a step forward and stops as a message appears before her.


    ¡®Warning!


    Dungeon Spawned Entity, do not step beyond this point. Without a proper connection to this Dungeon¡¯s mana, your body will slowly fail and die.


    At your projected stats, you will last approximately [2 Days, 11 Hours, 52 Minutes, 9 Seconds]


    Advisory: Return to the Dungeon.¡¯


    Bug reads this warning over and over again as she stands mere inches away from the thresholds of freedom, the last rays of an afternoon¡¯s sunlight beckoning her to walk forward into its warm embrace.


    But she can¡¯t. Her freedom would only further ensure her inevitable death.


    ¡°Even if I am a person now, at the end of the day I am still one of them¡­ One of those things made by the Dungeon¡­¡±


    To have her goal so close but yet so far away, held back by nothing more than a single step. This is the first time that Bug has ever felt such crushing depression in her short life. Even when she had run out of cookies, she had not felt this much despair.


    ¡°Haaah, huuuuuuuuuuu¡­¡­.¡° A deep breath in, followed by a long exhale. Bug comes to a decision as she watches the last few rays of light disappear and the stairwell goes dark. ¡°Well, I just need to make it so I can leave. I just have to get stronger¡­ And I have to get revenge on the one who made me.¡±

 Chapter 3.4- Die Humans!

    //Time 21:57


    Three minutes until the doors close for the night. Bug turns away and starts walking back into the Dungeon, her goals made clear.


    I will get stronger. I will have my revenge against the Dungeon. I will have my freedom. And I will have cookies!


    Nearing the corner, Bug¡¯s ears twitch as she hears something coming from further in, she stops and waits as the noise get closer. Eventually, rounding the corner is a pair of humans that are running desperately and breathing heavily.


    ¡°Come on! We got to hurry, or we are going to be locked in here all night! Hurry up, Simmon!¡± Yells the girl.


    ¡°Stop yelling and just run, I¡¯m right behind you!¡± Simmon responds.


    They finally notice Bug standing in the hall ahead of them as they make some distance in, slamming their feet to a stop as the sight of her takes them both by surprise.


    ¡°Wow! Holy crap, one is still alive. I thought they all got wiped out again today¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important! We need to move. Forget about the Gremlin and just run past it!¡±


    ¡°Wait, but why is it wearing clothes?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know? Why does it matter? Just hurry up and ¨C¡°


    Bug interrupts them with a smile and a wave. A little over one minute left on the clock. ¡°Hello humans. You seem to be in a rush. Something wrong?¡± She asks with her sweetest voice.


    They stop just as they looked like they were about to start running again. Shock clearly written on their faces.


    ¡°Did that thing just talk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ It did. They, they aren¡¯t supposed to talk. What the hell¡­?¡±


    Bug tuts at them, arms crossed over her chest as she gives them a both look. ¡°Rude¡­ I¡¯m not a thing, nor an it. I¡¯m a she. Or do humans just have a hard time telling my people apart?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you have tits, you little monster. A monster is a monster!¡± The girl calls back.


    This pisses Bug off a little and she ends up saying a comeback before she can even think to stop herself. ¡°Ah, apologies. I just figured that humans suffered from the same problem that I do. You see, I¡¯m finding it quite hard to tell if you are a male or a female. Those are ¡®tits¡¯ on your chest, right? I was having a hard time figuring you out because they are so much smaller than mine. You are a girl, right?¡± Bug asks, head tilted to the side and a little smile on her face.


    The yet to be named girl is shocked as Bug berates her figure with a smug face. Shock quickly turns to anger as Bug finishes and the boy next to her starts snickering.


    ¡°They¡¯re not that small you little shit!¡±


    The boy starts laughing. Losing control of his composure as it becomes too much for him. ¡°Hahahahahaaaaa, a Gremlin has bigger tits than you! Zowey, I know that you were always flat as a washboard, but this is just too much! Hahahahaha!¡±


    Zowey punches him as she blushes, ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t¡­. Don¡¯t call me a washboard! You jerk!¡±


    ¡°Ouch, ouch¡­ hahaha, I¡¯m sorry, ok? Stop hitting me, hahaha, I¡¯m sorry. It was just funny. Not every day something like this happens.¡±


    Zowey turns back to Bug, anger in her eyes as she fights down her embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you, you little monster! Don¡¯t think you are going to get away with making fun of me!¡±


    Geeze, she is easy to mess with if that is all it takes. Are all humans like this?


    Bug gives them a smile, trying to look as innocent and sweet as possible. ¡°I¡¯m not a monster. I¡¯m a Demi-Human. Also, weren¡¯t you humans in the middle of something?¡± She asks, tilting her head to the other side inquisitively, a cute little smile on her face.


    Simmon looks to the doors. ¡°Oh shit! We gotta go. Zowey, forget about the Gremlin, we got to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Mmmhhh, right, fine¡­ You better be waiting you little monster. Tomorrow I¡¯m going to come back and hunt you down!¡±


    They both move to run, keeping their eyes on the strange little Gremlin as they move, but they are soon drawn to stop as Bug speaks again. Both of her hands up, her cute little smile growing cold on her face as she steps to block them. ¡°Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six-¡±


    ¡°Hey, what are you counting down for?¡±


    ¡°Five. Four-¡±


    ¡°Hey! I asked you a question!¡± Zowey yells.


    A look of shock comes over Simmon as he looks from Bug and then to the doors. ¡°Oh no, Zowey! Forget about her; the doors!¡±


    ¡°Three.¡±


    Zowey rips her eyes off of Bug and looks to the doors in a hurry, realization spreading in her eyes with horror. ¡°Oh crap!¡±


    ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°Run!!!!¡±


    They make a break for the doors as Bug lowers her final finger. ¡°One.¡±


    Behind her, the doors loudly move as they start to close. The sound of stone moving over stone filling the hall as the two humans scream for it to stop. They run for the doors and Bug steps to the side, letting them pass by as they desperately run. They reach the doors just as they seal shut, slamming into them and smacking their hands against the unmoving and uncaring stone. They scream for it to open, for someone on the other side to help them, but the doors will not budge.


    //Time 22:00


    //Ending Day


    //All system users, please prepare for Dungeon restock.


    Hmm¡­ Interesting¡­


    As bug is looking over the notice, the two humans are still loudly knocking on the doors. With how thick they are, Bug seriously doubts that anyone will hear them from the other side. She lets them continue to be dumb as she watches.


    ¡®Lvl 3 Human.¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 3 Human.¡¯


    Yeah, these ones don¡¯t seem all that dangerous either. Their stuff is nicer than those three guys, but they are definitely weaker. And both of them have swords¡­ I want them.


    ¡°Excuse me! Humans!¡± Bug yells to draw their attention. ¡°The doors aren¡¯t going to open even if you bang on them!¡±


    They turn back, seemingly remembering that Bug exists and scowl at her. Zowey walks forward, finger pointing at Bug acquisitively. ¡°You! If you didn¡¯t distract us, we would have gotten out!¡±


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°If you humans weren¡¯t so easy to distract, you would have made it out. Yes.¡±


    ¡°You little bitch!¡±


    ¡°Heh!¡± Bug lets out a single laugh as she looks at the furious girl.


    ¡°You drop that smug smile you little monster! I¡¯ll skin you alive and sell your furs on the market for a single copper!¡±


    She goes to take a step towards Bug, but is stopped as Simmon grabs her shoulder. ¡°Zowey, forget the Gremlin! We need to run, now! We need to get to the stairs before the Mana Wave comes. We aren¡¯t strong enough to take it yet!¡±


    Zowey looks back to him, torn between fighting and running, and clicks her tongue.


    ¡°Fuck! Fine, let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t think I am going to forget about this you little creatin!¡±


    They move to return down the hall but are forced to stop as Bug steps away from the wall and blocks their path.


    Simmon speaks up at this as he keeps Zowey from screaming at Bug again. ¡°Hey little Gremlin. What do you think you¡¯re doing? We¡¯re giving you a chance to live here. Take it and move out of our way.¡±


    ¡°Mmmmm, no. I don¡¯t think I will.¡±


    ¡°And why not? Do you think you can stop us? I don¡¯t care if you can talk and wear clothes, we¡¯ve killed five of you just today.¡±


    ¡°Wow! You killed five of those things? Good job human.¡± Bug says with a contentious smile.


    ¡°Those things? What, do you think you¡¯re not one of them? Ah! It doesn¡¯t matter! You¡¯re just trying to stall us again! If you won¡¯t move, then we will just go through you. Come on Zowey!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Finally! Stay right there you little shit, and don¡¯t even think of running!¡±


    They charge, drawing their swords as they run towards Bug. But she remains standing there as they draw near. Once they get almost a few steps to within striking range, Bug points a finger up a Zowey and says, ¡°Inflict Pain.¡±


    She screams and trips over herself as her body locks up on her. Every nerve in her body sending pain signals in a panic, as if her body had just been dipped in acid and lit on fire.


    Simmon, still running forward turns his head in surprise as his companion screams and falls. His priorities clearly being more on her than on the unarmed enemy right in front of him. After all, not once since they had entered this hallway had they considered Bug to be an actual threat.


    His body comes to a stop as he collides with something. The air catching in his throat as the breath is stolen from his lips.


    He turns his eyes away from his screaming companion and looks down at the Gremlin before him. In her hands is a spear, taller that her body by almost three times. She holds it braced against the floor. The shaft of the spear runs up, leading from her hands, and is buried in his chest. His leather armor had barely done anything to stop the blade from piecing him as he had run himself onto its blade.


    ¡°Where¡­? Where did¡­? Ehhhh¡­.¡±


    Bug pushes forward, forcing the blade deeper and making him cough up a mouthful of blood as something import inside of him gets broken. As the strength to stand fades from his knees, Bug pulls hard on the shaft and forces him to fall to his side.


    Zowey screams. Not because of the pain that is ripping her senses apart, but because of the sight of the boy falling before her, a spear rammed through his chest. She writhes on the ground with tears in her eyes as she watches the Gremlin approach.


    Placing her foot on his body, she moves the spear back and forth as he gasps in pain, eventually she works the spear free and yanks it out. He gasps on the ground, sword dropped and forgotten as the little monster raises the spear up above her head.


    Zowey screams, only one word managing to make its way out through the pain. ¡°NO!!!!¡±


    Bug brings it down, planting the end of the spear into his neck like one might plant a flag on freshly claimed soil, one foot placed on his body like it is the incline of a freshly conquered hill.


    His hands weakly raise to the shaft of the spear and then fall away. One finger only managing to graze the shaft before his strength fails him. He stops moving.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one. Not much experience for a level 3, but I¡¯m not going to say no to free stuff¡­¡± The little Gremlin says to herself with a casual shrug.


    Zowey stares at the corpse laying before her. Of the boy that she had spent so much of her life with. The boy that grew up next door and despite always making fun of her, was always, always there for her.


    The boy that she could never come to admit that she liked. Always stubbornly pushing it off till later. Always denying her feelings. Never wanting to take that next step in fear of how it might change things between them. What if he rejected her? Would they still be able to be friends? What if¡­ what if he accepted her? What kind of life could they have lived together¡­?


    And now, he is dead¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!¡±


    Screaming, she pushes through the pain and forces herself up. She had dropped her sword when she fell, but she still pushes herself forward and charges.


    Surprise fills the eyes of the little monster as she moves forward, her every step accompanied with the screaming of her nerves and muscles.


    The monster flinches and tries to backpedal, tripping over the corpse at her feet as her foot gets caught on a strap.


    Zowey throws herself forward, arms grabbing at the little monster as she pushes her small body down beneath her. Hands wrapped around her neck, she tries to strangle the life out of the monster as her rage and grief pushes her through the pain.


    Something sharp pierces her stomach as she strangles the monster, but her body is already in so much pain that she hardly notices.


    She fights through it all as the thing gasps for air with one arm waving in the air.


    Soon! Soon it will be dead! I¡¯ll avenge you Simmon!


    A green and black ball of liquid splashes into Zowey¡¯s face as the little monster waves her arm again.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡±


    Her vision goes dark as her eyes burn. Some of the liquid had gotten into her mouth and almost instantly the feeling of death assails her body. Her hands fly up to her face as the pain tearing through her increases tenfold, her body shaking like a leaf as a deathly chill fills her.


    No more sense of direction. No more up and down. Slowly all of her senses start to fail her as she screams on the floor, the cold hand of death already on her shoulder.


    From somewhere beside her, someone is coughing and cursing.


    I¡¯m sorry Simmon. I should have listened when you said we should leave the Dungeon. I¡¯m sorry that I made us take so long. I just wanted to spend more time with you. I¡¯m sorry that I never told you that I love yo-


    ¡°Die human!¡±


    A dagger plunges into her temple and her last thoughts are cut painfully short. Death takes her toll, two lives carried in her hands as she smiles upon her new favorite Bug.


    <hr>


    //Killed lvl 3 Human ¨C 15 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 3 Human ¨C 15 exp gained!


    ¡­


    ¡°Ahch! Ahh, ache! Ahhh, damn bitch! Why the hell did you strangle me for!¡±


    Bug kicks her corpse as she coughs and massages her sore throat.


    The corpse naturally doesn¡¯t respond, her now blind eyes lifelessly staring up at the ceiling with a dagger sticking out of her temple. The green liquid covers her face and blood vessels are clearly showing through her skin as the poison ravages her corpse from the inside out. Watching for a few moments, Bug sees the girls face turn black and rot away.


    ¡°Uhh, that doesn¡¯t look pleasant¡­ But why was she able to move even while she was under Inflict Pain? Did seeing the boy die make her that angry? Ache, ahh, it hurts to talk¡­¡±


    Bug continues to massage her throat as she yanks the knife out of the girl. It comes out covered in blood and grey matter. Bug grimaces as she wipes the blade clean on the girl¡¯s pants.


    Doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s just take their stuff. It¡¯s mine now and that is all that matters. And besides, thanks to them, I am just 2 exp. away from leveling up again.


    Collecting their packs, retrieving their swords, and searching their bodies, Bug takes everything that she can and sorts through what she wants to keep and sells what she doesn¡¯t.


    Oh, what¡¯s this thing?


    ¡®Hairbrush. A simple brush intended for people to straighten out and clean up their hair/fur with.¡¯


    Ohhhh, nice!


    Bug gives it a try and runs it through her fur, a pleasant feeling filling her as the bristles run over her arm and leaves behind smoothed out fur. Pulling a bit with it in some places, she manages to work out some tangles and areas that are stuck together.


    Once she is done, her arm feels much fluffier than it used to and is pleasant to the touch.


    Oh, I am keeping this! Lucky, lucky!


    Deciding to give herself a full brushing later, Bug gets back to it and strips the leather chest armor off of the girl. It is thankfully undamaged, and if it had covered the girl¡¯s stomach, she might still have been alive right now.


    Bug works it up and over herself as she tries to put it on. Though she quickly comes to some trouble.


    Despite the fact that the girl¡¯s chest was indeed smaller than Bug¡¯s, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that she was still a human and was thus bigger than Bug in many other ways. The armor doesn¡¯t fit. Even as she messes with the straps, she can¡¯t get it to work for her at all.


    ¡°Haaaa¡­. Damn it. Wait! What about, ahchh, ache! Ouch¡­¡±


    No talking for now, no talking¡­


    Going with her idea, Bug deposits the leather chest guard into her inventory and then tries to equip it from there. A message pops up as she confirms.


    ¡®Warning!


    This piece is the wrong size and shape for you. Would you like to fix that?


    Cost ¨C 2 points [Note: Discount of 30% applied due to reducing size of item.]¡¯


    Oh, discount, nice! Yes please.


    A quick loading bar pops up and then disappears in less than a second before the freshly modified armor appears on Bug¡¯s body, covering her chest in a layer of protective hardened leather.


    Weirdly, Bug notices that the armor seems to conform a bit too much to her figure.


    Oi! System, what the hell!? It wasn¡¯t like this on her!


    Bug looks down at the corpse in question and frowns.


    Although¡­ I guess she really didn¡¯t have much of anything to work with there¡­ Maybe the armor was supposed to be like this, but was flat because she was wearing it?


    Huh¡­ I¡¯m starting to feel bad now for making fun of her¡­


    Bug coughs and rubs at her throat.


    On second thought, screw her. Bitch almost killed me...


    Bug turns her attention and watches as her health bar steadily refills from being transparent. She had only taken temporary damage from the strangulation, same as if she were drowning. She still would have died if it had hit zero, but unlike real damage, temporary damage will quickly heal once the source of the damage is taken care of.


    Once her health has finally finished refilling, Bug is left with her HP at 64/66 and it doesn¡¯t heal any higher.


    The girl probably hurt something in my throat from squeezing it so hard¡­ Hopefully it won¡¯t take too long to heal.


    Leaving the corpses with their clothes on, Bug stores them both in her Inventory and sorts them into page 3 with the others.


    Now I have five of them. Good.


    Massaging her neck some more and working out a kink in her back, Bug leaves the hallway and returns to her mission of mapping out the first floor.

 Chapter 4.1- A new Day.

    //All System Users, please be advised. Initiating Floor Restock.


    //Advisory: Remain stationery. Sitting or lying down is recommended.


    //3


    //2


    //1


    //Floor Restock Initiated.


    ¡­


    Bug follows the advice in the message displayed on her HUD and sits down. As soon as the final message displays, the Dungeon starts to shake a bit as a wave of energy smashes its way through the halls of the Dungeon.


    Like a flood of fresh blood pumped by the heart, the wave of energy rolls over everything and moves through the Dungeon, plowing over Bug where she sits and continuing on until it disappears from sight. In the wake of the wave of energy, the Dungeon glows with new life as the walls and floor hungrily absorb the lingering energy into themselves.


    Bug picks herself up as she was pushed a little from the energy, much like a hard shove, but all in all, she is unharmed. If she was standing when the wave came, she might have been knocked on her ass.


    Watching the walls and floors, the last bits of energy gets absorbed and disappears.


    Almost immediately, a plant bulb starts to grow in a corner, rapidly increasing in size until it is almost as tall as Bug is.


    Inside, a figure starts to grow.


    Huh¡­ Was this how I was born? Ooh! What is that!?


    She immediately gets distracted as off to the side, something blue and shiny starts to grow on the wall. Bug runs over to it and watches as it grows instead.


    HUUUUUUH! It¡¯s a mana crystal! It is growing from the wall!


    Standing below where the crystal is rapidly growing, Bug watches, mystified as it grows until it is about as big as the other three that she already owns. With a little clink, it disconnects from the wall and falls to the floor.


    Bug quickly scoops it up like it might try to get up and run away from her.


    Mine!


    Holding it up into the light, Bug lovingly admires her new treasure from every angle, marveling as the blue light of the glowing mushrooms shines through its surface.


    Once she has had her fill, she stores the crystal and confirms that it is stacked with the other ones.


    I should hurry up and explore more. I need to hurry before the mobs are birthed. Get as many of them as possible before anyone else has a chance to grab them!


    Happily running through the halls, Bug moves through the rest of the first floor as she navigates around the birthing pods, peeking into rooms as she goes to see if she can spot any more mana crystals growing.


    After a couple of hallways, Bug finally comes across a room that has one. Much like with the first one that she had found, this one is in a room filled with birthing pods. She runs in and snatches up the crystal excitedly.


    Hmm, second time that I have found one like this¡­ Is this supposed to be some kind of ambush room for the humans? Just a bunch of mobs in a room protecting a treasure?


    Bug looks around the room and approaches a pod. It won¡¯t be much longer until they hatch.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Bug takes out her spear and lines it up. With it aimed at the chest of the unborn mob, Bug runs it through and pierces it. The pod immediately burst and falls apart, its contents getting spilled to the floor in a mostly formed mess.


    Bug waits¡­ The thing is most definitely dead but¡­


    No notification¡­ So, I don¡¯t get any experience for killing them in the pod then. Well, that sucks¡­


    Storing the spear, Bug leaves the room and gets back to walking, leaving both the pod and the body behind as they are rapidly dissolving into a mush and getting reabsorbed into the Dungeon.


    Hmm, I¡¯ll just have to wait until they hatch then. It would take a while for me to reach Level 10 from just killing mobs, but I might as well get as much as I can before the Dungeon opens again. Then I can try heading down to the next floor and check it out.


    Continuing on her way, Bug finally finds the stairs to the next floor as her map reaches 80% complete. Looking it over, the only places that she has missed should be a few dead ends and some hallways that connect between places that she has already been.


    Overall, the first floor of the Dungeon isn¡¯t all that big. It would take Bug about five minutes to run back to her hole that she marked and maybe a little longer to get back to the entrance. Really, it is almost a straight shot from the entrance to the stairs. So those that want to just hurry and skip the first floor seem to be able to just walk right on through.


    Considering what Bug knows of the Dungeon¡¯s purpose for the first floor, she considers that maybe the other hallways are mostly just for low level humans to get to fight and earn experience in the Dungeon, with the central path being for the higher level people that just want to hurry up and get to the next floor.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Checking the marker that she left for where she encountered that first group of humans, she finds that it is practically on the central path, helping to confirm her thoughts.


    Hmm, so as long as I stay away from the entrance, the stairs, and the path between them, I should be able to avoid running into any higher leveled humans then¡­ Good to know.


    Bug leaves the stairs behind for now, deciding to remain on this floor for now and get a couple more levels first.


    Making her way back to one of the birthing rooms, Bug sits on a boulder and waits as she watches them gestate.


    They are almost done, so it thankfully doesn¡¯t take much longer until the process starts and the mobs are born. Bug watches with fascination as she sees the process unfold. The plants bulging and then splitting apart into a flow of fluids as a newly born creature is dumped unceremoniously onto the dirt covered floor. The umbilical cords that connected them to the plant, and by extension to the Dungeon, comes loose as they roll off of the plant.


    Their bodies come out weak and wet, and after a cough and a gasping breath of air, they all slowly wake. Crawling on their hands and knees, they work their way over and devour their birthing pods until nothing is left but a withered stem that is slowly falling apart and getting reabsorbed into the Dungeon.


    Bug watches, fascinated by a process that goes beyond her meager magic knowledge.


    Eventually, the plants are all eaten and the newborn mobs start to clean themselves. Bug grimaces as she watches them lick clean their naked bodies, realizing that she had probably done the same herself when she was born.


    Looking at their naked bodies, she finds herself more and more thankful for the clothes that she is wearing. Honestly, the sight of their naked bodies are starting to make her feel uncomfortable.


    Bug want to kill them all already, but she still wants to see it. She wants to see the moment that they start doing stuff aside from what was preprogramed into them. To see if any of them end up smart like her¡­


    The results end up being rather disappointing¡­


    Almost immediately, two of the males start fighting over a patch of moss despite there being more than enough to go around. Another one just sits there in the corner and stares of into space. One just walks off without a word, leaving the room to go and wander off somewhere.


    Those are the rather harmless ones that Bug just ignores for now. Her immediate attention is occupied by the male that picked up a rock and decided to run at her, murder clearly showing in his red eyes. Bug has no idea what his problem is, or why he woke up and chose violence today. But honestly, she doesn¡¯t care.


    Taking one of her shoddy throwing knives out, Bug tosses it from where she sits and nails him in the eye. He falls like a sack of rocks and dies instantly.


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Skill!


    //Throwing Weapons lvl 1 unlocked!


    Oh nice! Finally got that one. Thanks idiot.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 7! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 3 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 1 Skill point!


    ¡­


    Also nice! Thanks again idiot!


    With Bug not technically being in combat anymore, despite the other mobs being in the room, Bug¡¯s body starts to heat up as the Level-up increases her stats. Bug quickly allocates her points like she planned, bringing her Endurance up to ten and then putting the other two into strength and Magic, copying the stat growth of her level-up this time and bringing her stats to some nice numbers.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C None


    Level ¨C 7


    EXP ¨C 3/80


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 66/66


    Stamina ¨C 30/30


    Mana ¨C 130/130


    Vitality ¨C 11


    Endurance ¨C 10


    Strength - 10


    Dexterity - 13


    Magic - 13


    Intelligence - 13


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    Ok, from here on out, I am just going to keep pumping everything into Dexterity, Magic, and Intelligence. I want to try and get the best Class that I can once I hit level 10.


    With her body still warm and sweat soaking into her shirt, Bug keeps watching as the mobs come into consciousness and start doing stuff. Mostly they¡¯re just messing around and being dumb, or fighting each other over stupid things.


    As Bug is watching the room, one of the females tries to go for the knife that is still sticking in the eye of the first dead one. She gets rewarded with a knife thrown into the side of her head. Her body collapses onto of the first one.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    Dumbass, I¡¯m still sitting right here¡­


    A cheer calls out from the side as a second female watches the other die, a look of pure excitement in her eyes.


    ¡°Oh? You liked that, did you?¡± Bug ask with mild interest and a hint of disgust.


    The female turns to Bug with a weird smile and walks towards her. She is tempted to kill her on the spot, but curiosity compels her to see what is about to happen.


    The female reaches the boulder that Bug rests on and starts acting even weirder as she climbs it. Bug just watches, ready to take out her dagger and kill the thing at a moment¡¯s notice.


    ¡°Why are you being weird¡­?¡±


    Sitting right next to Bug on the boulder, the female starts playing with herself while looking at Bug with hungry eyes.


    Bug gawks at this, stunned by the sudden display of lust and freezes up. She was not expecting this. Not one bit. It would have been one thing if she had attacked her or tried to steal her stuff. But this! Bug has no way of knowing how to respond to this.


    She just watches as the thing sitting beside her starts making some concerning noises, shocked frozen by the display.


    It isn¡¯t until the female reaches out a hand to try and touch Bug¡¯s chest that she finally snaps out of her stupor. She slaps the groping hand aside and pushes the female away. She lands on her back, something of a laugh escaping her mouth as she spreads her legs for Bug, practically begging her to come forward.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you!?¡±


    Her memory goes back to that first group of mobs that she had killed. The Alpha of that messed up group had been mating with a female in the back of the room¡­


    Is this nasty thing mistaking me as the leader of this room? Is that why it is doing this? Seriously, what the fuck is this? Why would the Dungeon make us like this!!?? This is fucked up!


    Bug stands up as she looks at the thing that is pleasuring itself, a look of disgust on her face as she watches it. The thing on the floor gets excited and starts to shake her hips.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you? Do you think I am just going to... I-I DON''T KNOW WHAT! Ju-Just because you presented yourself to me? I¡¯m not some mindless animal in heat! I¡¯m not like you! I¡¯m different!!!!¡± She screams at the thing, but it just seems to get more excited by her words.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Bug yells as she takes out a sword. Before the female can realize what is happening, Bug rams the sword through her chest and pierces her heart, the tip of the blade striking the boulder bellow her and rattling the handle in Bug''s grip.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    She dies with her hand buried between her legs and a stupidly surprised look on her face. Bug spits, trying to rid her mouth of the disgust that is filling her.


    In the room, the rest are either still doing their own thing or are clapping and making calls as they cheer excitedly. They must think that the boss of the room had just put on a show for them or something.


    Bug¡¯s disgust increases ten-fold as she looks them all over from on high. Looking at their naked bodies and the way that their eyes don¡¯t shine with the light of life. The difference between them and the humans, of there actually being something there, is even more obvious than it had ever been before. These things are empty. Nothing but shells filled with the bare minimum and set to do whatever desire drives them forward.


    There is no complex thought, no emotion, just bodily desire.

 Chapter 4.2- A new Day.

    There is no complex thought, no emotion, just bodily desire.


    Food, violence, entertainment, greed, lust. No thought, only desire and an empty vessel looking to be filled with pleasure. Was this really what Bug used to be like before she gained the System. Would she have ended up like these disgusting things? Reduced to a mindless creature fucking like an animal in some room until the humans came by to kill them all and put them out of their collective misery!?


    Bug¡¯s grip on the sword increases as rage fills her.


    I swear I am going to make the Dungeon suffer for this! For reducing my people to¡­ to this!


    Jumping down from the boulder, Bug walks forward and with one swing removes the head from the first creature she reaches.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    The rest stop and freeze as they watch the body fall. Wait, could she actually be a threat to them?


    They panic. Some turn and run while some charge at Bug. Just like the last time.


    Bug moves forward and removes another head, her Strength and Dexterity making their weak necks hardly an obstacle. Pointing to the ones that are fleeing, Bug hits each one with a single point¡¯s worth of Inflict Pain. They drop screaming right after the one before her falls dead.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    Raising her sword above her head, the blade being almost as long as she is tall - practically a claymore in her hands ¨C Bug brings it down on the head of the next mob. Her strength, despite being her weakest stat currently, proves to too be too much against such a weak enemy as her blade bisects its body. It continues to move forward for half a step before falling to two sides, a sickening mess being made on the floor as the contents of its body gets spilled on to the floor.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    The final one that chose to fight sees this and turns. Running for the door, he meets the same fate as the others when he gets hit with Inflict Pain.


    The other three are still spasming on the ground as he falls. Bug walks over, taking care to walk around the mess that she just made.


    Standing over them, she stabs each one, quickly putting them out of their misery and ending their pitiful lives.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    ¡­


    Bug looks over the room full of corpses and sighs. She is still angry, but she doesn¡¯t have anything left to take it out on. At the same time though, she doesn¡¯t want to be unnecessarily cruel to the mobs¡­ She considers killing them to be a mercy by this point.


    //Exp ¨C 48/80


    //Time 23:09


    ¡°Not much longer until the doors open¡­ I¡¯ll try to get one more level before the humans start coming in for the day.¡±


    Saying that, Bug quickly heads back into the room and sells all of the bodies.


    Getting closer to a hundred points finally. Then I should actually be able to buy something nice from the store.


    Leaving the room behind as a bloody mess, Bug sets out towards the next room on her map.


    ¡°This time I am just going to walk in and kill them all. No stopping to watch and try to figure them out. Just walk in, kill them, walk out¡­¡±


    Arriving at the entrance to the next room, despite what she had said, Bug ends up stopping and gawks at the sight she finds.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here!?¡±


    Inside, all of the mobs are in the middle of a huge brawl and are busily killing each other in the middle of the room.


    Watching the fight unfold for a short while, Bug eventually spots one in the middle of the dogpile that is currently pulping the skull of another with a mana shard.


    ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s why they¡¯re fighting¡­¡±


    Bug pulls out her sword and wields it with two hands as she wades into the room, a war cry bellowing out as she joins the melee.


    Ten minutes later, the room goes quiet and Bug leaves, exhausted, a bloodied sword and mana shard clutched in her hands.


    Got another one! But I probably should have saved grabbing the crystal for after killing them all. As soon as I grabbed it, they all swarmed me¡­


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Skill!


    //Sword Fighting lvl 1 unlocked!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 2 Gremlin ¨C 6 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 2 Gremlin ¨C 6 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 8! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 3 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 1 Skill point!


    ¡­


    ¡°Well¡­ at least that made for a quick Level-up. So, I can¡¯t really complain. Got a new Skill as well, so that is good.¡±


    Quickly spending her Free Stat Points, Bug moves her body around and stretches as her stats go up.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C None


    Level ¨C 8


    EXP ¨C 10/100


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 72/72


    Stamina ¨C 30/30


    Mana ¨C 140/140


    Vitality ¨C 12


    Endurance ¨C 10


    Strength - 10


    Dexterity - 15


    Magic - 14


    Intelligence - 15


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    Ninety more experience to go for my next level. Then I¡¯ll be able to afford my next spell. Good...


    Storing the sword and the crystal after washing them in a nearby pond of fresh water, causing it to become dyed red, Bug stores them both after they are cleaned. Washing off some blood that had splattered on her hands and arms, she does some thinking.


    I can either keep killing mobs until I hit level 9, which would take eighteen more of them, or I could try my luck with hunting some humans as well, which would lower the needed kills by a lot. I guess I should start making my way towards the entrance now. I¡¯ll kill anything that I find along the way, and then set a trap in one of the side passages for the humans¡­


    Nodding her head, Bug gets up and stretches a bit, popping some joints and pulling her muscles tight as she bends herself around.


    ¡°Mmmmm, stretching feels good~ Haa, much better.¡±


    Feeling more limbered up, she sets off and makes her way towards the entrance. Along the way, she comes across another room, but this one is empty except for a couple of corpses. The residents must have walked off somewhere. Bug sells the corpses and moves on, noting that the tracks from the group are leading towards the central path. They¡¯ll probably get themselves killed pretty quickly¡­


    Continuing on her way, Bug comes across a pair of mobs that are sitting on a boulder and are munching on some moss. Approaching them, they don¡¯t seem to care much about her and just keep lazily eating as they relax.


    Even as she pulls out her sword, they just continue to laze there, one pulling a piece of moss off the wall before popping it in his mouth.


    ¡°Really? No reaction? Nothing? You¡¯re not going to run or fight, and just sit there and keep eating?¡±


    They don¡¯t respond and disregard her as they continue to relax and eat.


    Unlike some of the others that she has seen, these ones aren¡¯t just stuffing their faces with food. They''re just, lazy¡­ Sloth like even¡­


    Bug honestly feels bad for even thinking about killing them.


    Still, she takes a step forward to strike them down, raising the sword above her head to make it quick, yet they still don¡¯t seem to care.


    One of them just yawns as he gets a bit more comfy, and then pops some more moss in his mouth to chew on¡­


    ¡°Haaaah¡­. Never mind¡­¡±


    Bug lowers the sword and walks away. She would feel dirty if she killed them, and in the end, they would only be worth ten experience. Unlike the others, these ones are just chilling. Sure, there is a questionable nature to their extreme, almost uncaring, laziness, but Bug would feel dirty if she killed them here for no reason. They aren¡¯t doing anything to piss her off. They aren¡¯t acting like animals and killing and fucking each other.


    They¡¯re just chilling.


    They can keep living a little longer until the humans eventually find them. If they are going to die anyways, might as well let them enjoy themselves a little bit longer.


    Leaving the two sloths alone to relax in their hallway, Bug keeps on her way until she picks up the sound of some mobs. Heading their way, she finds some targets that she actually doesn¡¯t mind killing.


    Much like every other group of the creatures, they are loud and obnoxious. Fooling around and hitting each other as they steal moss from each other¡¯s hands.


    Bug doesn¡¯t hesitate with them, nor does she spend any time to try and figure them out. Five targets to kill, she needs to make it fast before any of them can run away.


    Taking out her axe, Bug shoulders it with two hands and runs forward. Stealth helps to keep her footsteps silent as she quickly draws closer, Assassination guiding her hands as she strikes the first target.


    She buries the axe into the back of the head of the rearmost target. With a meaty crunch and some breaking bone, its body collapses under the blow and slumps forward. Putting her foot on its shoulder, Bug yanks the head of her axe out of the corpse with a wet squelch and a crunch as it slips out of the cranium.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    The others turn, the noise of a crushed skull being too much for them not to notice. With the axe free, Bug moves forward and swings upward just as the closest one screams and tries to tackle her.


    The axe buries itself into the mob¡¯s chest as it plows through thin muscles and ribs, pulverizing the soft organs protected just underneath.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    Bug tries to pull the axe free as the next one reaches her. As she fights to pull the axe out, she lashes out and backhands him away. The body with the axe in it collapses as she turns to deal with this one, pulling the handle away from her. Giving up on the axe for now, she goes on the assault with her fists.


    Throwing a straight punch into the mob¡¯s face, his head gets thrown back, his eyes rolling back as the blow knocks him senseless.


    She has to hurry, the other three are charging her, and while they aren¡¯t too much of a threat, she doesn¡¯t want to have to resort to pulling out her dagger or sword. The goal is to gain new skills.


    Moving forward with a burst of speed, her Dexterity pushing Bug to move faster than any of her kind possible can, she grapples the disorientated mob, wrapping up his head in her arms, and then gives it a pull.


    Bone breaks as his head get forced to turn too far to one side. The body going limp in her arms as the life leaves his body. Grabbing the body by the back of its broken neck, Bug hauls it up and throws it with everything that she has at the oncoming enemies.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    Two left. One gets knocked down by the thrown corpse and Bug moves forward to meet the other. She jumps at Bug, and Bug pulls back to avoid her grab. Caught off balance from missing her grab, the mob flails a bit as she almost trips and falls.


    Bug steps forward and kicks her in the chest, knocking her to the wall. Keeping up her assault, Bug keeps going and punches at the mob in a rush of fists faster than she can block.


    Bugs stats are much higher now than the last time she had tried using her fists to beat someone to death, and this time the results are much more quick and noticeable.


    Ribs crack under her constant blows and the mob staggers as the wind is blown out of her.


    The moment that her guard goes down, Bug goes for her face and punches with everything that she has.


    The punch crushes her nose and slams the back of her head into the wall. A wet red mark gets left behind as she falls forward.


    No notification yet¡­


    Bug grabs her head as she falls forward and drives her knee straight up into her face. Something breaks and the body goes limp.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Skill!


    //Fist Fighting lvl 1 unlocked!


    ¡­


    Finally! I was wondering how long it was going to take to earn that one.


    Turning to the last target, she sees as he manages to pull himself out from under the corpse and tries to run away. Bug walks over to the corpse with the caved in chest cavity and grabs the axe. Wrenching it out of its chest, Bug pulls it out and hefts it above her head.


    Taking a step forward, she brings the axe down and lets her Throwing Weapons Skill take over. Her hands slide down the shaft of the axe and lets it go at the last moment.


    It leaves her grip and flies forward, tumbling end over end as it soars through the air. The head of the axe buries itself into the fleeing target¡¯s back and he drops to the floor with a thump.


    A couple of seconds later, the last notification comes.


    //Killed lvl 2 Gremlin ¨C 6 exp gained!


    That puts me at thirty-six experience now. Just fifty-four more to go.


    Quickly storing and selling everything, Bug gets going. The entrance is opening soon, and she needs to be ready.

 Chapter 4.3- A new Day.

    //Time 00:00


    //Starting New Day


    ¡­


    The doors open for the second time in Bug¡¯s short life and the humans enter. She remains waiting in a hallway, resting in a crevasse in the ceiling. Actually looking for them, these openings and hiding spots are honestly pretty easy to find. The only trouble is reaching them, especially when they are in the ceiling.


    Thankfully, Bug has no trouble with climbing, the task coming almost completely naturally to her.


    Resting in the ceiling, Bug watches and waits as she listens to the sound of the humans entering the Dungeon. The vast majority of them simply continue down the central path, their destination most likely being the second floor.


    Other noises are weird sounding, definitely not humans walking, but Bug eventually figures that it is probably the humans dragging a bunch of trash to be dropped off in the dump. Bug resigns herself to go their later and empty the place out for whatever points she can get. As much as she doesn¡¯t like touching the human¡¯s trash, at the end of the day, she still needs the points.


    It takes a while for the first group of humans to make their way down her hall.


    Bug lets them pass. There is five of them, and despite their levels all being lower than Bug¡¯s, she doesn¡¯t want to risk taking a group that large. She almost got strangled to death by a group of two after all. She doesn¡¯t want to risk it.


    A second and third come and go. They were too close together and Bug would have risked getting both groups on her if she took too long. So, she waits and listens¡­


    Finally, a fourth group comes. They are alone and no one else is nearby. Off in the distance, other groups are already busy making noise. Probably slaughtering the mobs and taking their furs. Bug¡¯s thoughts go to those two relaxing mobs and how they were perfectly content to just sit there and lazily munch on moss.


    They¡¯re probably dead now¡­ I hope they went quick and painless.


    Bug focusses herself as the new group gets closer and gives them a scan.


    ¡®lvl 4 Human¡¯


    ¡®lvl 5 Human¡¯


    ¡®lvl 6 Human¡¯


    The highest level one of the bunch is a man with a great sword and is wearing metal armor. It doesn¡¯t cover his entire body, but even from a quick glance, Bug can tell that all of his vitals are covered. While the rest of him is dressed in a thick shirt and pants that looks very resistant to stabbing.


    The other two are looking much less frightening. They are dressed in only simply leather armor and their weapons are a mace and a bow. The girl with the mace has even less leather than the boy with the bow, as she is wearing some kind of robe.


    Bug wants to take out the armored target first, but she just doesn¡¯t see that going very well. He is leading from the front and would have support from the two in the back as he fought Bug. Even with the level advantage, Bug doesn¡¯t see herself being able to take them down like that.


    So, her target switches to the one in the back. The boy with the bow.


    Waiting for them to pass under her hiding spot, Bug watches until the moment to strike comes. Assassination sings in the back of her head as she pushes herself forward, rope and dagger in hand as she falls towards her target.


    Bug lands almost without noise on his shoulders. He buckles a bit at having someone half his size land on him, and as he looks up to see what just dropped on him, Bug strikes.


    Stabbing her dagger into his temple, Bug wraps the rope that is hanging from the ceiling around his neck twice and pulls it tight as he falls forward. His fall is stopped before he even hits his knees, his body hanging limply by the neck as it slouches forward.


    //Killed lvl 5 Human ¨C 25 exp gained!


    Thankfully, he was not holding anything in his hand when he died.


    It takes a couple of seconds for the corpse to become claimable as an item, and as soon as it is, Bug pulls both it, everything it had equipped, and the rope into her inventory.


    Bug drops to the ground as the corpse disappears and sprints forward, dagger at the ready, and makes for the back of the girl in the robes. She turns just as Bug is drawing near.


    Bug stifles a curse on her tongue and keeps moving.


    ¡°Huh, where did Shane go? Wait, what! Ahhhh!¡±


    Bug lunges forward as the girl notices her, the mace flying towards Bug¡¯s face with an awkward swing. Ducking under the blow, Bug strikes and tries to stab the girl. The wind gets knocked out of her as the blade sinks into her gut, but there is no familiar feeling of metal sliding through flesh, instead there is a resistance as her blade fights to tear through what feels like flexible metal.


    Someone roars and the girl is pulled back as the large figure of the armored man pushes himself in-between them. A fist flies at Bug''s face as she pulls back, but she is still grazed by the metal gauntlet. The hit knocking her off balance and causing her to fall to the ground.


    Another roar and the sound of clinking metal, Bug rolls to the side and brings up her dagger just in time as the massive sword comes down on her. Just barely managing to catch the blade with her own, she pushes the blow to the side a little and it buries itself into the ground beside her.


    Her hands are shaking as she looks at the massive sword that nearly split her in half, the force of the blow having shaken her to her core.


    He moves forward to deliver a kick to the downed Bug, and she scurries away, slashing at his leg as she pulls back to avoid the kick that would have probably sent her reeling. The knife hits his thick pants but does not draw blood. Instead, there is only a layer of stuffing that is exposed as her blade tears open the thick fabric.


    Pulling back further, Bug climbs to her feet as the big human pulls his sword out of the dirt. Behind him, the girl is already catching her breath and raises a hand towards Bug.


    ¡°Oh water, I beseech you! Grant me your power so that I may pierce my enemies! Water Spe-¡°


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Bug sees the water forming in the palm of her hand and instantly decides that she doesn¡¯t like what she sees.


    A magic user!


    Before she can finish her incantation, Bug points towards her and screams, ¡°Inflict Pain!¡±


    The girl bites her tongue and screams as she falls to her knees, her spell exploding in her hand and showering water everywhere. Shock fills both of the humans at the sight of what just happened, but this doesn¡¯t stop the big human from charging forward.


    He swings wide and low before Bug can make any distance. Storing her dagger, she takes out the club and the make-shift shield, holding them both to block the blow.


    Great sword meets the lid of a barrel and a thick stick, and unsurprisingly, wins. The blade plows through the wood and sends Bug¡¯s light body flying to the side as she is carried by the force of the blow. A trail of blood flows through the air as she flies down the hall until she hits the floor.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh! Damn human! Hurts! That fucking hurts!!!¡± She screams as she holds her left arm. It hangs loosely in her grip as the bone has broken through the skin, a thick laceration flowing down her arm and spilling blood.


    Bug wants to scream and cry, but she can feel them charging at her. Death is laughing at her, and she can feel it. Her core sings with the aura of death that is filling the hall right now.


    Bug looks up in time to see the big human and the girl. They are both charging her, murder in their eyes as they plan to finish her off.


    She needs to run. She needs a distraction. And thankfully, she had prepared an option while she was waiting in ambush.


    ¡°Inflict Pain!¡± Bug screams.


    The both of them falter as they get hit with a single points worth of the spell. They resist it more than the others had, but it is enough, she only needs a moment. Bug draws her good arm back and withdraws two throwing knives from her Inventory into her waiting hand.


    Throwing them both at the same time, she aims for the girl¡¯s face as it is the only exposed part of her body. As the pain fades and she regains control of her body, the girl flinches as she sees the knives hurtling towards her face.


    She screams and tries to cover herself with her arms, waiting for the blades to sink into her. They never come.


    Peeking past her raised arms, she sees the tall figure that had stepped in the way of the knives.


    ¡°Lyose! Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Young Miss! I won¡¯t allow this beast to harm you!¡± He takes a step forward as he raises his sword, ¡°Now, let us finish off this hellish little monster!¡±


    He moves to take a step forward and falters. His large frame shaking as his legs lose their strength and he almost trips. Catching himself at the last moment, he falls to one knee as he grimaces.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Lyose! What¡¯s wrong? What happened!?¡±


    The girl runs forward and places her hands on him. She can feel as his body shudders under her touch. Looking him over, she finds the knives. One had fallen to the ground, having been knocked aside, but the second is stuck in his arm, having managed to pierce through his gambeson¡¯s protection.


    ¡°Young Miss, the enemy¡­¡± He works out between panting breaths.


    She looks up to find the thing and spots it as it is running away, already most of the way down the hall as it clutches its arm to its chest. She raises her arm and aim for its back. ¡°Oh water, I beseech you! Grant me your power so that I- ¡°


    Lyose coughs and falls forward. Taking her eyes off of the fleeing figure, worry fills her heart as she looks to her most trusted bodyguard. She cancels the spell as she hurries to help him.


    ¡°Hold on Lyose! I will help you, please, just be still.¡±


    ¡°The enemy¡­¡±


    ¡°It has run away, let me tend to you.¡± Grabbing the knife, she pulls it out of his arm. The blade comes out covered in the crimson red of blood, but also with a coating of green liquid containing black swirls. The knife smells of the promise of death, and upon looking at the tainted blade, her instincts scream at her to throw the horrible thing away.


    Tossing it away from herself in a hurry, she quickly moves to help him.


    ¡°Be still Lyose. You¡¯ve been poisoned. Just wait one moment and I will heal you. Everything will be alright!¡±


    Placing her hands upon the wound, she speaks an incantation. ¡°Oh water, I call upon your aid! Please help me in healing the sick. In mending the wounded. In curing the diseased. Cleanse this person of all that would ail them and give them the strength to live. Healing Waters!¡±


    A glowing sphere of water forms in her hand as the incantation is spoken. With it complete, she places it against his wound and wills her mana to flow into him, guided by the spell. Beneath her hands, the wound slowly closes and seals until all that is left is a scar.


    She wants to let out a breath of relief, certain that this will be enough, but when she looks over her bodyguard, she finds him to still be shaking and is getting closer to collapsing.


    ¡°Wh-why didn¡¯t it work!? This spell is supposed to clear even the worst of poisons from the body!¡±


    Peeking out from his gambeson, she finds something. Moving forward, she peels open the collar and looks at his neck. His veins are pushing up against the surface of his skin, a sickly green color is dyed into them and is turning the surrounding skin necrotic.


    ¡°Wha, what is this!? What kind of poison could do this!?!? Ahh! A doctor! We must get you to a doctor immediately! Lyose, come, please. Let me help you. We must go now!¡±


    She tries to help him stand, but his weight is too much for her to carry.


    ¡°Please Young Miss. Leave me¡­¡±


    ¡°No! I am ordering you to stand. The entrance is not too far. I will help you!¡±


    ¡°Ye, yes, Young Miss¡­¡±


    He fights to stand and move as she gets under his arm. He can barely carry himself as he drags his feet, his great sword dragging behind him as he shuffles forward. She puts her everything into helping carry his weight as they slowly crawl back to the entrance.


    Lyose grows more and more fatigued as they draw nearer to the entrance.


    ¡°Keep walking Lyose! Don¡¯t stop! We¡¯re almost there. We will find you a doctor as quickly as we can!¡±


    ¡°¡­. Mhm¡­¡±


    The best he can do is mumble out an incoherent word in response, more of his weight shifting onto the girl as he loses the ability to move properly.


    Eventually, they reach the main corridor and come across a group of fresh adventurers.


    ¡°Help! Please, Lyose needs help! Please!¡±


    ¡°Holy crap! What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been poisoned! Please, he needs a doctor! Help me carry him and I will pay you.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Asks their leader.


    This doesn¡¯t take her by surprise in the slightest. Adventurers are greedy people, and if they see a chance to earn money, they will take it.


    ¡°Ten silvers! You¡¯ll be paid as soon as you bring him to the Emergency Medical Building of the guild.¡±


    ¡°Ten silvers!? Can you actually-¡°


    ¡°My name is Catherin Raingarden, Third daughter of the Raingardens. I swear on my family name that you will be paid not a silver less! Now hurry, please!¡±


    ¡°Holy shit a noble! Ah! I, uh, I mean¡­ Yes milady. Right away!¡±


    He waves his people forward and they carry Lyose away from her, quickly making their way back toward the entrance where they¡¯d just came from. Catherin catches her breath quickly and then move to follow as the group rushes.


    Ten silvers are on the line for them, and they don¡¯t want to risk losing it if he dies before they get paid. Even worse still would be if the Noble girl decided to blame them for his death by not getting there fast enough.


    Their leader runs beside her and nervously asks. ¡°Milady, if it is alright, might I ask how this happened¡­?¡± From his tone he is clearly not used to dealing with Nobles, but is trying his best. Catherin could care less about that right now though.


    ¡°A female Gremlin. It wore clothing and wields weapons and even magic. It attacked us out of nowhere! Before we even knew what was happening, one of my escorts was already missing. Shane¡­ He is probably dead... Lyose managed to wound the beast, but it threw poisoned knives as it made its escape! Lyose protected me¡­¡±


    ¡°A Gremlin did this!?¡±


    He looks at the weakened Lyose and grimaces. His arm is hanging limply as he is carried and the skin that can be seen is blackened and rotten. Crawling up his neck is those ugly veins as he breathes heavily and sweats up a storm.


    It thankfully does not take long for them to escape the Dungeon. A waiting Guild Representative by the gate outside greets them. The following is a blur as people move around and rush. Money changes hands, names and reports are given, and a description of the monster is made.


    By the end of the day, a Guild Receptionist is reassuring Catherin that a bounty has been placed on the monster that is probably lurking somewhere in the first floor.


    She weakly nods her head as she sits next to her loyal guard.


    The doctors¡­ they had just told her that nothing can be done¡­ They have never seen a poison like this before, and despite trying everything that they could, nothing was able to rid Lyose¡¯s body of it.


    Catherin looks down as she watches him breathe, every breath being a labor that might be his last. She cries as she looks over his now frail body that used to be an embodiment of strength and might. Her giant protector. Her trusted guardian. The man that always been by her side since she was a child. Even so much so that he is more familiar and beloved to her than her very own father.


    She lifts his withered hand to her lips and makes a promise as she kisses it. ¡°I swear to you, Lyose. I will see that little monster dead. Be it by my hands or another, I swear to you that it shall curse the day that it crossed our path. I will avenge you!¡±


    Placing his hand on his chest, she leans forward and hugs him, the tears running down her cheeks wetting the sheet that covers him.


    Whispering though her tears and the anguish in her heart, she speaks into his chest. ¡°Please. Please don¡¯t leave me Lyose¡­¡±

 Chapter 4.4- A new Day.

    Bug grits her teeth and curses as she runs through the halls of the dungeon. Her broken arm hugged to her chest as she follows her map and quickly makes for her marked home.


    Looking over her shoulder, she doesn¡¯t find anyone perusing her. Her plan must have worked. The humans must be busy dealing with the poison.


    Bug doesn¡¯t know how effective it is, but as long as it manages to slow them down and distract them for long enough, then that is fine.


    Coming to a stop at a boulder, Bug collapses as she catches her breath. She had run until her stamina was nearly drained and is sweating profusely. Looking back the way she came; Bug spots a small trail of blood.


    Shit, they¡¯ll be able to track me! The Dungeon takes about two hours to absorb blood off the ground¡­ I need to stop my bleeding!


    Looking down at her arm, she cringes as she looks at the bone sticking out of her flesh. The laceration running down her arm is hardly pleasant to look at either, and being able to see the insides of her own muscles is making her sick. She wants to throw up at the sight of her own arm, but she fights down the queasiness and the shaking in her body, a cold sweat running down her back from shock.


    ¡°How do I get the bone back in my arm¡­? Do I just-? NnnnNnnnshh!¡±


    She winces, clenching her teeth as she wants to scream. Touching the bone is definitely not a good idea, and doing so had sent a shock tearing though her body. For a short while she is left seeing white.


    Bug slowly pulls herself back together and opens her system. ¡°Has to be something that can fix this¡­ No, no spells or skills, I can¡¯t afford those ones yet¡­ The Point Store! Yes, there has to be something in the shop!¡±


    Filtering the shop to only show items for medical use, Bug quickly scans through the list of available options.


    Basic medical kits, bottles of disinfectants, a sewing kit, a basic splint, packs of My Little Centaurs Band-aids for children, bottles of The FlintGolems brand Chewable Vitamins, and an assortment of different types of pills and injections that all have scary names that Bug can¡¯t even begin to understand.


    ¡°What even is all of this stuff!? I don¡¯t know how to use any of this!¡±


    She keeps searching until the list brings her to potions.


    ¡®Basic Healing Potion. Good for healing cuts, bruises, and mild burns. 10 Points¡¯


    ¡®Basic Antidote. Good for curing most poisons and venoms, be it natural or magically made. Ineffective against highly specialized poisons and venoms. 11 Points¡¯


    ¡®Healing Potion. Good for healing lacerations, bruised organs, third-degree burns, replenishing missing blood, and even regrow a pinky toe or a lost piece of ear if necessary. 30 Points¡¯


    ¡®Antidote. Good for curing any poisons and venoms, be it natural or magically made. This does not apply to poisons and venoms that are infused with curses. [Example: Basilisk venom.] 33 Points¡¯


    ¡®High Healing Potion. Good for healing large lacerations, damaged and destroyed organs, torn muscles, nerve damage, extreme burns, broken bones, replenishing lost blood, regrowing lost fingers, toes, ears, nose, eyes, and can even regrow lost hair/fur. [Warning, only use if your required healing is covered by this list. Excessive healing may result in extra material and energy being forcibly expelled by the body. If you don¡¯t want to shit your pants, don¡¯t drink this unless you actually need it! We are still working out all the kinks for the higher tiered potions.] 50 Points.¡¯


    ...


    ¡°This one!¡±


    There are other potions listed in the store, each one with their prices soaring even higher and higher, and each one having warnings labeled on them, but Bug disregards them all as she purchases her potion.


    There goes most of my points¡­ Now I only have eighteen left¡­


    Pushing aside her regrets for having to spend so many points, Bug goes into her inventory and pulls out the High Healing Potion. Ripping out the cork using her teeth, Bug spits it out and immediately downs the whole bottle of red liquid.


    Tasting her lips, she blinks as she admires the flavor. ¡°Huh, tasty¡­¡± She pulls up the bottle and reads the label.


    ¡®High Healing Potion. [Strawberry Flavored!]¡¯


    Below the name is a list of everything that it can heal, which Bug mostly ignores as she scans over it. On the bottom of the label, she finds a warning.


    ¡®Warning! For children or races that are smaller than the average human adult, please portion out your consumption of this potion accordingly. This bottle is intended to be one serving size for an adult human male. As an example, if you are half that size, then please only consume half of the bottle¡­¡¯


    What follows is a list of symptoms for over consuming potions that is all written in fine print¡­


    Bug licks her lips as she looks at the now empty bottle. ¡°Shit¡­ Why wasn¡¯t this covered in the item description in the store?¡±


    ¡­


    The potion finally sets in just as the realization hits her, suddenly, her entire body is overcome with an incredible heat as her body warms up and a red light shines under her skin, her belly feeling like it is full of fire. She watches as her broken arm glows and the bone is forcefully snapped back into place. Bug screams as the pain hits her, the senses almost knocked out of her from the violent mending processes.


    Covered in a cold sweat, Bug watches as the flesh of her arm quickly mends and sews itself back together, a scar forming which is only visible for a spare few seconds before fresh, brand new, fur grows in to cover her arm. Through the rest of her body, Bug can feel as her soreness and bruises from getting thrown around and hit disappears, pains that she didn¡¯t even know she had because of the aching of her arm, simply vanishing like they were never there.


    With her body quickly and quite honestly, violently healed, the warmth of the healing potion slowly fades and disappears. Through it all, even as her body was feeling like it was being cooked alive, Bug''s Death Core had remained ice cold in her stomach.


    The sensation of healing finally passes, and Bug looks down at herself. ¡°I¡¯m all healed! I feel SO good now! Definitely worth the fifty poi- ¡°


    ~~~GGGGrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiEEEeeeeeeeeee¡­¡­¡­.~~~


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Bug immediately shuts up, her hands flying to her stomach as it lets out a horrendous gurgling rumble, forced to double over as she clenches her gut, her intestines doing a horrible dance under her hands. Bug¡¯s eyes go wide as she realizes exactly what is about to happen next.


    Sprinting off from her rock, she unequips everything on her bottom half just as she manages to make it behind the cover of a big bolder on the other side of the hall for some much-needed privacy.


    ¡°Holy shit!!! AhhhHHHhhh! Why!? Fucking System Devs, why can¡¯t you just do your jobs right!?!?!?!¡±


    <hr>


    Laying in her hidey-hole on a freshly made bed, Bug clutches her stomach as it continues to protest the unjustness of existence. Bug has already had to empty her bowels three times since drinking that potion and she is hating her life right now. The day is already coming close to an end, and the Dungeon will be closing again soon.


    Out in the Dungeon, it is drawing quiet now, but earlier, there was a hell of a commotion as what sounded like a ton of humans were tearing through the Dungeon. They didn¡¯t sound particularly happy, and Bug was in no condition to do anything about it, except lay in bed and suffer.


    A couple of parties had come by her dead-end, but thankfully no one had thought to check the crack in the wall that is up by the ceiling. Instead, they would just leave after complaining or joking about somebody using the Dungeon as a toilet.


    Bug would just lay in silence, stewing in her embarrassment as she wished that the Dungeon would be faster about cleaning up stuff like that¡­


    //Time 22:00


    ...


    Bug lets out a sigh of relief when the Dungeon finally closes for the day. For the next two hours, she is perfectly safe.


    With her stomach still complaining, but thankfully free of anything else to expel, she drinks some water from her canteen and then tries to get comfortable in her makeshift bed. Besides getting knocked out a couple of times, Bug has yet to have a proper sleep since her birth. Her exhaustion is finally catching up with her.


    It takes a little while, but eventually, Bug manages to fall asleep. She does not dream, but her sleep is restful. Even the wave of energy from the restock washing over her isn¡¯t enough to force her awake as she sleeps for several hours.


    <hr>


    //Time 6:27


    ¡­


    Bug stirs awake to the noise of mobs being loud and obnoxious outside. Cursing, she checks the time as she runs a hand over her face, her mouth feeling dry from a long sleep. ¡°Why are there mobs out there? Have the humans not gotten here yet? She asks herself drowsily.


    Crawling out of bed, Bug looks out of the opening of her hiding spot and sees a group of six of them messing around in the dead-end. In the corners of the dead-end and along the wall, are the remains of some birthing pods.


    ¡°Lovely, they just had to born here. Damn noisy neighbors¡­ Uh, I¡¯ll kill them later¡­¡±


    Crawling back inside, Bug sits on her bed and does some stretches after drinking some water. Her stomach is finally feeling much better, but now her body is sore from laying around for so long. It certainly doesn¡¯t help that her bed is nothing more than a couple of blankets on a bunch of moss. It really doesn¡¯t make the best of places for a restful sleep. Oh well, Bug will just have to start saving up her points again.


    Working her muscles back into shape and pulling her body in every direction that she can until she feels it burn, Bug limbers herself up, letting out a moan as she stretches her back and her legs until something pops, releasing some built-up tension.


    ¡°Oh, so much better~ Haaaaa¡­¡±


    Her stretches finished, Bug drinks from her canteen again, and then collapses onto her bed, finally ready to start dealing with a new day.


    Checking over her notifications in the corner of her HUD, Bug confirms that the Dungeon has gone through its restock, and then finds an interesting message.


    //Killed lvl 6 Human ¨C 30 exp gained!


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    The level 6, that was the big guy, right? Did my poison kill him while I was sleeping or something? Well, I¡¯m not going to complain. If anything, I¡¯m glad that he is dead. That puts me at 91/100 experience. Just a little bit more to go¡­


    Bug turns to the group of mobs hanging out outside and shrugs.


    Well, might as well go get it really quick. Can try for a new skill while I¡¯m at it¡­


    Pulling herself up, she heads to the entrance of her hole and climbs out. Not trying to be stealthy or anything, they do end up noticing her as she climbs down, but they don¡¯t really do anything except watch. Maybe they are curious about why it is that one of their own was up in a hole in the wall? Meh, in the end, Bug doesn¡¯t really care what they think. She already knows that there is hardly a single thought actually going through their heads anyways¡­


    Alighting to the ground, Bug pulls out her spear.


    I still need to get the skill for this one. Hopefully six targets should do¡­


    One of the Mobs reacts to her pulling out the weapon and charges her. It doesn¡¯t really seem like he is attacking her as an enemy, but more along the line that he just saw a spear magically appear out of thin air and now he really wants it for himself.


    So, Bug gives it to him¡­


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    With the spear ran clean through his chest, only stopped by the guard on the end, Bug pulls up on the spear and tosses his body aside, removing it from the spear and hitting a wall with a splat. At her current level of strength, lifting one of the mobs is no longer an issue for her.


    With the first one dead, the rest immediately register her as an enemy. Surprisingly, unlike most groups, none of them decide to run away. Instead, the remaining five all charge at her with teeth and claws bared, ready to tear into her if they can manage to grab her.


    Bug steps forward to meet them and strikes, lunging out with the spear as she buries it into the throat of the front most target. He doesn¡¯t die immediately, but he is out of the fight as she rips the head of the spear out of his throat, and he drops like a puppet with its strings cut.


    Bug¡¯s heightened Dexterity makes her fast enough that by the time the soon-to-be-corpse has hit the ground, she had already struck twice more at the charging mobs. One takes the spear to the center of the chest and gets thrown back as his ribcage shatters. The second gets stabbed clean through the eye, piercing his brain.


    The one with the spear in its face dies first, shortly followed by the one with the pierced throat as it lets out a bloody cough.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    The one with the broken rib cage is writhing on the ground as it fights to breathe. No longer a threat and can be ignored.


    As those three get taken out, the remaining two close the distance. Bug takes a step back as she pulls the blade of her spear free from the corpse''s face and swings the shaft towards the one on the right. The spear smacks him in the side of the head with a loud ''Thwack!'', leaving him stumbling, dazed and confused.


    Stepping forward again, Bug meets the remaining attacker and holds the spear before her body defensively. He jumps for her, and she meets him with the shaft.


    When his hands grab hold of the weapon, Bug pulls back on it hard, drawing him in closer, and then delivers a kick in-between his legs. He immediately keels over, both hands holding his crotch as he lets out a cry of pain. A second kick to the face sends him stumbling back as he falls over with a broken nose, blood and tears spraying into the air.


    Turning to the other target, who is slowly recovering from getting thwacked on the side of the head, Bug quickly stabs him in the side as he is just about to try and rejoin the fight. He doubles over as his lung gets pierced; the breath quite literally robbed from his body.


    Ripping the blade out with one smooth motion, Bug moves on the crying mob, raising the spear and stabbing down, finishing him off quickly.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Skill!


    //Spear Fighting lvl 1 unlocked!


    Two? Oh, the one with the broken ribcage just died, he isn¡¯t moving any more. Regardless, doesn¡¯t matter. I got the skill now!


    Bug moves over and finishes off the last one as he is fighting to breathe on the floor, a bloody hole in his side quickly forming a puddle of red under him. Ramming the spear through the side of his head finishes him quickly and puts him out of his misery. Bug feels bad for making him suffer like that. She knows what it is like to suffocate, so she resolves herself to get better at killing them more quickly and efficiently. No matter how much she hates these soulless things, it isn¡¯t as if they ever asked to be born or chose to be like this. A quick death is a mercy, and it is the least that she can do for them.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 9! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 3 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 1 Skill point


    ¡­


    Good, finally reached level 9. Just one more to go¡­


    Looking over her new stats, Bug dumps her Free Stat points into Dexterity, Magic, and Intelligence. Her body heats up a bit as the stat changes take place, but after everything that had happened yesterday, she considers it to be hardly even painful. It passes quickly and Bug smiles as she looks at how her numbers have grown.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C None


    Level ¨C 9


    EXP ¨C 21/150


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 72/72


    Stamina ¨C 23/33


    Mana ¨C 160/160


    Vitality ¨C 12


    Endurance ¨C 11


    Strength - 11


    Dexterity - 16


    Magic - 16


    Intelligence - 16


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>

 Chapter 5.1- Necromancin Dancin

    Sitting down in the dead-end that is now full of mob corpses and smelling of blood, Bug sits down on a rock and catches her breath as she waits for her stamina to steadily refill. Normally, Bug would have sold the corpses, but for now, she waits.


    She¡¯ll need them for some tests here soon.


    Popping some moss, nuts, and berries into her mouth to chew on, Bug opens up her Skill Store and quickly sets the filters so she can find the spell that she wants. Three Skill Points spent, and she is rewarded with a loading bar that pops up in her vision as she waits.


    It takes a few moments for it to fill, and her mind is feeling tingly as it does.


    While she waits, she enjoys some more of her breakfast. The nuts are very lightly salted, and the salt is doing crazy things to her taste buds right now. She loves it.


    Despite having little knowledge of the outside world, what little she does possess tells her that salt should be valuable. So, while she watches the loading bar do its thing, her mind wonders about how the dirt-poor villagers turned adventures could have gotten the salt.


    Are we close to the ocean? Or perhaps their village works a salt mine? Hmm, when I leave the Dungeon, I¡¯ll have to be sure to stock up on salt and other stuff. I want to be able to enjoy lots of tasty foods. Maybe I can stop by their village and get some from there¡­ Oh, almost done.


    The loading bar finally finishes after about two minutes of boring loading, and once it is done, Bug gets hit with a headache that she is quick to shrug off. Compared to some of the other pains that the System has inflicted her with, this one is honestly rather mild.


    Rubbing her head, the headache is quick to pass.


    Relieved, Bug stores her food and then looks over her newly acquired spell.


    ¡®Raise Undead. The standard spell of any aspiring would-be Necromancer. Cast this spell on any corpse to create an Undead that is under your control. There is no level limit on the Undead that the user can raise, but if it is of a higher level than the user, there is a risk that they will be unable to control the Undead. Advised to be used for only Undead that are below the user¡¯s level. To maintain control over an Undead, the user must dedicate at least one point of mana towards the bond. The more mana that is dedicated, the stronger the user¡¯s control will be.


    Note: Type of Undead created will be reliant upon what the condition of the corpse is in, the race/species of people/creature, the class of the deceased [i.e. Mage, Fighter, Archer, etc.]. This spell is restricted to only creating zombies and skeletons of varying types. In order to create higher tiered and further specialized types of undead, please purchase the appropriate spells listed here.


    Warning: All Undead carry the Curse of Undeath in them. Any person or creature that is killed by the Undead will have an 81.2% [Before factoring personal resistances.] chance of being raised as more Undead. Caution and care are advised when utilizing the Undead as they have the potential to become a plague that can very quickly grow out of the control of the user.


    Advisory: For the user¡¯s safety, please be sure to have all of the Spells, Skills, and Knowledge listed through this link here.


    Note: The System and its creators are not responsible for the actions of the user and will provide no assistance should the use of this spell bring retribution from Higher Authorities down upon the user. The user is, and shall be, as always, held responsible for their own actions. You have been warned.¡¯


    ¡°Warnings, advisories, notes¡­ meh¡­ All stuff I can care about later. And honestly, causing a plague would be great. Anything to make the Dungeon suffer¡­ No idea about this Higher Authorities thing, but I should be fine even if I go a little wild in the Dungeon. They¡¯ll probably only care if the plague spreads to the surface.¡±


    Clicking on the links, Bug looks over the list of recommendations and picks out some stuff that she can aim for first. Some of the stuff listed is rather expensive honestly, while others she can get in just a couple of levels.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start by grabbing Turn Undead first. It is the quickest and cheapest way to help make sure that the new Undead made by the curse won¡¯t try to attack me as well. Then I can aim for the Death Aura passive, that should be enough to keep me safe from them for a while¡­¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Mulling over some plans, Bug nods her head and decides to move along to the fun part. Pointing a finger at one of the corpses laying around the dead-end, she says, ¡°Raise Undead.¡±


    Ten points of mana leaves her core and slams into the corpse, though the mana is quick to refill. This hall is currently full of Death, and Bug¡¯s mana core is practically singing from all the free energy that is floating around.


    Watching her mana, Bug notices that her total mana capacity has gone down by one point. A bracket next to her mana stat now indicates a [-1] for the draw that her new Undead is taking.


    Looking away from her stats, she watches as the thing pulls itself to its feet, its body moving jarringly as muscles work out-of-sinc in an unnatural manner.


    Slowly, it raises, and then simply stands there in silence. It doesn¡¯t make any noises or even breathes. It is almost disturbing with how quiet and perfectly still it is.


    Bug gives it a scan and looks at the results.


    ¡®lvl 1 Undead Gremlin. Control = Complete.¡¯


    Hmm, so still level 1 just like when it was alive. If I want to make it stronger, I have to get the Enhance Undead spell, but that costs five points. Not that it matters much right now anyways. It would be a waste to use it on an Undead like this¡­


    Pointing to the rest of the corpses, Bug raises all of them. Notably among them is the one that got its ribcage shattered. It is having some trouble standing straight, but Bug doesn¡¯t really care about the posture of her Undead. She just needs them to be able to move and attack things.


    Looking over the Undead mobs, Bug commands them to do a few things, testing her control over them and how they move. By the end, she isn¡¯t left particular impressed, but honestly, they are zombies made from level 1 mobs. There isn¡¯t much to be expected¡­


    Letting out a disappointed breath as she looks them over, Bug opens her inventory and dumps the human corpses that she had stored. Notably, the archer that she had killed yesterday, comes out with all of his stuff still on him.


    ¡°Oh crap, I completely forgot to loot him¡­ Hmm¡­¡±


    Pulling his pack off and searching his pockets, bug sorts all of his stuff and stores what she wants to keep. Which is most of it.


    He had more knives on him, which Bug happily stores after coating in poison. He had some supplies for basic camping in the Dungeon, which most notably comes with a bedroll wrapped up under his pack. Bug happily stores that so she can get some better sleep later.


    Other than camping supplies, he also had some pouches of food, one of which has jerky in it. Bug excitedly devours a few pieces before storing the rest. Meat tastes amazing and she is hoping to find a good source of it on the lower floors. She could try eating the mobs and the humans, but the idea of it upsets her stomach, especially the cannibalism.


    Besides that, there is a pouch of coins in copper and a couple of silvers. Bug knows that this is money, and despite having little use for it right now, the coins are shiny, and she likes them, so she stores them with her other treasures. So far, the other adventures that she killed only had a few coppers on them, so Bug is plenty happy to have some pretty silvers now.


    Lastly there is the human¡¯s weapon. Picking it up, Bug nocks an arrow and tries to pull back the string. While the draw strength for the bow isn¡¯t an issue for her, she instead runs into a different problem.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m too small for this thing¡­¡±


    Despite how hard she tries; the bow is simply not made for someone her size; the draw length being intended for someone with longer arms. She quickly gives up on trying to use it and returns both the bow and the arrow to the man¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°Alright, that takes care of that. Raise Undead.¡±


    Pointing to each of the human corpses, she turns them one by one. Slowly, each one stand until she now has a dozen zombies standing before her. Six mob zombies, six human zombies. She ignores the mobs as she scans over the human ones.


    ¡®lvl 5 Human Archer Zombie. Control = Complete.¡¯


    ¡®lvl 3 Human Zombie. Control = Complete.¡¯


    ¡®lvl 3 Human Zombie. Control = Complete.¡¯


    ¡®lvl 4 Human Zombie. Control = Complete.¡¯


    ¡®lvl 5 Human Axe Fighter Zombie. Control = Complete.¡¯


    ¡®lvl 4 Human Zombie. Control = Complete.¡¯


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Interesting. Only the level 5 ones actually have a class. I wonder if humans have to reach level 5 to be recognized as having a class by the system, or if it is something else that determines it? Something to worry about later. It could be any number of variables.¡±


    Saying that, Bug pulls out her stolen axe and hands it to the zombie of its original owner after coating the head of the axe in poison. The zombie accepts it without a word and shifts their posture to better wield the weapon.


    I still haven¡¯t gotten the Axe Fighter Skill yet, but honestly, I don¡¯t see it being very useful to me. Much better to just let this guy use it.


    As for the other ones, Bug considers returning the spear and the swords, but decides against it. She¡¯ll be keeping those for herself for now.


    Looking over her little army of zombies, Bug smile and nods, ¡°Ok! That¡¯s enough waiting around for now. I want to head to the second floor now. I¡¯m getting sick and tired of this place. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Walking to leave the dead-end that she has called home for the past couple of days, Bug looks to the archer and a thought hits her.


    ¡°Oh, you hang out in the middle of the group. I don¡¯t want you getting taken out. Also¡­¡± Bug runs over and holds her hand over the quiver of arrows that hangs from his hip and drops a blob of poison inside. ¡°There we go. That should make you much more dangerous now.¡±


    Bug points to a random mob zombie and gives it an order. ¡°Your job is to hang out with this guy. If an attack is about to hit him, jump in the way and take it instead. After fights are finished, your job is to retrieve the arrows and refill his quiver. Got it?¡±


    The thing lets out a gurgle in response and moves to stand by the archer.


    ¡°Good. Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Bug happily declares.

 Chapter 5.2- Necromancin Dancin

    Leading her little army of zombies through the Dungeon, Bug focuses on her enhanced hearing and listens to the sounds of humans exploring and fighting the mobs. Surprisingly, there seems to be quite a lot of them here today.


    Bug isn¡¯t used to there being so many of them this early in the morning. Checking the time and going by how the last two days were, it is a bit early for there to be this many humans in the first floor.


    And typically speaking, it is just humans passing through to head to the lower levels.


    ¡°Weird¡­ I wonder what caused them to get drawn in like this? Do they need more furs or something? The small mana shards? Damn, this is going to make it harder to find more treasures if the humans are taking them all¡­¡±


    Leading her zombies through side hallways and around the edge of the Dungeon, Bug slowly makes her way towards the stairs. Eventually, it becomes impossible to get to the stairs without running into at least one fight so, as they draw closer to one of the groups, Bug peeks around the corner and checks them over. A group of four humans is busy killing some mobs. She doesn¡¯t even bother counting the mobs, because they are obviously losing very badly.


    ¡®lvl 3 Human.¡¯


    ¡®lvl 2 Human.¡¯


    ¡®lvl 4 Human.¡¯


    ¡®lvl 3 Human¡¯


    They don¡¯t look all that strong. If anything, they look the same as those three guys that came from a village. They don¡¯t even have proper weapons, I think¡­


    Pointing to the fighting figures, Bug silently orders her zombies to attack.


    Following her command, they come around the corner and take off in a dead-sprint that leaves Bug surprised. She had thought that they would shamble towards their targets, but now that she thinks about it, there isn¡¯t really any reason why they can¡¯t run, let alone sprint¡­


    Before they manage to reach the fight, the archer zombie stops right next to Bug and draws back his bow. With an arrow dripping in poison drawn back, he lets it loose as Bug watches.


    The arrow whistles through the air and passes the charging horde. It stops as it buries itself into the shoulder of one of the adventures. He screams as the pain hits him and a moment later, the poison takes effect. He falls to ground, shaking and convulsing as the poison tears through him.


    His screams draw everyone¡¯s attention as they all stop fighting. Even the mobs that were busy getting slaughtered stop in shock as they watch him.


    ¡°Holy shit, what happened!? An, an arrow? Did somebody shoot Billy!? Hey¡­!¡±


    The yelling guy turns to where the arrow came from just in time to witness the charging zombies slam into them. Everyone had been too distracted by the screaming adventurer to even notice the zombies.


    Walking forward to catch up, Bug watches as her zombies plow into them. Four of her mob zombies jump at and bring down one guy as he was just turning towards them as well. He gets his throat ripped out by the rabid things. Another guy gets an axe to the shoulder that almost removes the limb. The last human, who had the luck of being a bit further back curses and sputters.


    ¡°What the hell?!?! Why are there Undead here!? There aren¡¯t supposed to be any here!¡± He turns and runs away, but only manages a few steps before getting an arrow in the back. The archer zombie walking next to Bug lowers his bow as the guy drops like a puppet with its strings cut. He tries to crawl forward as he screams, but the poison is apparently too much for him to handle.


    The remaining living mobs don¡¯t last much longer either, quickly getting beaten to death by the much larger and stronger human zombies. The last one to finally die is the guy that tried to run, the poison ruining his body from the inside-out, finishing him off before any of the zombies even had a chance to reach him.


    As soon as the fight is done, the little mob zombie that was waiting next to the archer takes off running and retrieves the two arrows, ripping them out of the bodies violently, before running back to return them to the archer.


    Bug smiles as she watches them, happy that they are following her orders so perfectly.


    ¡°Alright, I am going to name you guys Bob the Archer and Billy the Retriever. Good job!¡±


    They both let out a gurgling noise, which Bug just takes as an ¡®OK.¡¯ Not that they can actually respond or even think for that matter. But Bug doesn¡¯t care. They are her zombies, and she can name them whatever she wants.


    //Killed lvl 3 Human ¨C 15 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 2 Human ¨C 10 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Human ¨C 20 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 3 Human ¨C 15 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    //Killed lvl 2 Gremlin ¨C 6 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    ¡­


    Hmm, a good amount of experience. That puts me at 112/150 towards my next level-up¡­ Huh? Should I just stay up here for a little bit longer and keep killing? This just got so much easier¡­ Hmmm¡­ No, I want to get to the second floor. But if I manage to run into anyone else, then I will kill them too.


    Pointing to all of the new corpses, Bug casts Raise Undead on them all. Slowly, four new human zombies are raised, none with classes, and a total of nine new mob zombies join them. The humans had managed to kill three of them before she got here, so sadly, that is fifteen experience that she won¡¯t be getting her hands on.


    Oh well, my army has grown, that is all that matters.


    ¡°Ok new zombies! If you have any items in your pockets bring them forward and show me. Take off your packs and place them in front of me. I can sort through them later. Also, you can keep your weapons. I don¡¯t think I need a¡­ a sickle? Oh, you use it for cutting crops. Ya, I don¡¯t need farming tools, you can keep that.¡±


    Storing everything that they drop in front of her, she smiles and points forward. ¡°Alright my Undead minions! We shall conquer this Dungeon! Forward!¡±


    <hr>


    Standing before the stairs to the second floor, Bug takes but a moment to consider before taking the plunge. Not that she has much time to waste anyways. There is far too much activity on the first floor right now, and if she doesn¡¯t go quickly, then more humans are bound to find her. Especially with how much foot traffic the stairs get.


    Approaching the steps, Bug is forced to stop as a message pops up in front of her.


    ¡®Warning!


    Dungeon Spawned Sapient Entity, Bug 1413.


    You are about to leave your designated floor. This action is in violation of your purpose as a Dungeon spawned entity. If you proceed in leaving the confines of your designated floor, you will be considered as a Rogue Entity, and be designated as a Kill on Sight Target. If you would like to apply for permissions to visit, or to be promoted to the lower levels of the Dungeon, please fill out form IPT.231/B found in the Points Store and attach it as a gift in a message directed to the Dungeon¡¯s Manager. You can expect a response within five to ten business days.


    Advisory: Return to your designated floor.¡¯


    ¡°Five to ten business days? What the hell is a business day? No thanks Dungeon, I¡¯m not filling out any forms and I don¡¯t care if I become a rogue. I¡¯m going to fuck up your shit and make you regret ever making me!¡±


    With an angry wave of her hand, Bug dismisses the warning and then points to the stairs. ¡°Forward! Kill anything that tries to stop us!¡±


    The zombies move, descending the steps with weapons and bloodied hands held forward. Taking that next step, Bug¡¯s feet lands on the first step as she carries herself deeper into the Dungeon. A notice in her messages catches her eye, but she doesn¡¯t stop as she continues to descend the stairs.


    //Warning has been ignored.


    //Caution, User has three seconds to return to designated floor.


    //3


    //2


    //1


    ¡­


    //Notice, User [Bug 1413] has now been designated as a Rogue Entity. KOS order has been issued.


    //Advisory, Kill yourself.


    //Advisory, kill yourself.


    //Advisory, kill yourself.


    //Advisory, kill yourse-


    //Admin Override Detected


    //System Messages from Dungeon set to Priority Notices only.


    //Dungeon Personal Messages set as spam.


    //Admin Override Retracted


    //You have now left the First Floor.


    ¡­


    Huuh¡­ Weird. So, I¡¯m guessing that the Dungeon is really not happy with me¡­ Still, thanks Admin! I¡¯m guessing that the Dungeon would have just kept telling me to kill myself if they didn¡¯t block it. That would have gotten annoying very quickly¡­


    ¡°Hmm, but now I have a KOS order on me. I¡¯m guessing that if I had gone to the lower floors with permission, the other Dungeon creatures would have treated me like they do any other Dungeon creature, but now they will treat me like I am one of the humans and attack me on sight¡­ Oh well, I was going to kill basically everything anyways, so it doesn¡¯t really matter much I guess.¡±


    Looking away from her messages, Bug hears some screaming from up ahead.


    //Killed lvl 6 Human ¨C 30 exp gained!


    The hell?


    Halfway down the stairs is a large room where her zombies are pouring into like a tide. From inside, people are screaming and fighting for their lives.


    ¡°Why are there Undead attacking in here!? This is supposed to be a Safe Room!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is happening!?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and fight damnit!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh! My arm, get it off of my arm!¡±


    Bug peeks into the room and is startled as she finds her zombies in the middle of a melee with a bunch of adventurers. From the looks of it, they got caught completely off guard as they were in the middle of making themselves some food. One guy off to the side is currently getting mauled by a bunch of the mob zombies and has one gnawing on his arm. The others are fighting tooth and nail against the rest. Near the entrance is a corpse that looks like it took an axe to the back of the head.


    Bug points at the corpse and casts Raise Undead on it.


    ¡®lvl 6 Human Zombie. Control = Complete.¡¯


    Hmm¡­ No class. So just being level 5 or higher isn¡¯t enough. Maybe the human has to actually be specialized in using a certain weapon? Huh. I guess that the axe guy must have had a lot of experience with using one then. It¡¯s good that I killed him with a sneak attack when I did then. That might have turned into an ugly fight otherwise¡­


    While Bug is thinking some things over, the fight continues to rage on.


    //Killed lvl 4 Human ¨C 20 exp gained!


    Oh, the guy that was getting mauled just died¡­ Raise Undead.


    The two newest zombies are quick to include themselves into the fight, and quickly things start to look even worse for the remaining humans as they are pushed further and further back into the room.


    As the fight goes on, a few of mob zombies get killed, but Bug doesn¡¯t particularly care about them. They are incredibly fragile and honestly, it takes several of them just to bring down one human. At best, they are good for distractions and for swarming. But are otherwise disposable.


    No, the ones that Bug wants to keep up and working are the human zombies. Each one she has right now is precious and is a valuable part of her little army. Right now, she can¡¯t risk losing any of them.


    Which is why when she sees one of the humans kick away the zombie of that rude girl that tried to choke her, she points at him and casts Inflict Pain before he has a chance to bring his maul down on her head.


    He instantly locks up and screams as the pain assaults his body. The girl zombie gets back up and throws herself at him like a wild animal, ripping his throat out with her teeth as she drags him to the ground, a gurgling scream escaping his limp as she continues to tear into him with her teeth.


    Elsewhere in the fight, one guy gets grabbed and pulled away from his friends. As he is dragged away kicking and screaming into the hoard of zombies, he continuously stabs them wherever he can. The stomach, the chest, neck, arms and legs, none of it slows them down as they dogpile him and tear into him.


    Don¡¯t break the body. It is useless if I can¡¯t raise it. Bug silently orders.


    His screams eventually go quiet as he dies in some way that Bug can¡¯t see. There are just too many bodies in the way. But as soon as she gets the notification, she orders them off of the corpse.


    //Killed lvl 5 Human ¨C 25 exp gained!


    Ehhh¡­. They really messed him up. His whole face is gone. Yuk. Raise Undead. Hmm¡­ No class on this one either. That¡¯s disappointing.

 Chapter 5.3- Necromancin Dancin

    Eventually, the remaining humans get reduced to just one guy left. He continues to fight in the corner and cuts another of the mob zombies in half as it jumps at him.


    ¡°What the hell! Why is this happening!?¡± He screams.


    ¡°Alright! Everyone, back off a little please! I want to talk to him.¡±


    The zombies immediately stop attacking and back away from the guy. Holding a sword in front of him defensively, he shifts around as he waits to be attacked from any side.


    ¡°Who the hell was that!? Did you do this? Who the hell are you!? Show yourself!¡±


    ¡°Move aside, move. Thank you¡­ Yes, that would be me.¡± Bug says as she comes to the front of the horde. ¡°Hello human.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck¡­?


    ¡°Hi, I wanted to ask you some-¡°


    ¡°Holy shit! You''re that bounty that everyone was talking about¡­ The, the talking Gremlin! Aren¡¯t you!?¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Bounty? What¡¯s this now?¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you want, you little monster!? What pit of hell did you crawl out of!?¡±


    ¡°Pit of hell? No, I was born here in the Dungeon. Regardless, I wanted to ask you- ¡°


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you want, you little bitch, I¡¯m going to kill you after what you did to me and my friends! Then I¡¯m going to collect that ten-gold bounty as I parade your corpse through the fucking-! ¡°


    Didn¡¯t he literally just ask me what I want though? Is he an idiot?


    Bug points to him and simply says, ¡°Shut up. Inflict Pain. You, punch him some. You, take his weapons.¡±


    The man cries and screams as he is punched repeatedly, and his weapons are ripped out of his hands. He ends up getting lucky and runs his sword through the guts of one of the zombies, but honestly, that just makes it easier to disarm him. Once Bug orders them to stop, the two step away from him and rejoins the horde. The one still has the sword stuck in him, but it doesn¡¯t seem to bother the zombie in the slightest. Bug decides to just leave it there for now.


    ¡°Ok¡­ Now then. Human, as I was saying. I want to ask you some questions. I am willing to forgive you calling me a bitch for now, and I promise that if you tell me what I want to know, that I will spare your life. Deal?¡±


    ¡°Hachk.. Ache, fuck you monster. I can¡¯t trust that you will hold your¡­ hak¡­ word. I won¡¯t tell you anything!¡± He says as he spits out a blob of bloody spit towards Bug.


    Bob the Archer, who was standing stoically next to Bug the whole time, quickly reaches down and blocks the spit with his hand.


    Huh, that must have counted as an attack against me. It¡¯s a good thing that I have them set to take hits for me.


    ¡°Eugh, uh, Bob. Wipe your hands on your pants or something. That looks nasty¡­¡±


    Bob does as he is told and then Bug turns back to the guy and addresses him. ¡°Now human. That was quite rude. I am offering you a chance to live, and you have quite literally spat at my offer. It¡¯s not even like I wanted to ask you anything all that important. I just want information about the Dungeon. Like, why were you guys in this room, and why were you so surprised that you got attacked? This is a Dungeon you know? You really should have been keeping your guard up.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, that¡¯s why!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no interest in breeding with you human.¡±


    ¡°Wha, what? No, I am telling you- ¡°


    Bug steps forward and stabs him the throat in one swift motion as she withdraws her sword. Ripping the sword out of his throat, she immediately stores it again as he stumbles back against the wall.


    ¡°I know, I was just trying to be funny. You don¡¯t have to take everything so seriously human. And I really would have let you live. You are the third one to receive this offer, and yet so far no one has accepted it¡­ Do I really look that untrustworthy? Oh¡­ I¡¯m talking to a corpse¡­ tch, Raise Undead. Hurry and get up already. I want to be out of here before more humans show up.¡±


    //Killed lvl 3 Human ¨C 15 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Human ¨C 20 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Human ¨C 20 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Human ¨C 25 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 10! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 3 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 1 Skill point


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    //Congratulations! You can now unlock a Class. Please select a Class before attempting further leveling.


    //Warning! Further exp gain has been capped at 100 until class selection.


    //Warning! You have reached your capped limit on experience. 100/100. All exp gained past the cap will be lost. Please select a Class.


    ¡­


    Crap¡­ I guess that seven humans were a bit too much exp. It¡¯s good I was finally able to reach Level 10, but I don¡¯t like it that I lost experience. How much did I lose? Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have killed that last guy¡­ Eh, doesn¡¯t matter. I just need to hurry up and get out of here, find some place safe, and then select my class.


    Raising the rest of the corpses, Bug stores everything and then heads for the door. Behind her, she can hear as something is dragging on the floor, so she turns to look at what the noise is.


    Behind her, three of the mob zombies are dragging their ruined bodied to try and follow her. One is missing a leg, another looks like its spine is probably broken, and the third is simply missing its lower half.


    ¡°Jeez¡­ These things are pretty hard to kill huh?¡±


    Bug looks the guy that took an axe to the back of the head, the first human that died when her zombies attacked. Despite having most of his head destroyed and his brains leaking out, the zombie is still standing just fine with the rest of them.


    ¡°I wonder how much it takes to actually kill them¡­? A few of the mob zombies did get killed though. Maybe it is just a matter of if they take too much damage for their bodies to keep being able to move¡­¡±


    Pushing aside the question for now, Bug point to the three ruined zombies and gives them an order. ¡°Return upstairs and kill anything that you can. I don¡¯t need you three slowing me down.¡±


    Giving them the order, Bug turns and leaves the place that the humans called a Safe Room and proceeds down the stairs. Eventually, the three mob zombies make their way out as well, and as soon as enough distance has grown between them, Bug cuts her connection to them. They will keep heading up to the first floor even without her input now, and she might as well not waste the mana being used to keep them controlled.


    As she heads down the stairs, Bug rolls her shoulders as the discomfort of leveling-up settles on her body. Quickly, she spends her Free Stat Points and then looks over everything.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C Class Selection is available!


    Level ¨C 10


    EXP ¨C Capped 100/100 [Please select a Class]


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 78/78


    Stamina ¨C 31/33


    Mana ¨C 92/141 [170] [-29 From Control Upkeep]


    Vitality ¨C 13


    Endurance ¨C 11


    Strength - 11


    Dexterity - 18


    Magic - 17


    Intelligence - 18


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    The Second Floor¡­ honestly, it doesn¡¯t look any different than the first. Bug doesn¡¯t really know what she was expecting to find as she descended to the next floor, but she has to admit that she is mildly disappointed that this floor doesn¡¯t really look any different than the first one did.


    It is all just cave walls, wet moss, dirt covered floor, and glowing mushrooms radiating a gentle light. Off to the side she even finds a Jelly eating a piece of trash that some human probably left behind. Looks like a food wrapper or something.


    Killing the Jelly, Bug tries to use Raise Undead on it, but the spell fails. She had a feeling that it wouldn¡¯t work, but it was worth trying.


    Storing the Jelly skin and selling the trash, she looks around and picks a direction at random as she ignores the warning that pops up in her messages about lost exp.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll head left for now. Just need to find a hole to hide in so I can pick a class safely¡­¡±


    Wandering down the halls, Bug navigates around some bloody messes where the humans had already killed most of everything in the area. All of the corpses are cut up and mangled and are in the process of being digested back into the Dungeon. Their bodies are falling apart and turning into a sludge that is being slowly absorbed by the thirsty dirt covered floor.


    ¡®Goblin. Dead.¡¯


    ¡°So, this is a Goblin huh¡­ Why are all of them missing their left ear? Looks like they have been cut off¡­ Hmm, Raise undead.¡±


    The spell fails to take hold on the melting body, and Bug nods her head.


    So, if a corpse gets left for too long for the Dungeon to eat, then I can¡¯t use it. Looks like they have to be fresh. Good to know.


    Storing the Goblin corpses and selling them just barely manage to net her three points despite there being eight of them. The damage being too much, their value had dropped severely. Still, Bug would rather get what she can than let the Dungeon eat.


    Resuming her walk, Bug listens to the noises coming from further in the Dungeon and notes that it is sounding much quieter than the first floor was today.


    ¡°Honestly, the humans are so weird. Hmm¡­ Maybe it has to do with that bounty that that guy mentioned. Are they all up there looking for me? I don¡¯t see why they would be though. I doubt that my fur is any more valuable than the others, and I doubt that they want my stuff¡­ Maybe it is because I¡¯m different? So, that makes them want to hunt me down? Well, all the more reason to make some distance from the first floor then.¡±


    Eventually, Bug comes across a hole in the wall that is high enough that a human would have a hard time checking it for occupants. Climbing up the wall, Bug holds her dagger as she is ready to stab anything that might be living inside. She still remembers what the old human had taught the little humans while she was hiding. On the lower floors, she won¡¯t be the only one using these holes as hiding places.


    Checking inside, she finds it to be clear and then crawls in. Peeking back out, she looks down at the horde of zombies that are mindlessly waiting down below. Some of them are listlessly staring up at her, as if they are awaiting directions.


    ¡°Ummm¡­ Spread out and play dead for now. I¡¯m going to need to find a way to manage having all of these things following me around. It¡¯s going to make hiding much harder¡­¡±


    Once she is certain that all of the zombies are now all lying about and the hall now looks like a massacre just happened, Bug returns back inside and makes a bed for herself to relax on. The sleeping roll that she had just recently received is much more comfortable than her old bed of moss and blankets, so she is quite happy as she plops down and gets comfy.


    Alright, first. Going to learn Turn Undead. I need to have a way of dealing with any Undead that get raised by the curse and decide to attack me. It¡¯s not a problem just yet, but it could be in the future.


    A quick loading bar later and a twinge of pain that is much less that Raise Undead was, and Bug has her new spell.


    It is a simple enough thing. If she finds an Undead that isn¡¯t already hers, she can throw a point of mana at it and dominate it if it is weaker than her. If it is stronger than her, then she will have to use more mana until she can wrestle it under her control. It can even be used to steal Undead from other necromancers, but they will be able to resist her attempts to do so by strengthening their own control. Bug makes a mental note to be careful around other necromancers. Especially ones that are stronger than her.


    With that taken care of, Bug pulls out some food to snack on and directs the System to show her Class options.

 Chapter 5.4- Necromancin Dancin

    ¡°Alright System! Let me see what I have available¡­¡±


    Reading through her options, Bug grimaces as she reads the very first one.


    ¡®Annoying Little Prick. Your small stature, high Dexterity, and a tendency for stabbing people has made you quite the Annoying Little Prick. Lean into this path and embrace a future as someone who is destined to piss off everyone that is taller than you. + 10 to Dexterity. Gain one level of Knife Fighting, Stealth, and Assassination. Stat growth per level of + 1 to Endurance and + 3 to Dexterity, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level.¡¯


    ¡°Oi! That is just rude! Damn System¡­¡±


    Moving on, she keeps reading.


    ¡®Apprentice Assassin. A blade in the dark, a slit throat right when your enemies think themselves safe. You have begun the path of an Assassin. Embrace the darkness, be molded by the darkness and become someone that those living in the light will only hear about in whispers. + 2 to Endurance, + 6 to Dexterity. Gain one level of Knife Fighting, Stealth, and Assassination. Stat growth per level of + 1 to Endurance and + 2 to Dexterity, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level.¡¯


    What the heck? It is just like Annoying Little Prick, but weaker¡­


    ¡®Apprentice Fighter. Knives, swords, spears, if it has a blade, you can use it to kill. Embrace a future as one who wields the blade to cut down their foes. Live by the blade, die by the blade. + 2 to Endurance, + 3 to Strength, + 3 to Dexterity. Gain one level of Knife Fighting, Sword Fighting, Spear Fighting, and Weapon Throwing. Stat growth per level of + 1 to Endurance and + 1 to Strength and + 1 to Dexterity, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level.¡¯


    Mmm, not really what I am looking for.


    ¡®Aspiring Magical Girl Villain. You have firmly cemented yourself as a villain. Having forcefully broken friendships, stolen the lives of loved ones, tormented those you have beaten, and made petite young women hate you for your shapely body. You are now well on your way to becoming a Villain to all Magical Girls. You even have minions. Use your new power and might to crush the will of, and even rob the purity of, every would-be Magical Girl that would face you. But beware, for the powers of friendship and love are not to underestimated. + 2 to Vitality, + 2 to Endurance, + 2 to Strength, + 3 to Dexterity, + 3 to Magic. Gain one level of Whip Fighting and one level of Pain to Pleasure. Gain the Knowledge Introduction to BDSM. Gain the spell Grow Tentacles. Stat Growth per level of + 1 Vitality, + 1 to Endurance, + 1 to Dexterity, + 1 to Magic, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level.¡¯


    ¡°¡­ What the actual fuck is this? Magical Girls? Villains? What is BDSM? Why would I want to grow tentacles? Although, I guess they could be useful in a fight, I guess?¡±


    Bug stares at the weird offering, a dangerous feeling filling her that tells her that she will probably regret it if she picks this class. The stats and a free spell are tempting, but¡­ something about this Class just feels dirty¡­


    Bug moves on, skipping over some of the less impressive ones, like, Little Trash Collector and Kin Slayer.


    There are others offered that cover very mundane things, and even Classes that would start her down whole new paths that she hasn¡¯t even touched yet, like becomes a Seamstress, a Cook, or even an Actor. But, Bug ignores everything that isn¡¯t combat oriented.


    Finally, she comes across the Classes that cover the use of her magic and is treated to three offerings.


    ¡®Little Bodily Horror. A user of Death Magic you may be, but it is through your own body that you inflict Death upon others. Wield your body, mold your body, change your body, and start your path towards becoming the Horror of Man. Your very body shall become an embodiment of Death, your every motion, the swipe of a scythe reaping the lives of thousands of mortals. Become Death. + 3 to Vitality, + 2 to Endurance, + 2 to Strength, + 4 to Dexterity, + 3 to Magic. Gain one level of Fist Fighting and one level of Claw Fighting. Gain the spells Sharpen Claws and Grow Limbs. Stat Growth per level of + 2 Vitality, + 1 to Endurance, + 1 to Dexterity, + 1 to Magic, + 1 to Intelligence with + 4 Free Stat Points per level. Discount on all Body Magic.¡¯


    ¡®The Little Necromancer that Could. Necromancy! Raise armies of the Undead that shall loyally serve you until their un-lives end. There is no problem that can¡¯t be solved by simply throwing enough bodies at it, and if that doesn¡¯t work? Throw more bodies at it! Start down your path as a Necromancer and lead the armies of the Undead as their rotting corpses drown the world of the living. All shall know Death! All shall become Death! And the world shall remember why it is that they should fear the Queen of the Dead Lands!


    Remind them little one. Mother will be pleased.


    + 3 to Endurance, + 3 to Dexterity, + 4 to Magic, + 4 to Intelligence. Gain one level of Mana Control and one level of Soul Sight. Gain the spells Death¡¯s Aura and Enhance Undead. Become marked as a Child of the Queen of the Dead Lands. Stat Growth per level of + 1 to Endurance, + 1 to Dexterity, + 2 to Magic, + 2 to Intelligence, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level. Discount on all Death Magic.


    Warning: Those marked by the Queen of the Dead Lands will most likely draw the ire of Higher Authorities and be hunted down. Proceed at own risk.¡¯


    ¡®Daddy¡¯s Little Soul Flayer. The souls of your enemies are yours to pull apart and play with as you please. You have already experienced the joys of filling your enemies with pain, but now it is time to learn how to destroy your enemies very soul. As they kneel before you, begging, you shall pull their soul apart like you would the petals from a flower. And once they have been stripped bare of everything they are, reduced to nothing but a ruined thing in the palm of your hands, you shall crush them and laugh as they leave this life, never to enter the next. Start down this path and make your enemies feel true pain. + 1 to Vitality, + 1 to Endurance, + 5 to Magic, + 5 to Intelligence. Gain one level of Mana Control and one level of Soul Sight. Gain the spells Harm Soul and Blind Target. Stat Growth per level of + 1 to Vitality, + 1 to Endurance, + 2 to Magic, + 2 to Intelligence, with + 4 Free Stat Points per level. Discount on all Soul Magic.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡°Wow¡­ Ok, these three are definitely the ones I am picking from. I was worried that I was going to have to pick the Annoying Little Prick or Aspiring Magical Girl Villain, thank goodness¡­ But still, why do so many of these Classes keep having little in the name? Is my size really that big of deal or is someone making a joke?¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Ahh¡­ Let¡¯s forget about that for now. I¡¯ll make sure to complain to the Devs when I get the chance¡­ For now, we have Little Bodily Horror, The Little Necromancer that Could, and Daddy¡¯s Little Soul Flayer¡­


    Seriously, what the hell is wrong with these names!?


    ¡°Haaaaah¡­. Focus, focus¡­ Strangle the Devs later¡­¡±


    Ok, the first one is obviously for Body Magic and will make me stronger as a fighter. It will also get me an expensive spell early which would be nice. All in all, this one seems more aimed toward personal power and survival.


    The second one is¡­ very tempting but also very worrisome¡­ I don¡¯t like the idea of getting marked by some Queen of the Dead or whatever and I especially don¡¯t like the idea of pissing off any Higher Authorities. Whoever that might be¡­ I mean, out of all the Classes, it was the only one with a warning put on it. Which is sad, because it is also the only Necromancy Class I have available¡­


    And then the third. This one seems to be pushing me to become more of a spell Caster. Unlike Inflict Pain, Harm Soul actually does damage to your enemies. The only problem with it though, is that it is slow to kill. Hitting someone with a sword or shooting them with a fireball would kill them much faster. Honestly, from what I understand, most of the Death infused Soul Magics are mostly intended for torturing and de-buffing your enemies up until the higher levels of magic.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ the Soul Magic is a tempting option because of the stats, but what I need isn¡¯t more ways of hurting people, but more ways of killing and surviving¡­ And being able to regrow my arms and legs definitely sounds like something that is good for survival¡­¡±


    If I had Grow Limbs, I wouldn¡¯t have had to spend 50 Points on that potion¡­


    Bug gives one last look of all the options, her eyes lingering on The Little Necromancer that Could, and then finally selects Little Bodily Horror.


    Well, even if I can¡¯t have the Necromancy Class, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I can still use Necromancy. I¡¯ll just have to keep grabbing the stuff I want without getting myself marked by that Queen or whoever else.


    With her selection made, a loading bar pops up and fills slowly as Bug¡¯s body starts to heat up. The pain coursing through her is nowhere near as bad as some of what she has endured so far, but such a big jump in all of her stats and learning two new spells is quite taxing.


    As she lays on her bed, sweating and gritting her teeth, the loading bar finishes, and the headache really starts to set in.


    It takes some time, but eventually, the pain and discomfort fades away and she is finally able to pull herself up and lean against the wall of her hiding place. The cold wall feels great against her aching head, and Bug relaxes there until she is feeling better.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C Little Bodily Horror


    Level ¨C 10


    EXP ¨C 100/300


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 96/96


    Stamina ¨C 39/39


    Mana ¨C 171/171 [Total = 200] [-29 From Control Upkeep]


    Vitality ¨C 16


    Endurance ¨C 13


    Strength - 13


    Dexterity - 22


    Magic - 20


    Intelligence - 18


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    After a short break, Bug finally decides that it is time to try some stuff out. She has two new spells, and she might as well figure them out now rather than later when she is in the middle of a fight.


    Starting small, she brings her left hand up to look at, and activates Sharpen Claws. Immediately, the end of her fingers start to bleed as her little claws elongate and grow from her fingertips.


    ¡°Ouch! Ahhh¡­ that doesn¡¯t feel great¡­¡±


    Stopping their growth after they become dangerous looking things, like hooked knives growing from her fingers. Bug looks over her hand and licks up the blood. Thankfully, the spell has a bit of built in healing that seals up her fingers after growing the claws, so the bleeding is quickly stopped.


    Hmm, didn¡¯t take any damage from doing that, so that is good at least. From what the spell taught me, my claws get further enhanced by my Vitality, Strength, and Intelligence stats when I use this spell. So, as long as those stats are high enough, I shouldn¡¯t have to worry about breaking my claws¡­ I wonder how strong I need to be to use them against a sword and be able to win?


    Looking her clawed hand over from a bunch of different angles, Bug tries to make a fist, but quickly gives up on that as the claws are already far too big.


    ¡°Ok, need to be smaller. Maybe find a good middle ground where they don¡¯t get in the way, but I can still use them in a hurry¡­¡±


    Messing around with the spell, Bug forces her claws to shrink and grow until they are at a good length and size. Not too big where she can¡¯t use her hands, but also not too small to where she can¡¯t use them as weapons.


    Looking over her new claws on her left hand and comparing them to the tiny little things on her right, Bug can¡¯t help but think to herself. Gremlin claws were never meant for fighting, were they¡­?


    ¡°Tch¡­ Doesn¡¯t matter. I can worry about it later¡­¡±


    A final push on the spell makes her right match her left. Sucking the blood off of her hands, Bug waits for the tingling in her fingers to go away before getting to the next part¡­


    Unlike with Sharpen Claws, Grow Limbs isn¡¯t reversible. It has some quality of life to it, which is nice. For instance, if Bug were to lose or break an arm or a leg, the spell will happily heal them, no questions asked and be as good as new. Not even cancer can beat this healing. Not that Bug knows what cancer is, but that certainly makes the spell very tempting on its own.


    Even further, Bug doesn¡¯t even need to know any anatomy to make this work. If she wanted to, she could grow a brand-new arm or leg anywhere she wants on her body. It just works.


    The problem comes in that it is not reversible. Not until she unlocks a much higher tiered spell called Shape Self. But that requires several other unlocks to get, on top of a pile of points. Not something that she will be able to access until later.


    So, if I were to grow a new arm and decide that I hate having it¡­ I am either stuck with it, or will have to cut it off and be left with a nub¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­ Why is it that the limbs from this spell are permanent, but the tentacles from Grow Tentacles are not¡­ Crap, maybe I should have gone with that other Class instead? No, no¡­ That one felt just a bit too dangerous in some weird ways¡­¡±


    Sitting on her bed roll and chewing on her new claws, Bug rolls some thoughts around in her head as she considers using the new spell now or not.


    I mean¡­ When it comes down to it. It¡¯s not like I really care about my appearance. And having more arms could be useful¡­ Definitely not going with more legs though. I don¡¯t even know how that would be useful. The only question is where to grow the new arm¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve decided. I¡¯ll start with making a new left arm under my old one. Shouldn¡¯t get in the way too much, I think? Depending on how it goes, I will make an extra right arm as well¡­¡±


    Collecting her breath, and calming herself, Bug gets ready to use the Spell but then remembers something and quickly stops.


    ¡°Ahh! My clothes and my bed. I don¡¯t want to get blood everywhere and ruin them¡­ uh, there we go. Ok¡­ Haaaaah¡­¡­ Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuh¡­¡­ Grow Limbs.¡±


    Sitting on some bare moss, and naked as the day she was born, Bug immediately doubles over as the pain hits her. One hundred mana is immediately ripped out of her Death core as the System guides it to do its work.


    Falling over and grasping at her side, Bug feels as her skin is split open and her bones, muscle, and flesh are all forcefully broken, regrown, and shifted around. Growing from the new opening in her side and connecting to freshly modified ribs. A new shoulder grows out first, just below her original left arm.


    More follows as Bug kicks and screams on the ground. The new limb growing from her body like a sapling made of bone and flesh and blood.


    A notification pops up, and the pain slightly dulls, but for Bug it is hardly enough to detract from the pain that is currently tearing her apart. As she lays there, tears running down her face as she curses, she is compelled to watch as muscles, tendon, nerves, and veins crawl their way up bone, with skin shortly following after. Like a living creature, the flesh fills out her new arm until the thing that is attached to her is unmistakable.


    With the last stretch of skin reaching her fingers and ending at the base of new claws, much like the ones she had just modified, fur is quick to follow through and sprout like a freshly grown carpet of grass. Her side seals up, flush and smooth, and not even a scar is left behind.


    Bug is let gasping on the ground as both of her left arms are left laying over her side, the new flesh twitching before her eyes as nerves come alive and signals start to course through it. She merely stares at them for a long while as the shock of it all continues to rattle her brain.


    ¡­


    They¡¯re identical¡­ Perfect matches¡­


    It takes but a spare few moments for the new limb to be ready, the knowledge for how to use it coming naturally to Bug, much the same as how she could walk mere minutes after her birth.


    ¡°I, I can feel it, oh shit I can move it! I can¡­ I can sort of feel it? It¡¯s a bit heavy¡­¡±


    Forcing herself to sit up, and certainly feeling the weight on a whole new arm on her side, Bug looks down at her new arm in worry.


    Why is it so¡­ Fuzzy? Blank? Feels weird¡­ Oh wait, something is happening!


    As fresh blood gets circulated through the arm, it starts to feel warm and full. Bug tries to move the arm around a bit more and recoils as it touches her other arm.


    ¡°Ahh! Why is it all buzzy, buzzy!? It tingles! Ahhhhhh! Make it stop! Ahhh!

 Chapter 6.1- The Little Horror Has Awoken

    Getting redressed and fitted back into her clothes, her shirt freshly modified to accommodate the new arm for just one point. Bug gets ready to get going. She has spent too much time in one spot, and there is supposedly a bunch of people looking for her just one floor up.


    ¡°For now, just going to focus on finding the stairs. I don¡¯t want to waste too much time on this floor¡­ Mhh?¡±


    Just as Bug was about to exit the hole in the wall, she notices on her HUD that Mail is blinking. Opening the tab, she finds a new message titled ¡®Congratulations on your first Class!¡¯


    But most importantly, the message has a gift attached to it.


    Bug immediately throws herself back into the hole and sits down as she throws open the message. Her three arms excitedly drumming on her lap as she does so.


    <hr>


    ¡°Hello cute little Bug,


    Let me start by saying, Congratulation! Great job on reaching Level 10 and getting your first Class, and so quickly too! For reaching this milestone, you have received a reward for your hard work and dedication. Congrats!


    Now, with that out of the way, I have some things I would like to let you know and to thank you for. First and foremost is that I have been placed in charge of managing your profile. I would tell you my name, but I am afraid that it would simply show as REDACTED if I did. For context, it was me that sent you the cookie. Hint, hint, about the attached gift ;)


    Secondly, I would like to personally thank you for finding that error with the Death magic primary element selection. I was SO surprised when you chose Death magic of all things as your primary. So, I checked into it and found that for some reason, the details about the survival rate for those that pick that magic were not included in the description. Apparently, it has been on the board to be fixed for a few days now, and I could have sworn that REDACTED had been assigned to fix it already. Alas, the good news is that because of you, that problem has been pushed to the front and has now been properly addressed and fixed now. In the next patch, the related Knowledge and descriptions will be updated, and you will even be accredited for the find! Congratulations again and thanks; it would suck if we had users killing themselves on accident! And in case you are curious, you had an 87.972% chance of dying when you picked Death as your primary. Scary!


    Lastly, as I am now permitted to share a bit more information with you. You can expect your next milestone reward to be at Level 50. I know it¡¯s not much¡­ but it¡¯s all I can really share at the moment.


    Loving the new arm by the way! Just try not to go too nuts with the Body magic. We get some real monstrosities that way and it is never cute.


    Stay cute and keep leveling little Bug, I¡¯ll be happily watching your progress.


    Sincerely and with so much love, REDACTED.


    <hr>


    ¡°87.972% chance of dying¡­ I had a¡­ I almost ended up killing myself!¡±


    Three hands find her face as she looks at and rereads the bubbly written message over and over again.


    ¡°I only picked it because I thought that it was the best way to quickly get stronger, but if I knew what the chances were, I would have never picked it. I, I would have picked fire magic or something! Who the hell is the one responsible for not including that info!? I¡¯m going to strangle them!!!¡±


    Bug screams at the ceiling, cursing the System and its makers as she punches a wall.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if the System is only half finished! Make sure that the parts you have out actually work properly first, so that people like me don¡¯t get killed by it! Do your fucking jobs!!!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Hah-hah-haaaah¡­.¡±


    Catching her breath from releasing some pent-up frustrations against an uncaring wall, Bug finally slumps back and calms herself as she looks back to the message, a tired little smile gracing her face. Reaching out, Bug taps the glowing icon and accepts the gift into her inventory.


    At least I can look forward to another cookie. Finally! And all I had to do was kill a bunch of humans and piss off the Dungeon. Worth it!


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Opening the gift in her inventory, Bug watches with much excitement as some new icons fill the boxes.


    ¡®Hooded Cloak. Useful for those that wish to hide their appearance from prying eyes. Not much use defensively, but makes it very easy to hide what your hands are doing. It even has pockets!¡¯


    ¡®Mask. A wooden mask that is shaped to fit your face perfectly. Great for hiding your face, but will definitely make you look suspicious.¡¯


    ¡®3 Pack of woman¡¯s underwear. A colorful section of undergarments with different patterns.¡¯


    ¡®Cleanliness Starter Kit. A special kit for helping all new System users learn about proper bodily care. Contains an assortment of soaps and lotions, deodorant, teeth, nail, and hair care tools, and even the Knowledge, Self-Care, and why You Should Really Take a Bath.¡¯


    ¡®Ring of Vit. + 1 Vitality.¡¯


    ¡®Box of a dozen assorted cookies. A special gift made just for you by REDACTED. Contains 3 chocolate chip, 3 sugar, 2 peanut butter, 2 macadamia nut, and 2 Chocho-chocolate and caramel surprise.¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡°A dozen cookies¡­ twelve¡­ twelve whole cookies¡­¡±


    With shaking hands, Bug withdraws the box of cookies and shudders as it appears in her waiting hands. Through the wood box, she can feel the warmth of its contents radiating through. Even with it sealed, the heavenly smell of fresh baked goods is still leaking through.


    Holding the box with two hands, so as to not risk dropping it, Bug uses her third to carefully lift the lid. It slides loose without fighting. The perfectly crafted wooden box happily giving way to her. As the lid is carried away and set aside, Bug can¡¯t help but marvel at what she finds inside.


    Resting on a bed of white paper is twelve cookies, each divided by a partition of paper to keep the fresh and melty things from sticking to each other. The smell is the first to reach her as it invades her senses. Almost as if a hand had reached up through her sinuses to gently and lovingly caress her brain. Completely unable to stop herself, Bug¡¯s mouth starts to flood with drool.


    The second is the sight of them. They may as well be gems within this box. The glistening chocolate chips, the shining crystals of sugar and sprinkles, the white of the macadamia nuts, the light browns of peanut butter, and the dark secrets of excessive amounts of chocolate drizzled in caramel¡­ It is all too much.


    Should she pray, should she cry? Should she dance and celebrate? Bug has no idea what to do with herself¡­ She had finally done it. Right before her is one of her biggest goals, finally being realized. She got another cookie. A dozen at that no less!


    Swallowing down a bunch of saliva, Bug moves a hand forward, and after much debate, finally grabs one of the little morsels. It is white, practically an opposite to the chocolate chip cookies, and smells incredibly sweet.


    Before she can stop herself, it is already in her mouth being devoured. Sweetness flooding her mouth between bites of melty soft cookie and crunchy macadamia nut. Tears run down her face as she swallows the cookie. Bug had almost died several times for this, and It. Was. Worth. It!


    Bug moves to grab another cookie, hungry to devour the whole box right now, down to the very last crumb, but stops as a memory hits her. She remembers the others. How they would fight over moss. How one just kept eating and eating, stuffing its face like a mess. How the others gorged themselves on the corpse of another¡­


    I am better than them¡­


    Bug takes just one more cookie and then returns the lid to the container before storing it away. This time, she takes the time to slowly savor the familiar taste of a chocolate chip cookie, enjoying it down to the last bite before then cleaning her fingers.


    I have ten left. I should make them last and enjoy them properly. Not just eat them like some animal¡­ I am better than them.


    Relaxing and enjoying the feeling of cookies in her stomach, Bug eventually returns her attention to the rest of the gift. There is no note from REDACTED this time, but that is probably because they already said everything that they wanted to say in the message this time.


    Besides the box of cookies, there are some clothing items like a cloak and some underwear. Bug has no idea why she was giving the underwear when she already has one of her own, but free stuff is free stuff, and she isn¡¯t going to say no.


    After playing with the mask for a little while and then putting it away, Bug finally takes out the ring and the cleanliness starter kit.


    The ring is the first to really catch her attention, as it has a silver band and is adorned with a red gem. Bug quite happily puts it on one of her left hand¡¯s index finger and smiles.


    Now this is a gift! So shiny and pretty. Thank you REDACTED, I love it.


    With a quick check of her stats to see that it is working properly, Bug then looks to the last thing.


    The Cleanliness starter pack opens in her inventory to produce a bunch of items and a Knowledge book. Taking out some of the items, Bug looks them over. A lot of it smells really nice, and almost all of it is labeled with, ¡®Do not eat!¡¯


    Regardless of the labels, Bug find herself tempted to bite the nice smelling thing, called a bar of soap, but thankfully, she changes her mind as she considers that the labels are probably there for a reason¡­


    Growing bored of looking the stuff over, Bug goes ahead and uses the Knowledge that was included in the package.


    A short loading bar later and Bug is left a bit stunned and blushing. She looks at herself and has to fight down some disgust.


    Bug isn¡¯t exactly filthy, right now per se. She washes the blood off of her stuff when she can, and besides some dirt, she isn¡¯t a complete mess. But she isn¡¯t clean either. Most noticeably is the smell of sweat that she hadn¡¯t really cared about or hardly noticed until now, but now it is distracting. Besides that, is her hair, which is getting oily and is a tangled mess, her fur is looking dusty and needs a wash and a brushing, she has never cleaned her teeth once besides licking them clean, her claws are still blood-stained from their resent changes, not to mention her new arm and all the dried blood from where her side spit open¡­


    Smelling an arm pit leaves her gagging¡­


    Ok, shit, I definitely need a bath. And now I also understand why they gave me new underwear¡­ Thanks REDACTED¡­


    ¡°Ok! New priority. Gotta take a bath first, then I am making my way to the next floor.¡±


    Peeking out of the hole in the wall, Bug sees that the coast is clear, and that all of her zombies are still playing dead. Giving it a smell, she realizes that the hallway is starting to get a bit of a rotten smell to it.


    Lovely¡­ I guess the zombies are already starting to go bad. They aren¡¯t going to be pleasant to be around here soon. When I find a safe place later, I should just hurry up and turn them into skeletons. But for now, they should be fine.

 Chapter 6.2- The Little Horror Has Awoken

    Jumping out of the hole, Bug sets off back in the direction that she was traveling originally, which basically just means randomly wandering.


    Listening to the Dungeon and the noises bouncing around the halls, she mainly moves to avoid walking into any fights. A bath comes first before anything else.


    A few turns later, Bug finds a room that comes off from one of the halls. Looking inside, she finds a deep spring where a couple of figures are busily drinking water. This room is probably one of the main watering holes on this floor, judging from how big it is, and Bug finds the signs of plenty of birthing pods scattered about, but not the occupants. There are only the two figures left here, and they are covered in wounds.


    ¡®Lvl 4 Goblin. A race of Demi-Humans found all over the world.¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 6 Goblin. A race of Demi-Humans found all over the world.¡¯


    Bug isn¡¯t particular impressed by what identify has to tell her. But if they are Demi-Humans like her, then that brings the possibility of communication. Deciding to risk it first, Bug walks into the room and speaks.


    ¡°Hey there. Looks like you guys got into a fight, huh? Did the humans do that to you?¡±


    Both of the Goblins turn and look at Bug as they realize that someone is talking to them.


    ¡°Greka? Gre! Ga gre gak!¡±


    ¡°Gakkka! Gixca! Haaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what any of that means¡­? Do you know¡­ Actually, what language am I even speaking in? How do I not even know what it is called?¡±


    ¡°Haaaaaagh, Greka ga gekkky!¡± The first Goblin screams as it jumps at Bug.


    ¡°Inflict Pain.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    The Goblin trips over itself and falls flat on its face. Turning to the second, Bug tries to talk to it as well, but it throws a rock at her before she can open her mouth.


    Dodging the rock, she yells at it, ¡°Hey!¡±


    Bug wants to curse out the thing, but is stopped as an arrow comes flying from behind and buries itself in the eye of the Goblin. He falls over dead without a word.


    Looking back towards the entrance, Bug finds Bob the Archer standing there with his bow at the ready.


    //Killed lvl 6 Goblin ¨C 16 exp gained!


    ¡°Thanks Bob!¡±


    Turning away from Bob, Bug directs her attention back to the remaining Goblin and lifts her casting of Inflict Pain.


    ¡°Ok, now, like I was asking before. Are you able to talk like me, or are you just another mindless thi-¡°


    It lunges for her, kicking off of the ground and screaming as it brandishes a rock, swinging it at Bug¡¯s face. Bug takes a step back, narrowly avoiding the blow and quickly slashes at the Goblin with both of her left hands.


    The top hand finds its face and nearly claws half of it off with one swipe. The bottom hand tears through its chest and grinds against ribs, leaving bloody trails in its wake.


    The Goblin falls back to the ground again, screaming its lungs out as it holds its face and kicks its legs in a panic. The zombies at the entrance come pouring in to attack the target, but Bug waves them off and orders them to wait around the room.


    Grabbing the Goblin, Bug pulls it up to face her. Now that she is much closer, she has to note a couple things. First, these things are very ugly¡­ and secondly, they really do not smell good.


    This thing might have only been alive for a day or two at most by now, but it has a nasty smell to it that is making Bug¡¯s nose want to crinkle and her eyes water. Bug decides to make this fast.


    ¡°Tell me, can you speak!? Tell me you smelly thing!¡±


    ¡°Graaaaaaaaa gre ka!!!¡± It screams out in pain.


    ¡°Are those words or just noises!?¡±


    ¡°Gaaaaa! Ka grika ke! Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Pushing through the pain, it tries to bite at her, still, it only babbles out a bunch of nonsense that probably doesn¡¯t mean anything. Avoiding its bites, Bug looks into its eyes and finds them to be lacking. They don¡¯t have the same spark of life as the humans do or even that she sees in her own when she looks at her reflection. These things are empty.


    This is just a thing. Another creature birthed by the Dungeon to mindlessly kill and be killed.


    With little reason left to keep it alive, Bug stabs it in the throat with her claws and then casts it aside. Twitching on the ground, it slowly bleeds out and dies as Bug washes her hands in the spring.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    ¡°Well, that was disappointing. Not that there was much to be expected I guess¡­¡±


    Hands washed, Bug raises both of the new corpses and then brings a couple of sacks out of her inventory. Filling them both with rocks, she hands them to the new Goblin zombies.


    ¡°Your job is to throw rocks at our enemies. You are to follow Bob the Archer over there and help him by attacking from range. If your bags of rocks get low, collect more rocks as you get the chance. If someone gets too close, hit them with the bag of rocks. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Bleh~¡±


    ¡°Graaa~¡±


    Both of the new zombies let out a noise and then move to go hang out with Bob and Billy.


    With that taken care of, Bug orders the rest of them to guard the room and sets up an ambush at the entrance to the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a bath. Guard me from anything that enters this room. You, climb up there and drop down on anyone that enters when I tell you to. There, that should be good enough¡­¡±


    With that finally finished, Bug unequips all of her clothes and climbs into the spring. The water is cold, but clean and fresh. Already, just from sitting in it, Bug can feel the dirt, dust, sweat, and dried blood falling off of her body. Dunking her head under the water, Bug runs her fingers through her hair and scrubs everything out.


    ¡°Ahhhh, this already feels so much better~¡±


    <hr>


    Blessedly clean and smelling of soap and shampoo, Bug sits on a boulder next to the spring as she dries herself off with the nice fluffy towel that came with the self-care kit.


    ¡°Hah~ Feel so much better now. Why couldn¡¯t I have been born with this knowledge? Baths are so nice~¡±


    Putting the towel away once she is dry, Bug works on combing out her short head of hair, and then moves to brushing the fur that covers her arms and lower half.


    As she is brushing herself, Bug¡¯s ears perk up as she hears something. Someone is coming near.


    Crap, I got too caught up in my bath! Ahh, now that I am listening for them, these ones are walking much quieter than the others. I need to remember that not everyone is as loud and inexperienced as those on the first floor¡­


    Rushing to store all of her bathing and self-care stuff, Bug stops as the humans round the corner, their quiet conversation dying on their lips as they find a room full of corpses and nothing but a single three-armed Gremlin sitting on a boulder. The humans, four of them, all have their canteen out and were probably coming here to refill their water.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck happened here!?¡±


    ¡°Did some parties have a falling out or something and kill each other?¡±


    ¡°Why is there a Gremlin here? They aren¡¯t supposed to show up past the first floor, right?¡±


    As they throw around questions and look over the room from the entrance, Bug finds herself covering her chest with one arm. This surprises her a bit and she looks down at herself as she tries to figure this out.


    Why am I embarrassed to be seen naked by humans? Why should I care if they see my chest¡­? But, for some reason, it is¡­ I don¡¯t want them to see me naked¡­


    ¡°Seriously, why is there a Gremlin here? There are even some mixed in with the corpses¡­ Does it have three arms?¡±


    Having one of the humans staring at her leaves Bug blushing as she pulls her arm tighter to cover her chest.


    Ok, I definitely don¡¯t like getting looked at like this. Getting dressed now.


    With some quick mental orders to the System, Bug equips her clothing and gets dressed in a short flash of light that leaves the guy that was watching her startled.


    ¡°What the heck was that!? It¡¯s wearing clothes now? Hey Joel, stop worrying about the corpses, are you seeing this?¡±


    Bug, still blushing, finally speaks up. ¡°You humans really came here at a bad time. I was in the middle of cleaning myself. Do you mind leaving?


    I doubt they actually will, but this should at least set them off balance.


    ¡°Holy shit, it talks!¡±


    ¡°What the hell!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an, it. I¡¯m a girl¡­ And I am pretty sure that you humans have rules against walking in on women while they are taking a bath, right? At least I hope you do¡­¡±


    They seem taking aback by her comment and all turn to look to the one called Joel.


    ¡°Hey, Joel, what do we do about this? Do you think that this is the bounty that everyone¡¯s been talking about?¡±


    ¡°It seems to fit the description, but it was supposed to be on the first floor. I¡¯ve never heard of monsters switching floors before¡­¡±


    ¡°And what about all of these corpses¡­?


    Bug just watches them, flabbergasted from where she is sitting on her boulder.


    They just completely ignored my question! And they keep calling me an, it!


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m right here you know. I can hear you talking!¡±


    They shut up as they look back at her, the group looking back towards their leader, prompting him to take the lead.


    ¡°Hey Gremlin! Are you the one that killed Lady Raingarden¡¯s bodyguard? Answer me.¡±


    ¡°Ha? Who the heck is Lady Raingarden? And will you stop being so rude. You still haven¡¯t apologized for walking in on me naked yet!¡±


    ¡°You think we care about seeing some Gremlin naked? Don¡¯t be stupid. Now answer the question, was it you that killed that guy with poison?¡±


    ¡°Poison?¡±


    Behind Joel, one of the humans snickers and jokes to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know, she does have some nice tits on her. Maybe I would be willing to give her a try.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be gross, Chuck.¡±


    ¡°Hey, tits are tits¡­¡±


    Bug holds herself tighter as she hears this. OK, I¡¯m killing this Chuck first¡­


    Wanting to keep them distracted, Bug answers Joel. ¡°I did kill one guy with poison. Big fellow wearing armor and had a big sword. He was with some girl that could use water magic. Is that the one?¡±


    ¡°Holy shit, we found the bounty. Ten gold is ours!¡±


    ¡°Shut up damn it! Focus!¡± Joel snaps. His eyes go to the bodies littering the room before warily returning to Bug. ¡°Did you do this to? Did you kill all these people?¡±


    Need them to come a bit closer¡­


    Bug raises a hand to her chin and taps it a few times, pretending to think, ¡°Hmmm¡­. maybe? Before I answer, how about you answer some of my questions? You have been quite rude so far, so it is the least you can do, no?¡±


    ¡°What could a monster possibly want to know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked, though I¡¯m not a monster¡­ How about you tell me what is on the lower floors? I want to know what to expect.¡±


    Joel takes a step closer into the room and the others follow, ¡°Well, it is mostly Goblins for the first few floors until you reach the first boss. All of the floors on the first layer are basically the same. Now, if you aren¡¯t a monster, then what are you?¡±


    Bug gives him a big smile and puffs out her chest with pride, pointing to herself with three hands, she declares, ¡°I¡¯m a person, obviously!¡±


    The rude guy, Chuck, laughs at this, but is silenced by a look from Joel. Taking another careful step into the room and over the corpse of the mean girl, Joel gives Bug a smile back.


    ¡°Well, I can certainly say that this is the first time I have seen one of you claim to be a person. Though I have heard that you guys live to the east under the Demon Queen or something. Are you lost perhaps? You are far away from home, no?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡±


    So, he is aware that Gremlins really are a people, but yet he still hunts them in the Dungeon¡­ Starting to like humans less and less¡­


    ¡°Another question for you, Joel, what is the first boss like? Have you fought it?¡±


    They take another step closer, but Joel stumbles a bit at his name being used. Still, he doesn¡¯t drop the smile as he looks to Bug.


    ¡°Ah, yes, I have fought the first boss a couple of times already. It is a giant boar, almost as tall as I am. Now, it doesn¡¯t seem very fair that you know my name, but I don¡¯t know yours. What is it? If you are a person, then you must have a name, right?¡± He asks as he draws closer still.


    ¡°My name is Bug.¡± Bug says with a smile.

 Chapter 6.3- The Little Horror Has Awoken

    Chuck starts to laugh, but he stops as he gets a slap to the back of the head.


    ¡°Is something funny?¡± Bug asks with an angry look at Chuck.


    Joel looks a bit awkward as he stops mid step, thinking over his answer. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that, Bug is a¡­ it is a bit of a weird name. No?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ honestly? Ya. But I¡¯m not the one that picked it. It¡¯s just what I was born with, and I haven¡¯t honestly felt like changing it yet. Don¡¯t really know what I would even call myself, you know?¡±


    Chuck giggles in the back and whispers, ¡°How about Payday, hahaha.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that Payday is a good name. I definitely feel like Bug is better than that.¡±


    All of them looked shocked by this. How had she heard what he whispered from half a room away. Not to mention all the other weirdness before them. The corpses, her having three arms, the magically appearing clothes, the fact that she can talk and even has a name, but most of all, is the fact that Bug looks calm despite basically being cornered in this room.


    Joel moves to ask another question after taking one more step, but is stopped as Bug talks over him.


    ¡°That is close enough, humans. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t see that you are trying to box me in.¡±


    Joel nods his head to her and give a laugh, ¡°Haha, well yes. Quite the smart Gremlin, huh? You see, you have quite the bounty on your head. Ten gold if we can bring you back dead and prove that it is you. But you see, if we bring you back alive? The little Noble lady said she would double it. Said she wants to kill you herself for what you did.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm? Really? Twenty gold, is that a lot? I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t know how much your money is worth.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. That is a lot. Even split between the four of us, that is still enough money for us to live very comfortable lives and have a lot of fun for a couple of years.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that right? Hey, could you buy cookies using that gold?¡±


    ¡°Cookies?¡± Joel asks.


    One of the yet to be named guys pipes in and says, ¡°They are a snack that the Nobles and rich merchants eat. Supposed to taste pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, yes Bug, I¡¯m sure that we will be able to buy plenty of cookies. Maybe if you ask nicely enough, that Noble girl might even give you one before she kills you. Who knows?¡± He says with an eager smile.


    ¡°You think so!? Hmmm, but I don¡¯t think that dying is worth just one cookie. And besides, I currently have some of my own.¡± Bug tells him. With a wave of her hand, the box of cookies appears in her hands. Opening the lid reveals the still warm and fresh baked goods and their shining sugar crystals and squares of melty dark chocolates. The humans clearly react to the magically appearing box and are even stunned by the smell.


    ¡°How did you do tha-¡° Joel tries, but is interrupted by Bug, who speaks over him loudly, her chin raised and her face looking smug.


    ¡°I have to say! You have been much more cooperative with answering my questions than some people have. So far, I have had to kill everyone that I have met, because they were too stupid. But just for you Joel - and only for you- I will give this offer. Turn around and leave. I will let you live if you do.¡±


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t honestly think that I would do that, do you? Hahaha, and what about the others?¡±


    ¡°Well, those two I don¡¯t really care about, but Chuck over there is dead. I don¡¯t like how he was looking at my chest.¡±


    Chuck barks out a laugh and points at Bug, ¡°Ha! Well, ain¡¯t you just a cocky little bitch? I was just joking earlier, but I really am going to rape you now, you little shit! Might as well have some fun with you before we turn you over the Noble girl.¡±


    ¡°Chuck, seriously? What the hell is wrong with you? That thing is basically an animal.¡±


    ¡°Hey, ass is ass, and tits are tits dude. Besides, she has a cute enough face to get off to- Ehh¡­¡±


    Chucks words get cut short as an arrow pierces the side of his head. He drops dead, his weapon falling from his hands and a stupid pervy look stuck on his face as he hits the ground.


    The others stop in their tracks as they see him drop like a puppet with its strings cut.


    //Killed lvl 8 Human ¨C 40 exp gained!


    ¡°I really don¡¯t like stuff like that. The thought of him touching me is honestly revolting¡­ Oh, and Joel, I apologize. Earlier, you asked if it was me that killed all of these people, and I said maybe. The answer is yes. I killed everyone here, and soon, you guys will be joining them. But the offer for you still stands. If you run now, I swear, I¡¯ll let you go.¡± Bug tells him with the sweetest little smile.


    ¡°Bullshit! Flint, Faulton, find the archer! I¡¯ll handle the Gremlin! There is just the two of them, we can handle this! Even if we have to bring it back dead, that is still ten gold for the three of us to split!¡±


    Oh, their names are Flint and Faulton¡­Not like it matters.


    Still with a sweet and innocent look on her face, Bug asks, ¡°Hmm? Who ever said that there was only two of us?¡± Snapping her fingers, all the corpses in the room stand up and turn towards the humans. ¡°Also, my offer has just expired. You just lost your chance to leave with your life, human." She says as her face and tone grow cold. "Kill them.¡±


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Wha?¡±


    The room immediately descends into chaos as the zombies attack. The axe wielding zombie reaches Flint first and brings his axe down on him. Deflecting the blow to the side, Flint tries to strike him, but ends up getting tackled by another zombie and knocked to floor. As those two are tumbling around, Joel kicks away the zombie of the mean girl and then cuts a mob zombie in half. Faulton is meanwhile busily hiding behind his round shield as several zombies swarm him, pushing him off to the side and away from the others.


    Joel hears Flint scream as he goes down and rushes to his aid. With of swipe of his sword, he removes the head of the zombie that was pinning Flint down and trying to bite his face off. Bug watches on from her seat as the corpse continues to fight even after losing its head, honestly surprised that they can keep going even without a head.


    It isn¡¯t until Joel kicks it away that he can finally get his friend back up on his feet, but he isn¡¯t looking good. Because Flint isn¡¯t fully protected by armor, the zombie had managed to take a couple of bites out of his arms.


    ¡°That looks like it hurts! Careful that you don¡¯t bleed out, human!¡± Bug jeers from her perch on her boulder.


    They both turn to curse at her, but are stopped as more zombies attack them. Off to the side, Faulton has his back to the wall and is swinging his short sword at anything that he can hit from behind his shield. Every time he strikes with his sword, fingers, hands and even an arm, go flying, but the assault on him doesn¡¯t abate one bit even as the zombies start losing parts.


    Flint screams, ¡°We can¡¯t handle this! We¡¯re surrounded!¡±


    ¡°We need to get back to Faulton! Regroup!¡± Joel responds.


    They push against the crowd, sword and daggers hacking apart the zombies as they try to make their way to their ally.


    Flint lets out a grunt as a stone hits the back of his head, stumbling, he isn¡¯t fast enough to react as another zombie slips past Joel and bites into Flint¡¯s throat. Flint and the zombie both go down in a mess of limbs as Joel screams for his friend.


    ¡°Flint, no!¡±


    //Killed lvl 9 Human ¨C 45 exp gained!


    Kicking away the mean girl again, Joel looks over the room and sees that it is hopeless to keep fighting. He throws an angry look towards Bug, who is still comfortably sitting on her bolder, and then yells to his last friend.


    ¡°Faulton! We need to run! Push through however you can and run damn it!¡±


    Faulton calls back with a war cry as a response and noticeably redoubles his efforts to push past the swarming corpses. With another roar, he slams his shield into the zombies and makes an opening. Pushing though, some of them latch onto his shield, but he simply lets it go and runs for his life.


    Joel removes the head from another zombie before kicking aside a second. A small opening is made, and he risks it to push his way through. Hands find his armor and try to pull him back, but he desperately fights. Swinging his sword, hands get forcefully removed and the mean girl receives another kick to the chest.


    Ahead of him, at the entrance to the room, Faulton runs for his life and almost makes it out. He collapses to the ground as a zombie falls on top of him, having fallen from where it waited above the entrance in ambush.


    He goes down screaming and is quickly swarmed by a bunch of the mob zombies that were chasing him like a pack of rabid dogs.


    ¡°Faulton!¡± Joel screams, the anguish clear in his voice.


    Continuing to fight desperately, and fueled by despair, he finally manages to tear his way out of the hoard of zombies and runs for the exit. He wants to save Faulton, but the zombies are already on his tail. Looking to his friend, the only part of him that he can see is a single arm that is desperately waving for help as he screams over the sounds of tearing flesh and gnashing teeth.


    His friend isn¡¯t dead yet, but he cannot save him. So, he runs.


    ¡°Ahhh! Don¡¯t let him get away! Kill him, kill him!¡± Bug yells, bouncing on the spot excitedly and pointing, as he reaches the entrance.


    Just as Joel is about to make it out, an arrow hits him in the side, knocking the wind out of him. Looking to the corner of the room, he finds a zombie with a bow hiding behind a boulder.


    Catching himself just as he is about to trip, Joel keeps running and ducks as a second arrow is sent his way. He makes it out the door and runs. Behind him, he can hear as the little monster in clothing screams, ¡°After him! Kill him! Don¡¯t let him escape!¡±


    He runs and runs. A look over his shoulder is all he needs to see to know that he has a horde on his tail. The zombies run almost like rabid animals, with even some of them chasing him on all fours, screaming gurgles escaping their torn lips and through blood-stained teeth.


    Running, running, running. It is all he can do to keep moving as the adrenalin courses through his system and blocks everything else out. He needs to run, or he will be eaten. That is all there is to it. Just run! Just keeps running!


    One turn, followed by another. The stairs leading back up should be near, one more turn. Just keep running!


    Another turn and then he spots people. Up ahead, they are fighting a group of Goblins. Pushing himself as hard as he can, Joel pushes himself through ragged breaths. Even as his limbs grow heavy and the burning pain inside grows to be too much to ignore, he still keeps running.


    Up ahead, the fighting figures don¡¯t notice him until he is running right through the middle of the fight. From the look of it, it is a bunch of beginners, probably on one of their first trips to any floor lower than the first. Joel doesn¡¯t even have the words needed to give them a warning as he runs through.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°Hey, watch it you ass! What the hell!?¡±


    ¡°Grecko!? Gee fa kaaa!¡±


    ¡°Holy shit!!!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±


    Joel only turns for a moment to see as the zombies collide with both the adventures and the Goblins. It immediately turns into a melee as the zombies tear into both sides and turn the battlefield into a bloody mess.


    Joel keeps running. He can¡¯t help them; he can only hope that they will be able to hold them off long enough for him to get away. Throwing a silent apology and a prayer their way, he leaves them to their fate.


    Another turn, another, just a little bit further and then he finds it. The stairs! If he can just get up the stairs it will be a straight shot to the Dungeon¡¯s exit! He just has to make it up the stairs!


    The climb is long and hard. Joel¡¯s limbs all feel heavy, protesting with every step he takes, and it is getting hard to see through his cloudy vision. But he continues to move even as his heart beats heavily in his ears. Just keep climbing! Just keep moving!


    He trips over himself as his leg gives out under him. Reaching up, Joel wipes away the hot liquid dripping from his nose and finds blood. His hand is buzzing and feels like it has fallen asleep. Biting his glove, Joel removes it and is shocked as he finds his hand looking black and spider-webbed in green veins.


    Poison. That¡¯s right, that¡¯s how that guy died¡­ I need a doctor¡­ I need, I need to¡­ The antidotes!


    Moving as fast as he can, Joel throws off his pack and digs into it with his one good hand. Pulling out a vial of purple liquid, Joel pulls the cork out with his teeth and then downs the entire bottle. Coughing, he waits to see if it has taken affect, but the pain in his body refuses to go away. Pulling down his collar, Joel is shocked as he sees that the poison is still visibly spreading though his body, the green veins covering his flesh before it slowly starts to turn black and rot.


    How?! We got these antidotes to handle the poisons on the second layer. How can this poison from a Gremlin be this strong!?


    ¡°Cough! Hawk, ahhh¡­¡±


    Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Joel drops the empty vial and continues to pull himself up the stairs.


    A doctor, no, a healer, or a priest! If I can just get out of the Dungeon¡­ If I can just-


    One step after another, Joel continues to pull himself up the stairs. One step after another, until finally, he reaches the top.


    Breathing heavily and his vision fading, Joel reaches one last hand outward. With a wet cough, and a shake, he spits up a mouth full of blood dyed green and black. The last few beats of his heart ringing out in his ears as his final breath leaves his body.

 Chapter 6.4- The Little Horror Has Awoken

    //Killed lvl 9 Human ¨C 45 exp gained!


    The notification comes for the shield wielding human a short while after Joel escaped. Sitting on her boulder, Bug scowls angrily and looks over her remaining zombies. She had ordered most of them to chase after the fleeing human, but she had held back some from running off so that she wouldn¡¯t be alone. All that is left of her ragged horde is that mean girl zombie that keeps getting kicked around, four other human zombies ¨C two which are missing their heads -and Bob and Billy, the goblins, and a couple of mob zombies.


    The yet to be named axe zombie is among those that went running off and Bug is finding herself regretting that she sent him out as well.


    Maybe I should have gone with them? Hmm¡­ No. I don¡¯t want to sweat right after I just got out of the bath. And it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to go running through the halls when I have a bounty on my head. It would be bad if he led me into a bigger group of humans... Wait... I completely forgot to use Inflict Pain!


    ... I''m going to pretend that didn''t happen. I let him get away. Yes, that''s right...


    Bug shrugs. ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t matter. Right now, I just want to hurry up and get to the next floor. Raise Undead.¡±


    With three casts of the spell, Bug raises the new corpses in the room and looks them over.


    ¡®Lvl 8 Human Zombie. Control = Complete.¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 9 Human Zombie. Control = Complete.¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 9 Human Shield Zombie. Control = Complete.¡¯


    ¡°Oh? The guy with the shield has a class? Nice! Hey, reequip your shield. Your job is to stay in the front of the group and defend, ok?¡±


    ¡°Blah¡­¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Hopping off from the bolder, Bug waves for everyone to follow. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here while the others chase that guy down. I want to get out of here quickly."


    Leaving the room with her minions in tow, Bug heads down the hall and then picks a direction at random. Thankfully, because of her mini-map, it is impossible to get lost. But until Bug finds the stairs leading down, her only real option is to just aimlessly wander.


    As she is walking, she comes to a thought. ¡°Shit, I should have asked him which way leads to the stairs¡­ Well, that is my mistake¡­ Hmm?¡±


    //Killed lvl 5 Goblin ¨C 14 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 6 Goblin ¨C 16 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Human ¨C 20 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Human ¨C 25 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Human ¨C 25 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 6 Goblin ¨C 16 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Goblin ¨C 14 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Human ¨C 20 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Goblin ¨C 14 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 7 Human ¨C 35 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 11! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 4 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 2 Skill point


    ¡­


    Huh¡­ They must have run into some people. Let¡¯s see here¡­ Yup, I lost a couple more zombies. I wonder if that guy was one of the kills? Hmm¡­ no, he was Level 10. Must still be running. He got hit by one of the poison arrows though, so it is just a matter of time at this point.


    Throwing her free points into Endurance, Strength, and intelligence, Bug tries to stretch her arms as the pain from stat growth hits her. But she doesn¡¯t stop walking and simply checks over her stats.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C Little Bodily Horror


    Level ¨C 11


    EXP ¨C 181/400


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 114/114


    Stamina ¨C 45/45


    Mana ¨C 161/186 [Total = 210] [-24 From Control Upkeep]


    Vitality ¨C 19 [+1 From Equipment]


    Endurance ¨C 15


    Strength - 15


    Dexterity - 23


    Magic - 21


    Intelligence - 20


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    Continuing to work her way towards the stairs, Bug sends a command to the other zombies that were chasing the guy, and orders them to come back. Regretfully, the Raise Undead spell doesn¡¯t come with a way of tracking your Undead ¨C that comes with another spell later on ¨C and so Bug just has to hope that they will be able to find their way back to her before she finds the stairs.


    With that taken care of, Bug keeps on her way as she navigates the winding halls of the Dungeon.


    Hmm, I get two Skill points per Level-up now¡­ Should I spend them on something, or save my points?


    Thinking it over, Bug moves to walk behind her new shield zombie and then opens up her Skill Store to look at Spells costing two points.


    ¡®Make Bone Weapon. Arms, legs, spines? If you can hold it, you can make it a weapon! Swords, clubs, and whips, this spell will make anything into a proper killing tool. As long as you got corpses, you¡¯ve got weapons! 2 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Chilly Breath. Blow ice cold air towards your enemy and leave them with a deathly chill. The more power you put in, the colder it gets. Leave your enemies shaking in their boots! 2 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Spooky Shadow Armor. [Passive Spell] Cover yourself in spooky shadows that are bound to make you look scary. Warning, Spooky Shadow Armor is not actually armor and provides no defensive benefits. 2 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Grow Horns and Spikes. [Discounted] Be it for aesthetics or because you want to poke someone¡¯s eyes out. Horns and spikes can be a pretty cool addition. Go for those extra style points and grow something worth showing off! [2] 1 Skill Point¡¯


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡®Sharpen Teeth. [Discounted] Turn your teeth into some real chompers! For those who really want to be able to sink their teeth into somebody, but find that their current pearly whites just aren¡¯t cutting it. Can also be used to regrow lost/damaged teeth, heal cavities, and straighten crooked teeth! No more going to the dentist for you! [2] 1 Skill Point¡¯


    ¡®Grow Tentacles. [Discounted] Tentacles. Quite the useful appendage, and they can be used in so many ways. So many ways. How is up to you. [3] 2 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Grow Death Fungous. Compel the earth -or corpses- to grow mushrooms that are just oozing full of deadly poison. 2 Skill Points


    Warning: Death Fungus is quick to propagate, and the spores can be deadly to breath in. Highly flammable and explosive.


    Advisory: Do not use without having at minimum, Deadly Poison Resistance Lvl 1.¡¯


    ¡®See Death. Curse your enemy to see visions of their own death over and over again. Any time that they spend with their eyes unopened, shall be spent in torment. 2 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡°Well, still nothing too amazing. The only good ones are Sharpen Teeth, because it can heal my teeth, and Grow Death Fungous, because that sounds like fun¡­ The others all sound pretty useless honestly, besides Grow Tentacles, but¡­ Something feels really off about that one, like I¡¯ll be doing something dirty if I pick it¡­ ¡±


    Bone weapons would only be useful if Bug ran out of normal weapons to use first, and even then, a bone sword would not be any better than a steel one. Not unless she gets her hands on some really good bones.


    Growing some spikes and horns could be useful. Bug could probably headbutt someone if she had horns¡­ And besides, it is discounted because of her class, so it is only one point right now.


    Chilly Breath is just meh as an attack spell. It just makes people cold and slows them down while making it feel like death is touching you. Not something Bug needs right now.


    Spooky Shadow Armor is just the next level of Scary Shadow, the one-point passive spell that makes your shadow look scary¡­ It is purely just for aesthetics.


    And finally, See Death is just for torturing people whenever they close their eyes or try to sleep. It is a low-level curse and serves little purpose other than to just be a dick to people you don¡¯t like. And while the curse can technically last forever, just going to a church and praying is enough to remove it.


    Mulling over her options between the two spells, Bug looks past the shield zombie and smiles.


    ¡°Yes! I found the stairs! Ok, we are setting up here and waiting for the others to catch up. Let¡¯s give them¡­ fifteen minutes. Then we are setting off. Ok zombies?¡±


    ¡°Blar~¡±


    ¡°Bleh¡­¡±


    ¡°Rrr-¡°


    ¡°Good! Glad that all of you agree! Ok, set up around there and there and then play dead.¡±


    Maneuvering the braindead Yes-Men to their posts, Bug heads to the stairs and takes a seat on one of the steps to wait.


    ¡­


    //Killed lvl 6 Goblin ¨C 16 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Goblin ¨C 14 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Human ¨C 25 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 3 Goblin ¨C 10 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 10 Human ¨C 50 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Goblin ¨C 14 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 6 Human ¨C 30 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 3 Goblin ¨C 10 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 12! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 4 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 2 Skill point


    ¡­


    Sitting on the stairs, Bug watches as her notifications click by over the course of the fifteen minutes. A number of kills come ticking in as her zombies presumable run into people on their way to reach her.


    ¡°That Level 10 was probably the guy that ran off¡­ I wonder how far he made it before he died? Well, thanks for the experience. Fifty for just one guy is pretty great.¡±


    Distributing her free points, Bug purchases Sharpen Teeth, Grow Horns and Spikes, and then Grow Death Fungous. Bug could have gotten a three- or four-point spell instead, but decided to just get these three first. The levels are still coming in fast enough, so saving points isn¡¯t a worry yet.


    And Grow Tentacles is going to remain unpurchased for now¡­


    As Bug deals with the pains of stat growth and a headache from learning new spells, Bug sees a couple of figures shambling their way towards the stairs. Looking at them, Bug finds that it is the Axe Zombie and a couple of mob zombies that had managed to stick with him.


    Looking at her current mana drain, Bug counts everyone out and finds that everyone left is now accounted for. Out of all of the zombies that she had sent to chase that guy, it looks like only four made it back. And three of them were surprisingly mobs¡­


    ¡°Welcome back. Hmm, for managing so well so far, I shall name you¡­ Zax the Axe! Welcome back Zax!¡±


    ¡°Uhggg~¡±


    ¡°Yes, good job, good job! Now, come along everyone! I want to make some distance between us and the humans. As tempting as their experience is, I don¡¯t want to risk running into too many people coming for my bounty. Get to the stairs, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! Ah, not you three though. I have a job for you.¡±


    Stopping three of the mob zombies, Bug walks up to them and casts Grow Death Fungous. The deadly mushrooms immediately begin to sprout and cover the walking corpses until they are absolutely dressed in layers of hanging colorful fungus.


    The mushrooms themselves, are morbidly beautiful things that look like a rainbow in an oil spill, with drooping layers like a dress sown in all the colors of the rainbow. Interestingly, despite most certainly looking deadly and poisonous, the mushrooms themselves smell sweet and even the poisonous oils that drip off of them leave a scent of apples and cinnamon in their wake. Not that Bug knows what those smells are yet of course, but they certainly smell really nice.


    Nodding approvingly at her new creation, Bug orders her new walking Death Mushrooms. ¡°You, head that way, you go that way, and you get the last path. Keep walking until you find a Goblin, a human, or anything else that is alive, and then attack it. Go! Go my explosive and highly poisonous minions!¡±


    The walking mushroom immediately turn and go shambling along to follow their orders.


    With that done, Bug returns to the stairs where her zombies are waiting and then kneels down to the ground.


    ¡°Grow Death Fungous!¡±


    Pouring as much mana as she can into the ground and the walls, mushrooms begin to sprout everywhere they can as they fill the ground, the walls, and even start to grow hanging from the ceiling. Bug doesn¡¯t stop until her mana is almost empty and by the time she stops, the intersection leading into the stairs has turned into a veritable forest of massive deadly mushrooms. Many of the colorful specimens are taller than she is - about as tall as a full-grown man- and just from a look, most of them are already filled to bursting with spores just waiting to be spread.


    Taking out her mask, Bug secures it to her face and then quickly retreats further down the stairs.


    ¡°You, go up there and start kicking the mushrooms. Don¡¯t break them, just shake them around.¡±


    Following the order, one of her last few mob zombies heads back upstairs as Bug watches and disappears into the forest of mushrooms. A few moments later, the air upstairs is getting filled with colorful spores of all the colors of the rainbow. From far away, where it is safe, Bug has to admit that it is honestly a beautiful sight. Though she knows that she would be dead in a couple of hours if she breathed in any of that stuff.


    The spores would get into her lungs and start growing more mushrooms. Surprisingly, when that happens, the poison actually becomes a nonthreat to the host. It is just from the mushrooms clogging your lungs that kills you. The mushrooms actually make their host immune to the poison in order to try and keep them alive as long as possible. Which is horrifying¡­


    ¡°Alright, with this, no more humans should be able to make their way down through here for a while. I shouldn¡¯t have to worry about any of them following me further down. Now I just have to worry about the ones that are already in the lower levels¡­¡±


    Also, I am NOT using this spell again until I have the necessary resistances and ways to keep the spores from growing on or in my body. For now, it will be reserved for emergencies only!


    <hr>


    ¡°Just more of the same, huh¡­ I wonder if the Dungeon changes any after the first boss? I really hope it does. I¡¯m getting tired of just looking at cave walls and dirt¡­¡±


    Wandering through the Dungeon¡¯s third floor, Bug lets her mind wander as her zombies tear apart another pack of Goblins. The ones down here are a bit stronger than the second floor Goblins, but only by a level or two.


    Instead of focusing on the fight, Bug instead watches as more notifications continue to trinkle in from the couple of zombies that she had left up on the second floor. From the look of it, they had managed to run into some Goblins of their own and successfully detonated.


    The mushroom zombies were always intended to be suicide bombers, and now three of the four that she had left up there are already dead, but the kill notifications keep coming in. The fourth is probably the guy that she ordered to kick mushrooms¡­


    If it worked like she hoped it did, then the zombies should have blown up the mushrooms right in the middle of a group of Goblins. The Goblins then either got poisoned and die, or got infected by the mushroom. Those that die will naturally be raised as more mushroom covered zombies, and those that lived and got infected will probably end up running away to go find other goblins, or even humans, before eventually dying and spreading even more of the mushrooms.


    Regretfully, the new zombies that are raised by the Undeath Curse won¡¯t give Bug any experience when they kill stuff. They aren¡¯t her zombies, even if they were raised as a result of getting killed by her zombies. But the mushrooms? At least for a few days, even the newly grown ones will remain as hers and the System will continue to accredit their kills to Bug. Thankfully, the Basic System Knowledge Bug learned had taught her this bit of information, but it is weird that this was included while other bits of System related information were not.


    Devs really need to fix this stuff. Shouldn¡¯t be giving out half-baked Knowledge to new users¡­


    As her zombies finish up the fight with the Goblins, Bug gets a big hit of experience as some more kills come in from upstairs.


    ¡°Oh crap! Just got some humans, hahaha, nice! Wish that it would tell me what just happened: I just got five of them at once. What did they even do? Did they try to burn the mushrooms or something? Did some mushroom zombies attack them and explode? No way that they would be stupid enough to eat them, right? I hope not, that would just be disappointing¡­¡±


    As Bug thinks over the chaos that is probably unfolding on the second floor, she spends her free points and rides out the pain from Leveling-up yet again. It has hardly been two hours since entering the third floor, and she is already Leveling-up again.


    This is nice, I don¡¯t even have to lift a finger and I am getting stronger. And my muscles are looking so much more defined... I almost feel bad for the people that have to actually work out to get stronger. Hahaha.


    The pains from leveling-up finally fading, Bug raises the freshly killed Goblins and orders them to join the horde at the front with the others.


    Ten human zombies, three with classes. Six mob zombies surprisingly still remaining. And now eighteen Goblin zombies. If I keep pushing the numbers up, I should be able to kill just about anything with pure numbers. And as long as I keep increasing my Magic stat, I shouldn¡¯t have to worry about losing it all to the control upkeep.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s keep going. Forward my minions! Kill anything that tries to stop us!¡±


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C Little Bodily Horror


    Level ¨C 13


    EXP ¨C32/600


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 138/138


    Stamina ¨C 49/49


    Mana ¨C 198/216 [Total = 250] [-34 From Control Upkeep]


    Vitality ¨C 23 [+1 From Equipment]


    Endurance ¨C 17


    Strength - 19


    Dexterity - 25


    Magic - 25


    Intelligence - 24


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>

 Interlude 1

    Waiting in the parlor of the Adventurers Guild, Catherine Raingarden sits in a posh armchair as she drinks from freshly brewed cup of tea. This is her sixth cup today¡­


    Having waited all day, the urge to bounce her legs has increased alongside her impatience, but as a Noble lady, it would be improper to put on such a display. Especially when she is seated with the Guild Master.


    Considering the scale of the bounty that she has issued; it is important that she remain here and be the one to decide if the bounty has been properly completed.


    Originally, she had hoped that this matter would have been concluded before the morning was thru. The first floor of the Dungeon is hardly big by any sense of the word, and a single dedicated team of adventures could single handedly clear the floor in a couple of hours if they were so inclined to do so. In fact, the only reason why the first floor usually lasts for most of the day, is because everyone basically agrees that only the beginner adventures should be permitted to clear the floor.


    As a perfect training environment, it would be a waste if the more experienced adventures simply wiped out everything. And besides, there just isn¡¯t much money to be made on the first floor. Aside from the rarely spawning small mana crystals, Gremlin furs only sell for a couple of coppers at the best of times, maybe more near winter.


    But today, that should have been different. Today there was a bounty with enough gold placed on it for an adventure to almost retire on if they use it right. And it was all for a single Gremlin.


    And yet! And yet, with most of the day having already passed, the bounty has yet to be claimed! The little monster that had killed Lyose and Shane has yet to be brought before her!


    Several times now adventures have brought a Gremlin corpse before Catherin, smiles on their faces as they wring their hands in anticipation of the money they will receive, but each time they had been frauds.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°The Gremlin milady.¡±


    ¡°And what is it wearing?¡±


    ¡°Well, clothing¡­ just like the bounty said milady.¡± They would say with a smile.


    ¡°This thing is wearing rags. I wouldn¡¯t even keep potatoes in the sack that this thing is wearing, and you call those clothes? The one we fought wore clothing better than even what you lot are wearing! Do you expect me to believe that this is the one when you simply put rags on a corpse!?¡±


    ¡°Milady, we¡­¡±


    ¡°Out!¡±


    Several times more that day would corpses be brought forward, all with some ploy to try and win the bounty, but each time it was not the one.


    ¡°No, it had green eyes and light-brown fur. This one is far too dark, and the eyes are clearly blood-red.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°No, it was female, you fools! Does that thing between its legs look like a woman¡¯s part to you!? Can you not read? ¡­ Oh, you can¡¯t read¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°No, it had bigger breasts than this one. Yes, I am serious! Apparently, they do get bigger than that¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Does it look like this one can talk!? No? Then why the hell did you dolts think that bringing this thing back here alive would do you any good? It was a talking Gremlin, TALKING, as in it could use words! Get rid of this thing, and make it stop screaming¡­ No, don¡¯t kill it in here, you idiots!!!¡±


    ¡­


    Massaging her temples, Catherine takes another sip from her tea as Guild Master Alexander keeps her company.


    ¡°I apologies milady, that it is taking them so long to track down the creature. To think that it would be so difficult for them to locate. It must be quite skilled at stealth as to remain undetected for so long.¡±


    ¡°Yes, when it attacked, it was almost as if it had appeared out of nowhere. When I turned around, it was already there, and Shane had disappeared. I fear that he may have already been killed before we knew what had happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, it is quite concerning that such a thing would happen on the first floor. Are you certain that this wasn¡¯t some attempt on your life by a rival?¡±


    ¡°It is a possibility, but I find it highly unlikely. I am not in any real position of power within my family and assassinating me would serve little purpose. It is part of why my family was even willing to allow me to become an adventure¡­ And even then, why would someone send a Gremlin of all things to kill me, when any assassin could have just pretended to be an adventurer and made it look like a fight happened in the Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°True, it makes little sense. The only other possibility I can think of is that the Dungeon birthed a sapient monster, but that shouldn¡¯t have happened so close to the entrance, let alone on the first floor.¡±


    ¡°Wait, this has happened before?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t common knowledge, but on occasion, adventures delving into the depths of old enough Dungeons will sometimes speak of finding monsters that can talk and even use strategy in how they fight. Though all the stories always come from the much deeper floors.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, what are the chances that it moved to a lower floor already? Maybe that is why they haven¡¯t found it yet?¡±


    ¡°It is a possibility¡­ Normally, the monsters will never leave the floor they are born on, but it is possible that this rule doesn¡¯t apply to the sapient monsters¡­¡±


    Catherine stands, ¡°Then we should hurry and tell the others. Update the bounty and have then search the lower floors as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go update the bounty, I will have the word spread immediately milady. So long as it hasn¡¯t moved past the first boss yet, then it should still be easy enough to find. The first layer is a labyrinth, but the places it could hide are few. So long as it hasn¡¯t reached the second layer, they should still be able to find it. If you could accompany me downstairs, please.¡±


    Leaving the room, Catherine and the Guild Master head downstairs to the main hall and receptions. Calling a receptionist to the side, the Guild Master talks with the pretty woman as she fills out some papers.


    With Catherine helping to make sure that the Gremlin is properly described in more detail this time, they are all caught by surprised as a man comes bursting into the building hollering for help.


    ¡°Medic! Medic, please! Somebody!¡±


    Everyone turns with a start as they take in the man. His leather armor is looking ragged and dirty like he just crawled out of a fight for his life, and on his shoulder, he is holding the bloodied body of another man.


    The Guild Master runs over to them and looks over the both of them. Reaching out a hand to lift the face of the injured man, he reals back as he finds the injured man¡¯s face to be withered and necrotic, green veins having spread across his face.


    Catherine gasps as she sees this and points. ¡°The poison! That Gremlin did this? Didn¡¯t it!?¡±


    ¡°A Gremlin? No, no, it wasn¡¯t a Gremlin.¡± The man stammers out. ¡°I, it was a walking corpse! The thing cut through our party with a sword, it even ripped out Charly¡¯s throat with its teeth. I just barely managed to pull my brother away from it and run. It was right behind us until I led it past some Gremlins. Please, help my brother! He needs a doctor!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± The Guild Master looks taken aback as he hears this. With a hard voice, he speaks to the man. ¡°I need you to set him down, now! He is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°What? No, please! The doctors, please save my brother!¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to save! He is already dead! Now set him down, quick!¡±


    ¡°Dead? But, but he was still alive just a little while ago¡­ He was still talking¡­ He, he can¡¯t be dead. Not yet¡­¡±


    The man looks like he is about to cry as he starts to shake the corpse that he is holding. He begs for him to wake up as he falls to his knees with the body of his brother, but no matter how he begs, he cannot bring back the dead.


    ¡°Please brother, don¡¯t leave me! You have a wife at home to care for! What about your child!? Eh? Brother?¡±


    His brother moves. It is nothing more than a shift of the head, and the release of a breath. But everyone saw it happen. Some people become relieved; others resigned. Even if he is still alive, it won¡¯t matter if he is about to keel over anyways.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    But unlike everyone else, the Guild Master is calling for the man to back away. He doesn¡¯t listen.


    The man hugs his brother and cries. ¡°Don¡¯t worry brother, we¡¯ll get you to the doctor. Please, someone hurry! Please hurr- Ahhhhhhhhh!¡±


    His words get cut short as the man¡¯s brother sinks his teeth into his throat. They both go down in a tangle of limbs and bloody screams as everyone else looks on in horror. The only one to move is the Guild Master as he lunges forward and pulls the two apart.


    The walking corpse comes away from his brother with a mouthful of meat. The man left to writhe and cry on the floor as he bleeds out from the gaping wound where his throat used to be. Running through his flesh, green veins spread on his body from the wound as the surrounding skin rots and turns black.


    The Guild Master curses as he throws a single punch through the head of the walking corpse, blowing its head off with one strike. But even with its head destroyed, it continues to move as it takes a swipe at him with poison laced nails.


    The attack gets blocked by the Guild Master¡¯s arm guards and then he delivers a kick that folds the corpse in half and sends it flying into a wall. Something inside of it audibly breaks and the thing collapses to the floor, no longer moving.


    ¡°Wha, what was that thing?¡± Catherine shakingly asks as she looks at the crumpled, headless corpse.


    ¡°One of the Undead. They aren¡¯t supposed to be here. The nearest Dungeon with Undead is supposed to be months of travel away from here and is under guard by the Church. This shouldn¡¯t be happening.¡±


    On the ground, the wounded man gives his last breath as he dies. His head rolls to the side as the last sight of his clouded over eyes is Catherine, his hand still outstretched in a plea for aid. Still spreading from the wound is those green veins and the turning wave of his skin slowing rotting away, progressively turning the corpse into a black and shriveled thing leaking green fluids from every orifice.


    ¡°The poison. Just like with Lyose¡­ It did this. That little monster did this!¡± Catherine screams as she points at the corpses.


    ¡°It can make Undead... This isn¡¯t good. This isn¡¯t good at all. Everyone, this is an order! No one is to enter the Dungeon. I want the entrance cordoned off, now! On the double, move, move!¡±


    Everyone in the building starts to move in a hurry as the Guild Master barks out orders.


    Catherin moves forward to object, ¡°Wait, we can¡¯t close off the Dungeon! That thing is still in there! We need to go in and hunt it down! Please, Guild Master Alexander, we must ¨C Ahhhhh!¡±


    On the floor, the corpse of the man that had just had his throat ripped out gets up and lunges for Catherine, green drool dripping from his teeth as it goes for her legs.


    Before anyone else can move, a woman off to the side pulls Catherine back, throwing her into a waiting chair before unsheathing her sword and striking the zombie. The blade cuts through it with almost no resistance and splits its upper half diagonally. Another strike finishes it as it removes the head and most of one shoulder. The zombie collapse into a puddle of spilt guts and green-red fluids.


    Catching her breath from the fright, Catherine gets up and thanks the swordswoman before rushing to catch up with the Guild Master.


    ¡°Th, thank you very much!¡±


    The swordswoman simply returns a bow as Catherine runs out of the building.


    ¡°Guild Master Alexander, please wait!¡±


    ¡°I cannot! Get those barricades set up, now! I want that gate locked! No one goes in, and no one comes out without a full body check! Move!¡±


    As the gates are closed, Catherine runs up and begs. But he has no ear for her plight. Instead, he turns and addresses her with a hurried snap in his voice. ¡°Do you have any idea just how many adventures we have in there on just the first three floors alone!? There is easily over twenty teams down there right now, not even mentioning those that are delving into the deeper levels. If we are having an Undead outbreak, then everyone in that Dungeon is already as good as dead. I will not be sending any more of my people in there after your monster!¡±


    ¡°But it is the source of the Undead! It did this! If we can kill it, then we could put a stop to this!¡±


    ¡°There is no stopping this now¡­ It only takes one. Even if we kill your monster now, so long as a single one of these things gets out, we could lose the entire city in a single day. Hell, even the entire kingdom could be at risk!¡±


    ¡°But Guild Master, pleas-¡°


    ¡°No! The Adventures Guild has strict procedures for an outbreak. I will not hear another word on this Miss Raingarden. I am sorry, but your Bounty has just been increased in threat level.¡± Turning to address everyone present, he shouts, ¡°Under order of the Adventures Guild and my authority as Guild Master, this Dungeon is hereby closed and sealed. Only adventurers above the rank of Gold and specialized individuals shall be allowed access! Until we can get a proper clearing force here to clean the Dungeon completely, it is now closed!¡±


    Turning, The Guild Master talks past Catherine¡¯s shoulder, and she turns to see the Swordswoman that had killed the other zombie.


    ¡°Susan Eitheart, how long until the rest of your team returns from Castova?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, they should be back in a week or two, I think. I still have Fal and Jovus here with me though. We could probably go in and clear them out if you want?¡±


    ¡°But your healer is with the rest of your team, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡±


    ¡°Then I will have you wait for now. You all are strong, but without a proper healer, the risk would be far too much. I would rather that we wait for now and play it safe. It isn¡¯t worth risking losing you, or worse yet, having you fall and join the Undead.¡±


    Catherine looks between them and raises her hand, ¡°I¡¯m a healer! Please, let me go with them! I can help!¡±


    ¡°No. You are still just a novice healer, and we already know that your magic isn¡¯t strong enough to cure that poison. You will remain outside.¡±


    Susan gives her an apologetic looking smile and says, ¡°Sorry dear. But I don¡¯t want to be held responsible for you dying either. If you were a stronger healer, I might have been willing to risked it, but I¡¯m not going to be responsible for guarding a Noble girl while fighting hordes of the Undead. Sorry.¡±


    Dropping her head, Catherine tries to think of a way to get them to change their minds but is interrupted as some screaming comes from the entrance of the Dungeon. Beyond the gate, an adventurer comes running out of the Dungeon and is clutching his right arm. Behind him, he is being chased by a pack of Gremlin zombies that are running on all fours, howling like rabid animals as more poison drips from their open maws.


    Many of them are withered and rotted, their fur died green and laced with poisonous fluids as they chase after the man. He screams for help. ¡°Please, open the gate! Help me! Help me!¡±


    People rush to open the gate and let him through, but are stopped as a sword comes flying from within the depths of the Dungeon¡¯s entrance and impales him through the back.


    The wind gets knocked out of him as he trips and falls just short of the metal gate. Within moments, the pack of Gremlin zombies are on top of him and tearing him apart.


    The men that were unlocking the gate quickly resecure the chain and lock it tight as the man¡¯s last screams are lost under the noise of tearing flesh.


    From the darkness of the Dungeon, a figure shambles out and approaches the corpse. Reaching out with a black and withered hand, it grabs the sword and rips it out of the man¡¯s back.


    ¡°Uhhhhgeeee, heee¡ªlp, mmheeeeegh~¡± The zombie gurgles through green stained teeth and bloodied lips.


    Everyone is stunned as they look over the rotted man, their words caught in their throats at the sight standing before them.


    The Guild Master eventually speaks up and breaks the silence. ¡°Joel¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t Joel and his team leave earlier to try and face the second boss?¡±


    ¡°What is Joel doing here, he got killed too? How!?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good¡­¡±


    As everyone watches, Joel shambles forward and stops just short of the gate. The surrounding adventures all taking a cautious step back as they look at the rotted man, the smell emanating off of him forcing tears to some of their eyes as they hold their breath.


    ¡°Uhhhhgggeeee¡­. Heeee- lllllp. Greeeh¡­.¡± The zombie moans out as it clicks it head from side to side and peers out at the gathered adventures. Clacking its teeth together, it snaps it head around as it peers out at each of the gathered persons. Catherine faulters under the gaze of its fogged over eyes. Taking another step away from the walking corpse, her eyes move down its body until she finds a wooden shaft sticking out of its side.


    ¡°Huh!¡± Catherine gasps and points to the zombie¡¯s side.


    ¡°What is it, Catherine?¡± The Guild Master asks as he sadly looks over walking corpse of a man that he had high hopes for.


    ¡°That arrow. I recognize the fletching. It is one of Shane¡¯s arrows!¡±


    ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I personally bought them for him. I even helped him make his arrows. I could recognize them from anywhere. That little monster has Shane¡¯s bow!¡±


    ¡°Or, more likely, she has his corpse¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If your monster is the cause of this, then she most likely has your bodyguard following her as one of her zombies. For a Gremlin to be able to bring down Joel, a Silver ranked adventurer¡­ This is the worst kind of situation.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Joel and his team have already beaten the first boss a number of times and delved into the second layer. Today, when they left, they were planning on challenging the second boss. For the Gremlin to be able to defeat Joel and his team, it is safe to say that it is already around the strength of the creatures found on the third layer. Maybe stronger.¡±


    Catherine faulters, eventually working out a question. ¡°Guild Master, what are saying? You couldn¡¯t possibly mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°The first layer of the Dungeon has probably already fallen to the Gremlin. Everyone that was on the first five floors is most likely already dead and resurrected as one of its minions.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ It¡¯s only been a day¡­¡± Catherine whispers to herself in shock.


    ¡°I need messengers, now. Susan, send word to your team and tell them to hurry back. Someone, send word to the Church that we have a Necromancer in the Dungeon. Threat level is Black.¡±


    ¡­


    From the other side of the gate, the zombie Joel turns and returns to depths of the Dungeon, behind him he drags the corpse of the man as the Gremlin zombies follow like a pack of hounds. They disappear into the darkness, leaving only the smell of rot and the cold presence of Death in their wake.


    That day, no more adventurers made it out of the Dungeon.


    Twenty-four teams, operating from floors one through five, were marked as MIA, for a total of a hundred and six missing people. Other teams are still marked as exploring the lower floors, but their return is now highly doubtful. Even the team that was aiming to conquer the thirtieth floor is already late in making their return.


    With the day coming to a close, the grand doors of the Dungeon close, and those outside can only watch as their last hope for those inside is slowly sealed shut.


    <hr>


    ¡­


    -Bounty for the Necromancer Gremlin, of the Silest Dungeon-


    Highly Dangerous! Wanted Dead or Alive!


    -30 Gold Dead, 60 Alive-


    <ul>


    <li style="text-align: left">Female Gremlin with green eyes and light-brown fur and hair.</li>


    <li style="text-align: left">Has a large chest and wears form fitting leather armor with a cotton shirt and shorts in green and brown.</li>


    <li style="text-align: left">Is capable of human speech and can cast magic that forces the target to feel immense pain.</li>


    <li style="text-align: left">Know to wield a dagger and throwing knives, uses a deadly poison.</li>


    <li style="text-align: left">Can use Necromancy and is most likely accompanied by hordes of the Undead.</li>


    <li style="text-align: left">Last seen injured from a sword strike on her left arm.</li>


    <li style="text-align: left">Suspected to be anywhere from the first to the second layer.</li>


    </ul>


    -5 Gold Bonus-


    Retrieve the corpse of Shane, archer and bodyguard of Catherine Raingarden.


    ¡­


    <hr>


    Catherine clenches her fist as she pins her updated bounty to the jobs board. ¡°I don¡¯t care if I have to spend everything I have. I will see that little monster dead!¡±

 Chapter 7.1- Growing Pains

    It was some time into the night that the kill notifications finally stopped coming in. At one point, there was just a stream of human kills as the mushrooms probably had spread to cover the entirety of the second floor.


    By this point, Bug wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the mushrooms are already spreading into the first and third floors. Thankfully, Bug has already put the third floor behind her and is now on the fourth. For now, with the Dungeon now closed, Bug is relaxing on her bed in a hidey-hole.


    With an army of zombies guarding the hall just outside, and most of everything in the area probably long dead, Bug has a couple of hours to sleep before the Dungeon reopens in the morning.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C Little Bodily Horror


    Level ¨C 17


    EXP ¨C32/1000


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 186/186


    Stamina ¨C 63/63


    Mana ¨C 263/263 [Total = 320] [-57 From Control Upkeep]


    Vitality ¨C 31 [+1 From Equipment]


    Endurance ¨C 21


    Strength - 25


    Dexterity - 32


    Magic - 32


    Intelligence - 32


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    With several level-ups comes plenty of Skill Points to spend, and because of how quickly the levels had been coming in over the course of just a couple of hours, Bug had left them to sit until the end of the day. Now, sitting on ten points to spend, and getting to relax in bed, Bug finally takes the time to look over some options and decide on how to spend her points.


    With ten points available, Bug could get one of the two requirements for unlocking Secondary Casting, with the Skill, Master Caster, and the Knowledge, How to Fully Utilize Secondary Elements. But, with both costing ten points, she would only be able to get one for now and wouldn¡¯t be able to use them until after saving up for the second, and then on top of that, buy the new spells that would be made available for use.


    So, for now, it is still best to only be using Death Infused magics. Not that they are lacking in power any. Bug only has to look to her two Death infused Nature spells and how dangerous they are. Without the Death infusion, her Nature magic would just let Bug grow flowers and stuff, which admittedly would be nice, but isn¡¯t exactly what she is looking for¡­


    So, Bug starts by looking through some of the most interesting options and finds a few that could be useful.


    ¡®Crush Heart. Use magic to crush your enemy¡¯s heart. For most things, this tends to cause Death. Chance of success increases or decreases massively with Level difference between caster and target and range from target. Most effective when in physical contact.10 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Remove Bones. Pull the bones right out of your enemy! Also good for processing corpses when you want to make Skeletons. Chance of success increases or decreases massively with Level difference between caster and target. Can only be used with physical contact. 10 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Wound Memory. Wind back time and reopen your enemy¡¯s wounds. The body may have healed, but the soul remembers, and time never forgets. Chance of success increases or decreases massively with Level difference between caster and target and range from target. Most effective when in physical contact. 10 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Shadow Step. Everything the Darkness touches is your Kingdom. So long as you are in the shadows, you can move instantaneously to nearby shadows in line-of-sight. Range effects mana cost exponentially. Requires the spell ¡®Shade Form¡¯ to use. 7 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Shade Form. Temporarily cast aside your physical form and become a Shade. As a ghost of the Darkness Element, you will be immune to physical attacks and most magics, but beware the light, for it will become your demise. 7 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Winter¡¯s Death Aura. [Passive] Your body now radiates a chilling Deathly Aura that damages all living things around you and will freeze everything. With this Aura, all Undead will remain nonhostile towards you. Anything that dies while under your Aura will be raised as a Hoarfrost Undead. 7 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®War Crime. Release waves of deadly poisonous gasses that do a mix of horrific things to any living thing that touches, breaths in, tastes, smells, or even so much as stands near the gas for too long. Even looking at it for too long is a bad idea, and if you listen closely, you can even hear screaming voices coming from within the gas, begging for help. Safest distance from the gas is to be in another country! Anything that is killed by the gas will be raised as Caustic Undead and further spread the gas. All land that the gas touches will become barren and dead. Even after the gas has faded, anything that dies on this land will be raised as more Undead. Lastly, the gas has a tendency to move of its own accord, approaching living things even when the wind should be blowing it away. Run, don¡¯t walk! 10 Skill Points


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Advisory: Do not use unless you have the Skill, Complete Deathly Poisons Immunity.


    Warning: As a Country Killer class spell, use of this spell comes with the risk of angering Higher Authorities. Proceed at own risk.¡¯


    ¡®Soul Corruption. [Ritual] Perform a ritual spell that turns a target into a Higher Undead. Option of Whight and Banshee. Ritual must be performed on a living target. Chance of success increases or decreases massively with Level difference between caster and target. List of ingredients for the ritual is included as Knowledge with the spell. All ritual ingredients can be purchased in the Points Store. 8 Skill Points


    Warning: Unlike with the creation of normal Undead, the creation of Higher Undead involves the corruption of a living soul. A soul that is changed in this way will forever be locked out of the cycle of rebirth and be chained to this world until the day that it is destroyed.¡¯


    ¡®Enhance Undead. Are your Undead just not pulling their weight anymore? Then enhance them! Increase their level, add modifiers like cold and poison, and even modify the form of your loyal Undead using your Body spells. 5 Skill Points


    Note: Use of Body spells will require corpses or other Undead as resources.¡¯


    ¡®Body Modification. [Discounted] Enables the user to modify the general shape of their own body. Grow big, become smaller. It is all a matter of scale. From being as small as a Pixey, to growing to the heights of even the Giants, your size is now your decision. [10] 9 Skill Points


    Advisory: Stats effect individuals differently based on size. An average sized human will not be as strong as a Giant with the same physical stats. Opposite of this is the magical stats, which become more effective at smaller sizes.¡¯


    ¡®Grow Wings. [Discounted] Do you want to fly? The answer is obviously yes, and you know it. This spell is an expansion of the Grow Limbs spell and does exactly what the name says. Bird, bat, dragon, pixey, weird hand-fleshy wings¡­whatever you want. Hell, you can even make yourself like a flying squirl if you want. It¡¯s your body, go nuts! [4] 3 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Grow Tails. [Discounted] Tails aren¡¯t for everyone, but they do have their uses. Maybe you just need the extra balance. Maybe you want something prehensile that can grab stuff. Maybe you just think tails are cute and want to give yourself something fluffy or scaley to wave around. We don¡¯t judge, and it is your body. You do you! [4] 3 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Grow Armor. [Discounted] Why bother wearing armor when you can just grow your own? Scales, bone plate, a turtle shell, enhanced fur, the list goes on when it comes to biological armor. It is time to grow your own protection. Just be careful. Everything has a tendency of returning to crab¡­ [3] 2 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡­


    ¡°Weird. Don¡¯t know why all of the Body spells always have to be so weirdly written. I feel like whoever wrote them got a bit too excited¡­¡±


    Going over the spells, these are the ones that seamed the best and most useful out of everything that Bug could afford. There were lots of other options, but largely speaking, they just weren¡¯t as strong, were weaker versions of these ones, or were just plain weird¡­


    For instance, some of the Body spells that Bug found where closer in vein to the Grow Tentacles spell and seemed to all be catered towards a specific audience. Bug dismissed all of those options and swore to never give them a second look.


    Some of the Devs are weirdos, I¡¯ll punch them if I get the chance¡­ I mean, the description on some of those spells! Why would someone even want a vibrating¡­ Ehh, moving on¡­


    Setting that stuff aside for now, Bug focuses on her list of options and goes over some of the really dangerous stuff. Crush Heart, Remove Bones, Wound Memory. These all look like very dangerous spells, but the restrictions of level differences and range make them less tempting. Despite having done plenty of close quarters fighting, Bug much prefers to stay back and be safe right now.


    Thus, the reason for the horde of zombies that is about fifty members strong already, even if the vast majority of them is just a bunch of Goblins.


    Still, being able to crush somebody¡¯s heart is very tempting. But is it tempting enough to spend ten points?


    As for War Crime? Bug is tempted. She is very tempted. With that, she could head back up to the entrance and then just release Death into the city as she sits back and watches the experience roll in. An entire country of humans must be worth a lot of Levels-ups.


    But there is that warning again about the Higher Authority¡­ Not to mention that Bug can¡¯t really guarantee that she won¡¯t die just from casting War Crime. It is a fun idea, but it just isn¡¯t worth it, yet¡­


    Winter¡¯s Death Aura is just a stronger version of the Death Aura spell and would help keep her from getting mauled by wild zombies. Not really a priority just yet, but maybe in the future.


    Shadow Step just sounds like fun, but sadly, she would have to get the Shade Form spell first, and she can¡¯t afford to buy both just yet.


    ¡°Soul Corruption could be nice. Make myself a Whight or a Banshee. The only problem is that I would need a strong host to turn, but yet they also can¡¯t be stronger than me, or else the ritual will fail, or they will turn on me¡­¡±


    Bug completely discards the warning on the spell¡¯s description. Why should she care what happens to her enemy¡¯s soul?


    Moving on, Enhance Undead is very nice. With it, Bug could hand craft her very own Undead. Plus, it uses her Body spells, which she is currently able to get at a discount because of her Class. Which naturally draws her attention to the Body spells that Bug had picked out.


    Body Modification is cool. With that, she could finally make herself taller. Bug doesn¡¯t particularly care very much about her physical appearance, but she doesn¡¯t like it how everyone she has ever met so far keeps calling her little. Even the System keeps mentioning it¡­


    But if Bug could make herself taller, then they can¡¯t call her little anymore. Plus, being taller would make her stronger, but that is just a bonus¡­


    The only problem is that the spell cost eight points, even after the discount. But, on the other hand, it is also one of the required spells for eventually learning the Shape Self spell, which is basically all the body modification spells wrapped in one, plus becoming virtually immortal. Which is very, very, VERY, tempting.


    And finally, there is of course the last few Body spells. Wings are tempting because flying sounds like fun. But the only problem is that Bug is currently living underground, and the halls of the Dungeon don¡¯t exactly give very much room for flying around. The tail spell could be useful so Bug could modify her tail. Right now, it honestly doesn¡¯t do much. Often times she even completely forgets that she even has a tail.


    I think that mine helps with balance, right? Besides moving it side to side, I can¡¯t really do anything with it. Hmm, not a priority for now. If anything, the armor spell sounds better. Could give myself some extra protection¡­


    ¡­


    Starting to feel sleepy from lying in bed and spending her time reading, Bug decides to finish up and pick something so she can get to sleep. Giving everything one last look over, she finally settles on Enhance Undead, Grow Armor, and Grow Wings.


    Wings are way too tempting. I¡¯ve never seen a bird or a bat before, but I already know that I am jealous that they get to fly, and I don¡¯t. Anyways, I¡¯ll play with my new spells in the morning.


    Time to sleep¡­

 Chapter 7.2- Growing Pains

    Waking up feeling relaxed and cozy, Bug pulls herself out of her sleeping roll and does some stretches to help wake her body up. Pushing her muscles to go as far as they can stretch, Bug marvels at how much more flexible she is now compared to the last couple of days.


    Probably from increasing my Dexterity so much¡­


    Something pops as Bug pulls on her shoulders, and she can¡¯t help but to let out some happy noises. ¡°Mmmmmm, feels good~¡±


    Pushing her legs to be spread apart as far as they will go, Bug holds the position until it burns and then slowly lets up as she lets the burn fade. Pushing it again, she finally manages to push her legs to the point that she is sitting flat on the ground with her legs pointing in opposite directions.


    //Congratulations! You have earned a Skill!


    //Flexibility lvl1 unlocked!


    ¡°Yes! Finally got that one. Hmm, definitely feels like this just got easier. I should try and find some more Skills that I can practice in my down time¡­¡±


    Working out some last few stretches, Bug pulls herself up, gathers her stuff, and then leaves her hidey-hole, ready to start the day.


    Giving a smell of the hallway, Bug can¡¯t help but grimace as she looks over her hoard of zombies. ¡°Uhg, some of you guys are really starting to smell bad¡­ Maybe we should fix that today as well? Well, first, I want to find the stairs leading down, then we can find a safe spot to do stuff. Alright! Get marching! Goblins in the front and back, Humans in the middle, mobs¡­ just mix in with the Goblins I guess¡­¡±


    Honestly, I am surprised that I still have any of them left. Well, except for Billy the Retriever. But his job is just to protect Bob the Archer and retrieve arrows after a fight is over. So, it makes sense for him to still be around¡­


    With a horde of zombies marching through the halls, Bug maps out the floor as she looks into every room they pass.


    Usually, Bug would be collecting and selling trash as she travels, but here on the fourth floor, there is notably much less trash to be found.


    Probably means there are less humans this far down. That¡¯s good, but it also means less chances to earn some good experience¡­ Not sure how I should feel about that.


    Pushing aside that concern, Bug looks into another room as her hoard passes and gives it a quick check. Just like the last few rooms, this one is filled with birthing pods that should be hatching soon.


    ¡°You four, go into that room and wait. When the pods open up, start killing as many of them as you can.¡±


    This is the fifth birthing room that Bug has left zombies in on this floor so far, and here soon she is expecting quite a bit of experience to come rolling in. The mushrooms on the above floors are still considered hers for maybe a day or two more, and as soon as the new monsters get born, they are going to be getting infected and poisoned. As for the first and third floors, Bug has no idea if the mushrooms have spread that far yet, but it would be nice to get even more experience from them as well.


    Now, the only issue with doing this on the fourth floor is that her zombies are going to end up making more zombies here on the fourth floor, so Bug will have to be careful about wild Undead later.


    Or, she would, but she isn¡¯t planning on staying on this floor for very long.


    ¡°I want to fight the boss! Or, well, have my zombies kill the boss¡­ Doesn¡¯t matter, I guess. Just gotta find the stairs¡­ Any ideas Bob?¡±


    ¡°Mehuu~¡±


    ¡°Hmm, hmm, right¡­ I really need to get someone to talk to¡­ Maybe the boss talks? Hmm, probably not. And with the Kill on Sight order, I doubt it would want to talk with me for very long anyways¡­ Ooh! A mana crystal! Nice!¡±


    Running over, Bug snatches it up and stores it with the rest. Her collection has been slowly increasing, and one of the bags from a human she killed even had some stored in it, so Bug is quite happy about her growing collection of beautiful rocks, happiness filling her every time she sees the little number in the corner of their inventory slot tick up by one.


    ¡­


    Continuing her wandering, Bug watches the clock. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too much longer until the pods hatch¡­¡±


    A few turns later, Bug find another room with a large spring of fresh water. Filling the room is easily about twenty pods or so.


    I¡¯ll come back here after I find the stairs, then I can play around with my new spells.


    Placing a marker on her map for the room, Bug redoubles her search for the stairs.


    Thankfully, it is just a few turns away. Pumping her fist and feeling proud, Bug takes a look down the stairs really quick and notices a couple of things. One, there is a safe room about halfway down, just like all the other floors had. And secondly, at the bottom of the stairs, where it would usually just open up to the next floor, is instead a large set of ornate stone doors with depictions of boars carved into their surface. Above the double doors is a large, green glowing stone.


    No idea if there is anyone resting in the safe room or not. Don¡¯t think I hear anyone in there. Well, I¡¯ll just check it out later, on my way down.


    Placing a marker for the stairs on her map, Bug gathers her horde and makes her way back towards the room with the spring.


    ¡­


    Walking into the room, Bug spreads out her zombies until they are all surrounding the birthing pods. Looking one over, the pods definitely look like they are close to bursting.


    It thankfully only takes a few moments longer before the first ones start to open and their contents are released onto the cold stone and dirt floor of the Dungeon.


    From elsewhere in the Dungeon, Goblins and even the other scavenger mobs like the Jellies, and the big rats and spiders that Bug occasionally finds, start coming in as Kill Notifications.


    ¡°Kill them.¡± Bug orders with a dismissive wave of a hand. Turning away, Bug heads over to the spring and sits down to soak her feet in the nice cool water.


    Following her command, the zombies start to slaughter the helpless Goblins that are still soaked in amniotic fluid and have only just started to crawl towards their parent plants to fill their stomachs.


    They all quickly succumb under the violence, barely having lived a few moments past their first breaths. All the while, Bug simply relaxes as the violence unfolds behind her.


    Looking over her notification, Bug is both excited and cringing as she watches all the numbers go flying by faster and faster.


    ¡°It¡¯s great that I am getting experience so quickly, but it honestly feels like I am cheating¡­ Oh, well. It is what it is. I¡¯m just going to take the free levels and not complain.¡±


    Issuing out a silent command, Bug has her zombies grab all of the corpses and drag them out of the room, being very careful to not get any of them in the spring''s water. While yes, the Dungeon would just clean the water again even if a corpse or two fell in, Bug doesn¡¯t like the idea of using a spring that had corpse juices in it. It¡¯s just nasty¡­


    Standing up and leading the zombies out, Bug directs them to another room nearby and gives them an order.


    ¡°Strip the corpses of their flesh. Don¡¯t damage the bones.¡±


    The zombies set themselves to this gruesome task, ripping flesh and muscle from bones, before casting them aside and littering the floor with scraps and fistfuls of bloodied meat. Bug has to hold back a gag as she watches, the tearing of flesh and the spilling of bowels definitely not making for a very appetizing show.


    It takes a while, but with the whole horde working on it, Bug eventually has a collection of Goblin skeletons lying about the room.


    One starts to get up, the curse already doing its work, so Bug uses Turn Undead on it before it has a chance to do anything. The others, she quickly casts Turn Undead on as well as soon as they start to move. The ones that don¡¯t raise on their own, Bug casts Raise Undead on, adding them to her ranks. It is cheaper mana wise to wait for them to raise on their own, as turning them is much cheaper.


    ¡®Lvl 6 Goblin Skeleton. Control = Complete.¡¯


    ¡­


    With twenty-one new units added to her little army, Bug gives an order to her original zombies. ¡°Those of you that have clothing, armor, weapons, or anything else like that, take it off and place it by the wall over there for now.¡±


    It takes a while for the zombies to follow through, and Bug has to help a few of them with removing their armor, but eventually, all of her human zombies are stripped down to their nude rotting flesh.


    ¡°Eww¡­ Death really doesn¡¯t do you guys any favors¡­ And this one is getting all bloated¡­ Yuk! Alright! Stand over there and tear your meat off until you are nothing but bones. Skeletons, help them out.¡±


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


    The following display is somehow even worse to watch for Bug, but thankfully the process passes quickly, as most of the zombies already had their meat practically falling off the bones.


    About thirty some zombies turned skeletons later, Bug now has a little over fifty skeletons standing around in a room littered with rotting meat all over the floor.


    There are another twenty zombies scattered around the fourth floor of the Dungeon, still busily killing everything being born and probably making more zombies, but Bug isn¡¯t counting them as part of her army right now. In fact, they will probably be left behind to continue roaming the fourth floor until they are no longer useful or get themselves destroyed.


    ¡°Uhhg, it smells horrible in here now. You idiots punctured some of the intestines, didn¡¯t you? Yuck... Ok zomb- skeletons, grabs your stuff and follow me. We can get you redressed in the other room. Once I am done with the spring, I¡¯ll have you guys wash yourselves¡­


    Leading the horde of blood-soaked skeletons back to the spring, Bug notes that they are much quieter now that they don¡¯t have throats for making gurgling noises. As corpses, even though they don¡¯t breathe, the zombies would keep getting air and other gasses in them, and then they would make noises as the wind escaped them. This also resulted in a lot of burps and farts, which Bug is thankful that she won¡¯t have to smell anymore¡­


    Back in the much cleaner room with the freshwater spring, Bug notes that the Dungeon is already busily absorbing the blood stains and the plant pods. After quickly getting the skeletons spread out and ready for an ambush, Bug helps the few skeletons that need it with getting their clothing and armor back on.


    A few of the skeletons are still missing an arm, or a hand here and there, with even two of them still missing their heads.


    Bug will fix that later.


    With the skeletons taken care of for now, and the ambush for any bath peepers set, Bug stores her outfit and then climbs into the spring.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­ Feels nice~¡±


    Giving herself a quick wash, but not using any soap or anything yet, Bug gets herself feeling good and relaxed. Once she is feeling ready, Bug gets to work on using the first spell.


    ¡°Grow Limbs.¡±


    Bug has been living with only three arms for long enough now, and she is now certain that she wouldn¡¯t mind having a fourth. Gritting her teeth and grabbing the bank of the spring in a death grip, Bug screams as a new right arm is born on her side.


    //Congratulation! You leveled-up a Skill!


    //Pain Tolerance Lvl 1 is now Lvl 2!


    So thankful that I got this Skill last time with my first new arm. It only helps a little bit with the pain, but any amount of reduced pain is good.


    The process continue until the arm is fully grown and Bug is left with four arms. Two right, two left, one just above the other and perfectly mirrored.


    ¡°Haaaaah, finally.¡± Bug lets out a sigh of relief as the pain fades and feeling slowly comes to the arm. Which is shortly followed by the buzzing.


    ¡°Ahhh! Buzzy, buzzy! Ahhhh! Stop, stop buzzing. Ehhhu~¡±


    ¡­


    Resting for a bit in the spring, Bug watches as the Dungeon absorbs her blood from the springs water. The red color slowly fading away until the pool is left perfectly clear again.


    Off in the corner of her vision, the kill notifications continue to come in and Bug gets yet another Level-up.


    ¡°Really feels like I am cheating. But I guess Death magic is just that strong. I definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to do this with fire or ice magic¡­¡±


    Watching the notification tick by for a bit, Bug finally moves on to the next spell. ¡°Grow Horns and Spikes.¡±


    Looking at her reflection and pulling up her build window that shows an up-to-date image of her body, Bug pushes the spell to grow horns from her temples that arch forward, up, and then back over her head with a set of small spikes growing upward from the horns. By the end, the horns look almost like a black crown resting atop her head.


    Looking herself over from a few different angles, Bug nods as she is satisfied with her new horn. They are good enough that if she wanted to, she could headbutt somebody, and they can even take a blow or two in place of her skull. Aesthetics plus defense, all in one.


    With the spell still going, Bug directs it to the elbows of her four arms and grows some short spikes out and then some spikes on the tops of her knees as well. The spikes themselves aren¡¯t sharp or anything, nor are they long, but they are just there in case Bug needs to elbow or knee somebody. If she needs to, she can always use the spell again, and turn them into actual weapons. And finally, she finishes the spell by growing a line of nubby spikes down her spine.


    A good part of the spell is that, while she can¡¯t undo growing the horns and spikes, Bug is more than free to modify them as she pleases. So, in a moment¡¯s notice, Bug could have four perfectly good stabbing implements on her arms, spikes growing out of her knees, grow out the spikes on her horns and stab somebody in the face that way, or even grow the spikes on her backs into dangerous things for stabbing anybody that is holding her from behind.


    But, when they are not needed, Bug doesn¡¯t want to have a bunch of spikes everywhere getting in the way, so for now, they are all just little, hardly noticeable, nubs.


    Ending the spell, Bug dunks herself under the water and washes off all the fresh blood from her new changes. Her head alone already has a bunch of blood on it from growing horns.


    ¡°Ok, next one... Grow Armor.¡±


    Directing the spell, Bug watches as all the fur and hair falls of from her body in clumps and gets washed away by the spring. Before she knows it, she is well and truly naked for the first time in her life. A wave of embarrassment passes over her as she sees her body in a new way for the first time, but thankfully, the spell is quick to move on to the next part, following her wishes.


    Starting at her hips, just below the navel and over her core, green and black scales start to grow in and spread up and down her body. Moving down her legs, the scales make it about halfway down her thighs before transitioning to newly growing fur. The new fur grows in with varying shades of grey and blacks, leaving striped patterns flowing down her legs and to her rat-like feet, which now have a layer of scales protecting them.


    Elsewhere, the green and black scales work their way up Bug¡¯s sides, her rear, and then her back in a strip that runs along her spine and then up to her four shoulders. From there, the scales run down her shoulders and to her forearms until transitioning back to more grey and black fur that terminates just before her hands, switching back into scales and covering the backs of her hands before meeting up with the base of her claws.


    Moving from the shoulders, the scales grow to cover Bug¡¯s collar, the topmost portion of her breasts, and then move up her neck, stopping at her chin, along her jawline, and just under her big currently not fluffy ears.


    Finally, the spell moves to her head and Bug¡¯s hair grows back out, along with the fur on her ears and the fluff that fills them.


    It all comes in as black with her hair ending in light grey highlights, to match the striped pattern that now runs through her new fur and scales. Her hair stops growing just as it reaches her shoulders.


    ¡°Uhhhg, that felt weird¡­ At least it didn¡¯t hurt any, so that is good. Still, gotta take a break before the last one.


    After relaxing for a bit, Bug stands up in the water and looks down at her reflection. Marveling at the green of her scales and how they reflect the light of the glowing mushrooms. Unfortunately, Bug wasn¡¯t able to pick the colors for her scales and fur. Apparently, the scales are influenced by her magics, and because of her heavy use of Nature and Death, her scales came out as green and black. They might change if Bug starts using other magics like Ice and Soul, but Darkness and Time would just add more black and even some purple to her scales.


    Regardless, Bug likes them and thinks they are pretty. And that is all that matters.


    As for her new fur and hair. The color is similarly locked to greys and blacks, but for different reasons that Bug doesn¡¯t fully understand. Something about carbon structures or whatever. The spell doesn¡¯t really teach her anything about it.


    Regardless, Bug''s new hair and fur are much more resistant to cutting and tearing. And honestly, Bug never really cared about her old colors, so the change doesn¡¯t really matter much to her.


    The striped pattern is cool though. I like that.


    Finally, looking down at her reflection, Bug blushes as she sees the in-between of her thighs. With the top half of her thighs and her hips covered in scales instead of fur now, like it used to be, her crotch is now much more easily noticed. It used to be that everything was hidden behind a layer of thick fluffy fur, but now it is all on display. Even her rear is only covered by a layer of smooth scales now and leaves nothing to the imagination.


    Looking up her body, Bug notes that she had left her stomach and chest without a covering of scales, and that only the top half of her breasts ¨C over her heart ¨C is covered in scales. The rest of her torso is simply still exposed and naked.


    I wonder why it is that I stopped myself from covering my entire body? I even left my face exposed¡­ I, I guess that I just don¡¯t want to change too much? I was born with nothing covering my torso, so maybe that would be changing too much? Anyways, it does look¡­ Good? I think? I don¡¯t know, some part of me likes it like this¡­ At least I covered my vitals, that is all that matters.


    ¡­


    ¡°And besides, I wear underwear and clothing like a normal person. It¡¯s not like I am planning to run around naked or show myself off. I¡¯m good like this, and at least now my fur won¡¯t get in the way when I have to use the restroom¡­ Wait, what the heck is a restroom, and why do I know that word? Hah, weird System and its half-baked Knowledge, I swear¡­¡±


    ¡°Haaaaaaah¡­..¡± Letting out a long sigh and plopping back into the water, Bug waits and rests as her mana slowly refills. There is still Death present in this room from when she had her zombies slaughter the Goblins, but it is slowly fading as her core drinks it all in. It also doesn¡¯t help that the Dungeon is absorbing it to, but she can¡¯t really stop that from happening.


    Still, until the presence of all the Death mana goes away, Bug¡¯s mana regeneration is working nicely to help keep her topped up.


    After a short break and playing around with her new scales and fur, Bug readies herself and starts her last changes. ¡°Grow Limbs, Grow Wings.¡±


    Even if Bug can¡¯t really use her wings to fly around in the Dungeon, Bug still wants to have some. Which is why, while she was wandering around the halls, Bug had an idea. If normal wings would be useless in the Dungeon, then why not grow some that are useful?


    Now if only she didn¡¯t have to endure the pain of growing two whole limbs at the same time¡­


    Bug screams, for the second time this day as her body is forcefully changed, bones broken and reformed, skin is torn open and new muscles grown. Starting from her back, set in-between her shoulders and grafted to her ribcage, new joints and libs form out of Bug¡¯s back and grow upward like a pair of new arms. Only, instead of stopping at where the new hands now grow, the structure continues to grow as a further extension from where the little finger and ring finger should have been. From there, the arms turned wings, continues to grow out into foldable segments and a skeletal structure resembling a large, stretched-out hand.


    Muscles, nerves, veins, and flesh are quick to follow as they flow over bone, and finally, a layer of green and black scales and tissue forms over the limb and wings, filling everything in and connecting to the base of the wing a short distance down Bug¡¯s back.


    //Congratulation! You leveled-up a Skill!


    //Pain Tolerance Lvl 2 is now Lvl 3!


    ¡­


    ¡°Ouch¡­ mmmmmmnnnnnnnn¡­¡±


    Laying against the bank of the spring, back soaked in blood that is slowly being washed away, Bug just lays there as her newly grown massive pair of wings floats behind her in the water.


    Tired and exhausted, she doesn¡¯t even complain as the buzzing starts and her new limbs slowly come to life. She just lays there and waits for the energy to live to come back to her.


    That fucking hurt¡­ Even with Pain Tolerance Leveling-up again, that still hurt¡­ Ouch¡­


    As she lays there and rests in the cool water, Bug turns her eyes and looks at her notifications. ¡°Oh, another Level-up¡­ Really feel like I am cheating. Oh, well, I earned it, so I don¡¯t care¡­¡±


    Once Bug has restored her energy a bit, she experimentally moves around her new wings and tests their range of motion. Notably, they are quite heavy, and Bug is pretty sure that she just grew a new pair of muscles in her chest from how it is hurting. Probably meant to help move her wings somehow or other. Bug doesn¡¯t know how, maybe she should just hurry up and get a Knowledge about anatomy already¡­ Maybe later¡­


    After moving around her wings for a while, Bug tries the main feature of her wings that she wanted. Folding them up on themselves, the pair of wings quickly becomes almost like a third pair of arms, ending in hands with two clawed fingers and a thumb each.


    Moving them around as arms, they are longer than her other four and can even reach out in front of her to be used like normal hands for the most part. Extending the wings from there, they stretch out even further to where they end with a claw at the end of each wing, ready to be used at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Even without testing it, Bug is certain that the range of her wing''s claws are even further than if she were to swing one of the human¡¯s swords around, and with Bug¡¯s ability to manipulate her own claws, they may as well be swords on the ends of her wings at a moment¡¯s notice if she wants.


    ¡°Yay, I just got a lot more deadly. And all I had to do was make myself hurt enough to level Pain Tolerance twice¡­ Better be worth it¡­¡±

 Chapter 7.3- Growing Pains

    Absolutely done with changing her body for the near future, Bug spent awhile relaxing in the spring before giving herself a proper wash. Leaving the spring with her body smelling of soap and shampoo, her teeth properly brushed and straightened with a small use Sharpen Teeth, deodorant applied, and her claws thoroughly cleaned and maintained, Bug gets herself dried off and dressed. It takes a bit longer than last time to get dried off, considering that she has a new arm and a pair of wings to dry off as well, but by the time she is done, Bug is squeaky clean, and her new scales are practically glistening under the gentle light of the glowing mushrooms that light the Dungeon¡¯s interior.


    Dried off, Bug looks herself over one last time and her eyes settle on her tail, still unchanged. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really match with the rest of my body now¡­ I¡¯ll have to change it next. Probably when I make myself taller. Until then, it is fine for now.¡±


    Being a rat tail, its hairless look doesn¡¯t really fit with the rest of her new body, and now that Bug has wings, its ability to help her stay balanced has diminished further and is honestly a bit useless now.


    Maybe I¡¯ll turn it into something that can grab stuff. Or more spikes; that could work. Turn it into something that I can stab people with¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Huh, I do a lot of stabbing¡­ Do I have a problem? Nah, that¡¯s stupid.¡±


    Future changes floating around her head, Bug opens her inventory and tries to equip her clothing and armor.


    Her underwear and shorts appear on her without any issue, and Bug is startled by how different it feels to wear underwear without all that fur between her legs. Shifting around a bit, she quickly tries to get used to it and the feeling of fabric on her scales. Thankfully, because of how smooth and interlocked the scales are, they won''t catch on the fabric of her clothes at all.


    For the rest of her clothing, Bug gets prompts asking if she would like to modify her stuff to fit her new form.


    Hitting yes and watching a few of her precious Store Points disappear, her clothes and armor finally appears on her body, with new openings for new limbs, and now one size a bit bigger.


    ¡°Did my chest get bigger? Mmmm¡­ Oh, probably from the new muscles in my chest that grew in with my wings.¡±


    Moving her wings around, she can certainly feel those new muscles working as well, flexing as she moves her new limbs up and down. Bug''s memory goes back to the rude human named Chuck and a few of the mobs on the first floor that she had killed because they wanted her chest¡­


    ¡°Hopefully they don¡¯t get any bigger. I already have too many people looking at them and wanting to touch them. Bunch of weirdos¡­¡±


    Fully dressed now, and rested after a good bath, Bug wraps her wings around herself like a cloak and then walks over to her skeletons that have been diligently guarding the room from any potential Peeping Toms. Whatever those are. Bug just knows that she doesn¡¯t want them near her when she is bathing. Let alone any enemies or threats.


    Poking an arm out from her wing-cloak, Bug directs a few of the human skeletons and then a number of the Goblins to move off to the side.


    Some of the human skeletons are missing parts. Be it fingers, hands, entire arms, or even a couple of heads. They need fixed, and Bug might as well upgrade them while she is at it.


    With her mana mostly refilled, Bug sets the Goblin skeletons off to the side, and designates them as resources as she activates the spell. ¡°Enhance Undead.¡±


    The Goblin Skeletons immediately fall apart into a pile of bones, and then Bug directs the spell towards her human skeletons.


    First, she focusses on replacing lost arms, heads, and digits. Goblin parts are noticeable smaller that human ones, but Bug isn¡¯t worrying about appearance with her skeletons. Her priority is on keeping them up and running.


    With the lost parts replaced, some of the human skeletons are looking rather funny now, especially the ones with Goblin heads.


    Next comes the fun part of the spell. Beyond just repairing her undead, the spell can even use her learned Body spells to edit her skeletons as she pleases.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    So, Bug has some fun with it and makes some monstrosities.


    More arms, tons of spikes, every limb is now clawed, bone wings for these two, horns for everyone! Let¡¯s give this girl all the legs and make her look like a big crawling bug with stingers. Can¡¯t forget the armored bone plating¡­


    By the time that Bug is done. Her mana is basically drained, and her horde of skeletons has been reduced to ten highly modified human skeletons, her last six mob skeletons which includes Billy the retriever, and just fourteen Goblin skeletons left. All the others got used to upgrade the human ones.


    Of course, this isn¡¯t counting the twenty Goblin zombies roaming the fourth floor, or the mushroom kicking mob zombie on the second floor.


    As a bonus, Bug used the final function of Enhance Undead and turned half of the upgraded skeletons into Poison skeletons and the other half into Hoarfrost skeletons.


    All of these changes come with a cost, however. Now that they are Special Undead, Bug has to dedicate more of her max mana towards keeping them under her control. So, while they are more powerful now, they are also much more expensive. So, to help save on mana capacity, Bug goes ahead and cuts her connection to all the zombies that are not here, freeing up twenty-one mana for her. Those zombies have already done their jobs good enough, now they can do whatever they want.


    ¡®Lvl 14 Hoarfrost Shield Skeleton Abomination¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 12 Skittering Poison Skeleton Abomination¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 11 Flying Hoarfrost Skeleton Horror¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 11 Flying Poison Skeleton Horror¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 14 Hoarfrost Axe Skeleton Abomination¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 14 Poison Archer Skeleton Abomination¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 10 Hoarfrost Skeleton Horror¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 10 Poison Skeleton Horror¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 10 Hoarfrost Skeleton Horror¡¯


    ¡®Lvl 10 Poison Skeleton Horror¡¯


    Bug looks over her vile creations with pride in her heart. Each one is a monster in every way. With armored bone plating and spikes pointing everywhere, horns on their heads and extra limbs that all end with deadly looking claws. Each one is practically a weapon unto themselves. It also doesn¡¯t help that half of them are dripping with poison or are coated in a permanent layer of chilling frost.


    The shield wielding skeleton has now been changed to become a wall of a beast, with extra arms to further its grip on its shield and then some more for attacking. Even more arms are further covered with extra-large bone plates that are practically buckler shields tipped with spikes.


    Bob the Archer now has six Goblin legs instead of his old two, for added stability, and then on top of that, he now has three extra arms to make working his bow easier, while also allowing him to hang from the walls using the arms on his back.


    Zax the Axe has also received the same treatment as the shield skeleton and has been given layers of bone plate armor. Alongside that is four extra arms that don¡¯t end in clawed hands, but instead with a single large, bladed claw that Bug somehow managed to get to look like the head of an axe.


    Besides them is the rude girl that almost choked-out Bug a couple of days ago. Bug doesn¡¯t remember her name, but she is still sort of holding a grudge over that. So, Bug turned her into a giant skittering bug with tons of clawed legs, a few stingers, clawed mandibles over her mouth that are actually just arms and hands, and a pair of scorpion tails that aren¡¯t actually tails ¨C Bug doesn¡¯t have Grow Tails yet ¨C but are actually a number of human legs taken from the others to make a pair of makeshift tails that end with massive spikes to serve as poisoned stingers. Along her back is rows of armored plating that has been smoothed out so Bug can ride her comfortably if she wants to. The tittle of Abomination is most fitting for this one.


    Bug does not forgive or forget those that spite her.


    Besides them is the flying skeletons¡­ Bug doesn¡¯t know how they are flying, considering that their wings are nothing but bones, but Bug eventually just settles on magic being the answer and shrugs. Design wise, they are smaller than the others and not anywhere near as armored, but they are fast. Switching the arms to where the legs used to go after removing their pelvises, Bug made them grow wings where the arms used to be and then gave them plenty of claws and spikes. So now they are speedy, spikey little horrors. When they are not flying about, they are crawling on the ground with their wings as front limbs. Watching them scurry around for a bit, Bug notes that they also have no problem with hanging on the side of the Dungeons walls or even from the ceiling.


    The last four are nothing special compared to the first six, but they are still horrible. Horns, claws, spikes, extra arms, armored plating and whatever weapons they had in life fussed into their hands. Each one looks like they are ready for a fight and like they are going to rip someone in half before bathing in their blood.


    Smiling, Bug looks over her gathered army of skeletons and hand-crafted horrors and abominations. Rolling and stretching her limbs under the cloak of her wings that glow with the black and green of her scales, Bug moves her muscles as she works through yet another Level-up.


    Bug is ready. Her horde is ready. It is time to go face the first boss.


    It is time to see if the Dungeon can stop her from getting her revenge.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C Little Bodily Horror


    Level ¨C 21


    EXP ¨C51/3000


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 234/234


    Stamina ¨C 81/81


    Mana ¨C 46/330 [Total = 400] [-70 From Control Upkeep]


    Vitality ¨C 39 [+1 From Equipment]


    Endurance ¨C 27


    Strength - 27


    Dexterity - 40


    Magic - 40


    Intelligence - 40


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>

 Chapter 8.1- A Boar of a First Boss

    Heading toward the stairs with her horde of skeletons, the Horrors and Abominations sticking out of the crowd like a sore thumb, Bug is pleased as a peach as she looks them all over.


    Her skeletons all look much more intimidating than a shambling horde of zombies. And best of all? They don¡¯t smell anymore!


    Before leaving the spring, Bug had made sure to order all of her units to dunk themselves in the spring and wash off all the gore that was still left on them after shedding their meat suits. Even the nasty clothes and armor that they are still wearing got a bit of a wash with them, so now her horde is smelling much less disgusting.


    Progress!


    So, making her merry way through the Dungeon, Bug walks with a skip in her step as she heads for the stairs leading to the Boss Room.


    Taking that last corner, Bug notices some figures up ahead and sees that they are some wandering Goblin zombies.


    When they notice her, they make a dead sprint for Bug and her group, but she just simply points at them and say, ¡°Turn Undead.¡±


    The charging zombies come to a grinding halt before their new master and Bug simply waves with one of her new wings. ¡°Be gone. Go find something else in the Dungeon to kill.¡±


    The zombies simply turn without a word and wander off. Once they are out of sight, Bug cancels her control over them and moves on towards the stairs.


    ¡°Hmm, if I am already running into zombies, then I must have already killed most of the stuff on this floor. Meh, not like it matters. I¡¯ll be leaving soon.¡±


    Heading down the stairs with her personal army, their bony digits and claws clicking against the stone of the stairs, Bug looks into the Safe Room as it comes near.


    Appearance wise, the room is the same as all the other Safe Rooms that Bug has seen. In the center of the room is a burning hearth for people to warm up by and cook food. Off to the side of the room is a fountain pouring fresh water into a basin for drinking and washing up. And finally, the back corners have some raised areas where the floor has been leveled and set in layers. Maybe a spot for sitting down? Bug doesn¡¯t know.


    Checking the room over, she finds some trash littering the floor. Food wrappers and stuff. And finally, in the corner, it looks like somebody took a crap before leaving¡­


    ¡°Lovely¡­ just lovely¡­ You could have dug a hole or something first. Nasty humans¡­¡±


    It looks like someone was here not too long ago. Hmm, more than one person going by how much trash is still laying around. Maybe three or four? They haven¡¯t been gone long; the Dungeon has barely started to eat their trash¡­


    ¡°Wait, earlier, when I found the stairs. Were the humans still in here then? Darn, they must have left while I was in the bath. Well, that sucks.¡±


    Selling all the trash and getting slightly closer to earning another point for the Item Store, Bug ignores the steaming pile of shit in the corner as she leaves the room and heads downstairs to the Boss Door.


    Standing before the ornate carved doors that depict images of boars in the woods, Bug looks it over and takes in the beautiful artwork before eventually gazing up at the big glowing stone, set just above the doors.


    ¡°Why is it glowing red now? Wasn¡¯t it green earlier? Hmm, does it mean something?¡±


    ¡­


    Tapping her feet while she thinks with all of her arms crossed, Bug eventually just give a shrug. Walking over to the wall and digging eight pairs of clawed limbs into the rock wall, Bug quickly climbs up and over the door until she reaches the glowing stone.


    Doesn¡¯t matter why it changed colors. I want it!


    Once Bug has herself above the door and perched on the molding, she uses her wings and three arms to try and pull the glowing rock out of the wall, holding herself to the wall with her last arm.


    ¡°Come on out of the wall! You¡¯re my shiny rock now. Come on, come on! Pull!¡±


    The rock refusing to budge, Bug looks over her shoulder and waves for some of her skeletons.


    ¡°Flyers, get up here and help me pull!¡±


    But, alas, even with some extra sets of hands helping her out - the flying skeletons giving their everything to pull on it as they beat their bony wings- the shiny rock simply refuses to budge even so much as an inch.


    ¡°Ah! Damn Dungeon! Give me the shiny rock! I want it!¡±


    Bug continues to pull and pull at it desperately. Even working herself around it and trying to grab it from different angles doesn¡¯t do any good as the rock just won¡¯t move. She may as well be trying to move the entire Dungeon for all the good she was doing.


    Eventually, something happens with the rock.


    It doesn¡¯t move or even shift slightly. No. Instead, it turns color and becomes green again. Just like it was when Bug had first spotted it from upstairs.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    Startled by the sudden change in color, Bug lets out a cry and loses her grip on the wall. Panicking from suddenly falling, Bug tries to flap her wings and fly.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Her instincts help by whispering how to do it, but with no practice and suddenly falling to the ground from a fright, Bug ends up panicking and screws up horribly.


    One of her wings ends up smacking her flying skeletons, which sends her careening off to the side in a spiral. Smacking into a wall with her back, Bug loses even more control and starts to fall faster as her wings and limbs flail about in a desperate bid to catch anything.


    ¡°Catch me!¡±


    Down below, Shield skeleton runs over and reaches out, catching Bug¡¯s little body with two of his massive hands, slowing her fall as he lowers his hands and kills her momentum. Bug, with her limbs all splayed about and her wing still flapping in a panic, finally relaxes as she realizes that she is not going to hit the hard stone floor anymore.


    ¡°Ahh, uhm, thank you¡­ Mmm, I haven¡¯t named you yet, have I? Hmm, I¡¯ll call you¡­ Sam the Shield Man! There we go. Thank you, Sam. Now please put me down, you are very cold¡­¡±


    Sam follows her orders, and Bug alights to the floor while trying to make herself look completely in control, and not like a jittery mess from her fall. Straightening out her clothes and her hair, Bug wraps her wings around herself like a cloak and tries to stand tall and brave.


    It takes her a few moments to realize that no one is actually watching, and that her skeletons aren¡¯t going to judge her¡­


    ¡°Right¡­ Ok, Identify¡­¡±


    Looking up at the still glowing green rock, Bug gives it a scan.


    ¡®Vacancy indicator. A part of the wall for a Boss Room¡¯s entrance. Green = vacant. Red = occupied/restocking.¡¯


    A part of the wall¡­ Damn, so that means that I can¡¯t steal it! I¡­ I probably should have used Identify on it first¡­ I¡¯m just going to pretend that that never happened¡­


    Giving up on stealing the glowing rock, for now, Bug looks to the massive doors.


    ¡°So, when it was red earlier, that means that the people that were in the Safe Room were probably in there, right? I wonder if they won¡­? Well, I guess it¡¯s my turn to go in.¡±


    Pointing to the door with a wing, Bug orders Sam and Zax to open the doors for her. The doors look like they both easily weigh a ton each and are a little over four times her size. Bug has no hope of actually opening the doors herself and she isn¡¯t even going to bother trying.


    Without a word, Sam and Zax move forward and press themselves against the doors as they try to open it. It doesn¡¯t budge¡­


    ¡°What the hell!? How am I supposed to get in if my biggest guys can¡¯t even open it?¡±


    Looking around while the skeletons keep pushing, Bug eventually find a panel on the wall that is glowing green, just like the big stupid glowing rock that won¡¯t let her¡­! Just like the vacancy indicator¡­


    Walking over to the panel, Bug finds that it has a cut out for the palm of a right hand on it. She gives it a scan.


    ¡®Boss Door Switch. Use to open the Boss Door. ¡®


    ¡°Oh¡­ Ok then.¡±


    Reaching up on her tippytoes, Bug stretches out her topmost right arm and places it against the panel. Holding it for a second, it eventually flashes red and a message pops up on her HUD.


    ¡®Access Denied!


    As a Rogue Entity, you have been denied access to all Boss Rooms and Back-Stage Access Tunnels.


    Advisory: Turn Back.


    Advisory: Kill yourself.¡¯


    ¡°Eh¡­ Fucking DUNGEON! How dare you lock me out!? Are you seriously going to be like this!? So, you¡¯re not going to let me kill you, huh?! You¡¯re not going to let me fight your Bosses!?!? Fuck you! You, get over here and let me stand on your back!¡±


    With one of the Goblin skeletons now acting as a stepstool, Bug stands before the switch and repeatedly smashes her hand against it. Over and over again, the same message pops up until it is practically flashing on her Hud.


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡°Go-¡°


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡°Fuck-¡°


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡°Yourself!!!¡±


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Advisory: Kill Yourself.¡¯


    ¡®Access Granted!¡¯


    ¡­


    The panel flashes green and from behind Bug, the grand doors start to open. Sam and Zax, who were still pushing on the door, end up falling over and tripping on each other as the door finally moves.


    ¡°What the?! Huh?¡±


    Checking her feed and ignoring all of the kill notifications still coming through from upstairs, Bug finds a few lines of text.


    //Admin Override Detected.


    //User¡¯s Dungeon Access Permissions Changed.


    //All Boss Room Access = y


    //** Have a good one cute little bug <3**


    //Admin Override Retracted


    ¡­


    Looking over the notifications, Bug can¡¯t help it as a big smile spreads across her face.


    ¡°Thank you, Admin! Or was that you REDACTED? Still, thanks!¡±


    Hopping off the skeleton¡¯s back, Bug runs over to the doors where Sam and Zax are busily picking themselves up off the floor.


    Turning back towards the panel, Bug points and laughs with both of her right hands. ¡°Hahahahahaha! Screw you, Dungeon! Haha! The Admin like me better than you. Now watch while I kill your Boss and break all your shit! Ha!¡±


    Turning away from the panel and pointing towards the now open doors, Bug gives the order. ¡°Charge my minions! We shall conquer this Dungeon whether it likes it or not. Kill the Boss!¡±


    The skeletons charge. Sam and Zax at the front with their giant frames, a horde of Goblins pouring in behind them, with the Horrors and Abomination mixed in. Flying in though the top of the doors, the Flyers soar into the Boss Room and immediately claim the sky. Charging in from the rear is Bug with Bob and his support team of Billy the Retriever and the two rock throwing Goblins.


    Inside, the Boss Room is a large round arena that is currently pitch black, draped in a curtain of shadows. Off to one side, a torch lights itself, shortly followed by another and another as the lights are turned on around the room in a counter-clockwise pattern.


    In the center of the room, still a dark shadow as the central hanging brazier has yet to be lit, the Boss stands and waits, menacingly, the red glow of its eyes being the only sign of its presence as it waits for all the lights to come on so it can make its big reveal¡­


    The charging skeletons ram into the figure and bring it down with the sounds of a squealing pig and clattering bones.


    Skeletons don¡¯t need light to see and nor do they care about proper Boss Battle etiquette.


    By the time the lights from the torches and the hanging brazier are all turned on, the giant boar is already on the ground. Its legs kicking as it squeals in outrage and pain. The skeletons that are swarming it are already tearing its flesh open with their claws or stabbing it repeatedly with their weapons.


    To make matters worse for the pig, many of the weapons are coated in deadly poisons or with layers of freezing frost.


    The poor Boss monster hardly has a chance to fight back and only manages to kick away a couple of skeletons before it all simply becomes too much for it to handle.


    The cold, the poison, the blood loss, the pain and absolute shock of just getting jumped out of nowhere¡­


    It starts to slow. And eventually, it stops.


    With the strength to live failing its body, its legs go limp and its massive head, with its giant tusks and sharp teeth, slumps to the floor. The red light of its eyes fades with its final breath as the skeletons continue to tear the flesh from its bones.


    By the time that Bug reaches the Boss. It is already dead¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Huh¡­ Well, that was easy.¡±

 Chapter 8.2- A Boar of a First Boss

    ¡®Lvl 10 Giant Boar. A really big boar.¡¯


    ¡°Wow, thanks Identify, that really tells me a lot¡­¡±


    Well, at the very least, it tells me how strong the boss was. It¡¯s not even half my current Level. I probably could have just fought it by myself and been just fine¡­ Damn, I really am cheating with my Death magic, huh? I definitely don¡¯t think I am supposed to be facing this boss at Level 21. Oh, no wait, Level 22 now¡­


    Rolling through the pains of Leveling-up and hardly feeling it now, Bug shoos her minions away from the corpse and gives it a look over.


    Just from appearances alone, the boar is honestly pretty intimidating. Especially when considering that it is easily twice as tall as Bug and its tusks are practically the length of swords.


    ¡°Would definitely hurt to get hit by this thing. Well, it¡¯s mine now. Time to play around a bi-¡°


    Before Bug can finish her sentence, a flash of light next to exit door catches Bug''s attention. Popping into existence is a small chest, which clanks to the floor after materializing a few inches off the ground.


    Bug blinks as she looks at the thing. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Looking back and forth between the corpse and the chest, Bug eventually decides to check it out. Walking over cautiously, Bug examines the mysteriously spawning chest.


    It isn¡¯t particularly big. Size wise, Bug could easily hold it in her arms. For a human, they could hold it with one arm with no problem.


    Pointing to a mob skeleton, Bug tells it, ¡°Hey, you, go open that.¡±


    Hiding behind Sam the shield skeleton, Bug watches as the little skeleton opens the chest.


    ¡­


    Nothing happens. It doesn¡¯t explode. The skeleton doesn¡¯t get teleported to some dangerous place. Nothing¡­


    But why did it suddenly appear here?


    Bug looks back towards the pitifully dead Boss and finds her answer.


    ¡°Is it a reward for killing the Boss? Bring it over here and show me what¡¯s inside.¡± Bug orders.


    The little skeleton picks up the chest and walks over before setting it on the ground. Tilting it forward, the skeleton dumbs the contents of the chest before Sam and Bug.


    Out from the chest comes rolling out three shining crystals, a couple of silver and a bunch of copper coins, and finally, a piece of paper fluttering through the air.


    Bug dart out from behind Sam with a cheer and snatches up the crystals and coins. ¡°Mana Crystals! Hahaha, yes! Mine!¡±


    You get rewards for killing Bosses!? This is amazing! If I had known that, I would have come here sooner, yes!


    ¡°Hahahaha, Dungeon! You see this? Not only did I kill your Boss, but I even took your treasures too! Ha!¡±


    Done gloating towards the ceiling, Bug notices something on the ground. The piece of paper that had fallen out along with the rest of the treasure.


    With three hands holding the precious treasures, Bug uses a fourth to grab the paper and brings it up to look at.


    Written on the paper is a single sentence. ¡®Kindly go kill yourself, please.¡¯


    Bug¡¯s eye twitches as she reads the note.


    ¡°Oi! Damn Dungeon¡­ I¡¯m not going to kill myself, so you might as well stop asking!¡± Bug yells as she tears the note in half and throws it to the floor.


    Geez, just how petty is this thing? It got blocked from sending me personal messages and not even the doors can stop me now. So, it resorts to sending notes? Ridiculous¡­


    Disregarding the torn note, Bug returns her attention to her treasures and lets herself just be happy about her prize for a little while. She earned these, and they are hers now. Bug is allowed to be happy.


    Once she is done enjoying her new treasures and gazing into their shininess, Bug stores them all away with the rest of her treasures and then returns to the boar¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°Ok you guys, get to work on stripping this thing. Make it quick. I want to get to the next Boss already.¡± Bug orders with a snap of her fingers.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    After a short wait, and her minions making an absolutely bloody mess of the place, Bug is eventually left with the giant skeleton of a boar.


    ¡°Raise Undead! Rise my new porcine minion!¡±


    With a rumble and a clatter, the bloody bones come to un-life and rise before their new unholy master!


    Looking over her new piggie, Bug appraises it and smiles. Taking out a bunch of left over bones from last time, Bug uses Enhance Undead to make some slight changes.


    Bigger tusks, sharper teeth, some horns for even more ramming power, and¡­ let¡¯s use the rest for making some bone plating on its front shoulders¡­ there we go, much better!


    ¡°Hahahahaha! You see that Dungeon? I just made it even better! Your pig is mine now! Now just you wait, because I am coming for you! Let¡¯s go minions!¡±


    Leading her army towards the exit, Bug finds the switch next to the door and jumps up to smack it. With a flash of green, the switch accepts her and opens the door.


    Standing before the opening doors, Bug gasps as she sees the sights before her.


    Floor six is not more caves. There are no moist rocky walls covered in moss and glowing mushrooms. There is no dirt covered stone floors. Instead, there is open space, lots and lots of open space.


    And trees.


    Only, the trees are massive, and they are actually the floor¡­


    Stepping out from the opening in a cliff face, Bug¡¯s feet alight to a massive branch that extends from the body of a tree so big that it would take Bug quite a while just to walk around its trunk. Looking around, in the distance, all Bug can see is more and more of the massive trees for as far as the eye can see. All of them are interconnected by twisting branches and dressed in leaves more than big enough for a human to lay down on comfortably.


    Looking up at the sky, Bug¡¯s vision is cut short by an unreachable canopy of leaves and branches, but through the gaps and openings, light streams down in beams and grants ample visibility to the forest below. Even though Bug can¡¯t see where the light is coming from, she is certain that it is not the Sun. Even if she has only seen its light once, Bug can tell that this light is different. Something about the warmth it radiates is just, not the same, almost artificial¡­ They are still underground, deep underground.


    Finally, Bug walks over to the edge of the mighty branch she is standing on and carefully peers over the side.


    She immediately backs up and grabs Sam¡¯s leg for support.


    Way too far! Just how high up am I right now? How far down does the Dungeon go!?


    Resolving to make sure that she does not fall no matter what, Bug gives another look around the ¡®floor¡¯ and takes in the sights.


    Ignoring the horror of being Admin knows how high up in the air, it is honestly very pretty here.


    There are flying creatures that flitter from tree to tree, singing as they fly about on colorful wings. There are all sorts of flowers and plants everywhere growing from the trunks of the trees and hanging from branches. Bug squints her eyes and is pretty sure that she spots some fruit growing in the distance.


    Off in other areas, Bug sees water falling from the sky as great waterfalls that poor into the forest below and leave clouds of mist that hydrates everything on the upper branches. And after thinking for a bit, Bug comes to the conclusion that the water is probably coming from the upper floors and possibly even from the surface somewhere. The water has to be coming from somewhere¡­


    Breathing in the fresh, slightly humid, air of this new place, Bug smiles as she takes in the beautiful sights. She even sits down to simply enjoy a break from everything and just take it all in.


    No more cramped labyrinthine caves that all look the same. No more smelly, musty, moldy rooms full of trash. No more seeing by the blue light of glowing mushrooms. Now Bug has so much more to experience.


    After a few moments of relaxing, Bug catches sight of one of the colorful birds and decides to watch it as it flutters about and sings its lovely songs.


    Flying around, the bird happily moves from flower to flower, drinking its fill of nectar.


    This floor is so much nicer than the ones above. Ah, why couldn¡¯t I have been born on this floor instead of the first? If I was, I might not be wanting to kill the Dungeon¡­ I might have been different¡­


    Watching the bird with a smile on her face, Bug is shocked as she watches on in horror as a seemingly harmless plant suddenly snap the bird out of the out the air and crunches it with a colorful maw full of dagger sized teeth.


    ¡°Holy shit!!!¡±


    Gawking at the plant as it chews on its food, Bug pales as she looks around and sees all of the plants and flowers that are literally EVERYWHERE.


    ¡°That¡­ That bird was as big as me¡­ Maybe it¡¯s a good thing that I wasn¡¯t born here¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Cautiously working her way towards the trunk of the nearest tree, Bug and her minions follow the lengths of the branches as they carefully navigate everything and give a wide birth to all of the flowers.


    Many of them are human sized, and Bug keeps a warry eye on all of them as they pass by.


    Up above, the birds continue to sing their songs and dance in the sky. Bug tries to Identify them, but they are too far away for her to be able to scan yet. As an aside, the flowers all come up as the same thing, even when they look different¡­


    ¡®Giant Dungeon Flowers. Man-sized flowers of varying species. Some of them can be carnivorous.¡¯


    Wow, thanks Identify! That is really helpful. Thanks for not telling me which ones aren¡¯t carnivorous!


    ¡­


    After a fearful walk to the tree, Bug lets out a breath of relief as she and the help finally make it. Because of how big everything is, the distance between two points ended up being a bit deceiving. The branches that they had been walking on where already massive things, but the trees themselves are so large that they take up Bug¡¯s entire view now that she is near.


    Looking at the thing, Bug finds an opening where the branch meets the tree, and further along the sides, there are more openings where Bug can peer inside. From a quick look, it would appear that the trees are mostly hollow on the inside.


    What the heck is up with these trees? Going by the Knowledge I have, trees shouldn¡¯t get anywhere near this big. Well, except for one, but it is a special exception¡­ Identify.


    ¡®N/A. This object¡¯s data cannot be accessed. User¡¯s access privileges are below required level.¡¯


    ¡°The hell? Why can¡¯t I scan a giant tree? If it was just a part of the Dungeon, it should have just said Dungeon Tree Wall or something¡­ Weird.¡±


    Not having any way of solving this little mystery yet, and not wanting to keep standing around outside, Bug makes her way to the entrance of the tree and heads inside.

 Chapter 8.3- A Boar of a First Boss

    Inside the tree, Bug finds herself in a room where the walls, floors, and ceiling, are all made out of the same bark covered surface as the tree outside. Sitting in the center of the room is even a long table from the look of it, though it is also made out of the same materials.


    Giving the table a look over, its legs look like roots had gone up from the floor and then spread themselves out to make the table. There is even the occasional chair positioned around the table, with some of them seemingly knocked over. Which is weird considering that everything is quite literally rooted to the floor.


    Why would the tree grow the chairs knocked over? Weird¡­


    Disregarding the room, Bug heads further in as her minions follow behind her. To get into the next area, Bug has to go through a doorway that is a little more than one human wide and one human tall. In fact, even the chairs and the table, look like they had all been made to be used by full grown humans...


    Probably because the humans are the Dungeon¡¯s main targets¡­ Still a bit annoying that it wouldn¡¯t make anything me sized. I even had to jump and stretch just to reach the door switches¡­


    After the first room is an even larger room that is full of seemingly toppled over¡­ dividers of some kind? It is hard to tell because of the wood being all in a mess of a pile, but in some areas, the dividers still stand, and they make little boxed in areas that all have a table and some even with a chair.


    This is so weird looking. Why would the tree grow to have stuff like this inside? It almost looks like it grew over something that used to be here¡­


    The Dungeon eats¡­


    A shiver goes down Bug¡¯s back at the thought. Deciding to ignore it and move on, Bug pushes deeper into the tree. Occasionally, she will come across some more rooms, but much like the first, they usually just have some tables and chairs growing out of the floor, usually looking like a mess from everything being knocked over and laying about. A moment frozen in time by wood.


    It is while Bug is walking past another room, that she decides to go inside and look out an opening to the outside. Most of the rooms on the outer edge of the tree have windows or are just completely missing their wall, some of the room seemingly even half terminating at the edge of the abyss like they have been shorn in half, meaning that the room just opens up to a sheer drop.


    Walking around in the room and checking it for anything interesting, Bug is startled as the sound of flapping wings reaches her. From the window, one of the colorful birds lands on the windowsill.


    Bug freezes as she looks at the colorful thing. It is honestly very beautiful looking, but something in Bug¡¯s instincts is telling her, Bird = Danger.


    Picking at its feathers a bit, it eventually straightens up its posture and gives the whole room a look, scanning over the gathered skeletons with its beady eyes. It disregards the Undead, probably just thinking them a bunch of bones, and then snaps its head towards Bug.


    Staring at each other for a couple of seconds, it eventually tilts its head and then screams at her. Spreading its wings wide, the bird postures at Bug before jumping off the sill and flying at her.


    With it being as big as she is, its wingspan is truly massive, and having the bird charge at her causes Bug to let out a scared squeak as something inside of her screams danger.


    Off to the side, an arrow flies over and hits the bird in midflight, but it keeps barreling towards Bug despite the arrow messing up its flight slightly.


    Letting out a scream, Bug lashes out with all three limbs on her right-hand side, all her claws all extended.


    As she screams in fright, the bird gets smacked out of the air and torn apart by her claws that are all now practically swords on the ends of her hands.


    The bird hits a weird box structure by the wall in a splatter of blood and doesn¡¯t move¡­


    //Killed lvl 10 Bird of Paradise ¨C 30 exp gained!


    Blinking at the dead bird and still covering herself with half of her limbs, Bug looks at the corpse and the kill notification.


    Half my level and very weak¡­ Why was I afraid of it? It felt like¡­ like I was scared that it was going to eat me? Because it is a bird? Is that why? Are Gremlins preyed on by giant birds or something? Huh¡­


    Walking over to the corpse, Bug looks it over and grimaces. ¡°Darn, I broke it a bit too much. I can¡¯t use this¡­ Guess I¡¯ll just sell it after I check the description.¡±


    Waiting for Billy the Retriever to retrieve the arrow for Bob, Bug then stores the corpse and reads its description.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Bird of Paradise. A type of monster bird commonly found in tropical environments. They primarily feed on the nectar of giant flowers, but they are often seen hunting rodents, reptiles, and even children or members of the halfling races... Their feathers are quite prized in the fashion industry for making beautiful dresses and hats. Most people say that their meat tastes like chicken, but a little sweeter because of the nectar they drink¡­ Huh¡­¡±


    Bug looks down at herself.


    They eat rodents and reptiles. My lower half looks similar to a rat¡¯s. I even have a rat tail. I also have scales like a reptile¡­ And Gremlins are a halfling race of Demi-Human if I am not mistaken¡­ Huh, the birds are going to see me as food, aren¡¯t they¡­


    ¡°At least they aren¡¯t stronger than me. I¡¯m still twice their level. But it¡¯s going to be a problem if I keep getting scared by them. Hopefully I can fix that.¡±


    Turning to Bob, Bug gives him an order, ¡°Hey Bob. If any of these birds get too close, shoot them down or scare them away with your arrows. Hmm, only problem is that you only have so many arrows¡­¡±


    Looking at his quiver, Bug counts out about thirty or so arrows. There are a lot of birds outside, and his arrows won¡¯t last long if he keeps shooting birds down. And chances are that both the arrows and the corpses are just going to end up dropping between the branches and getting lost.


    ¡°Need to make you more arrows¡­ Ah! Make Bone Weapon! I¡¯ll get that spell then. I wanted to get something else, but keeping us stocked up on arrows is more important right now I feel. Might as well get some other useful stuff with the remaining eight points. I do want to get Body Modification, but making myself taller can wait for now. I¡¯ve done enough changes to my body for a little while anyways¡­¡±


    Going through her available options and choosing some things that should be useful, Bug eventually decides to spend all her points on the Spells Make Bone Weapon for two points, Grow Tentacles for a discounted two points, the Knowledge Anatomy lvl 1 for two points, and finally the Skill Deadly Poison Resistance lvl 1.


    Bone weapons aside, Bug grabbed Anatomy so that she would have a better idea of how bodies work and so she can have an easier time with using Body spells. As for Grow Tentacles, it is sadly a required spell for getting other spells later on, so she may as well just get it now and get it over with. Besides, after it finishes downloading, it will help her with getting something much better right away.


    As for the Deadly Poison Resistance, Bug is already playing things dangerously by not having it. With the rules of magic, Bug doesn¡¯t have to worry about hurting herself with her own magic while she is casting it, but this doesn¡¯t make her immune to her own spells or even her poison.


    While she is making the poison -even if it is touching her ¨C she is immune. But as soon as she releases it, it can take effect against her and kill her.


    It is much the same as a Fire Mage casting Fire Ball. Without the casting protection, their arm would be burned away by the thing before they could even throw it. But, this protection doesn¡¯t extend to say, the explosion of the Fire Ball. The heat, the explosive forces, the fire, the shrapnel after the spell goes off. The mage is only immune while the spell is being cast.


    So, if Bug wants to continue safely using her poisons and maybe even one day get War Crime, she is going to have to make herself resistant, and eventually, even immune.


    So, making her new purchases, Bug pulls herself up into a big wooden armchair that has a weird leg that sits on the floor with a starlike foot. Waiting for the pain to come, she grits her teeth and rides through it all patiently. Though honestly, compared to growing new limbs, the pain is mild at best now.


    Haaa¡­ I am getting to use to feeling pain. And I¡¯ve only been alive for a couple of days. I don¡¯t feel like that is normal¡­


    //Congratulations! You have met a Spell¡¯s Unlock Requirements!


    //Your Spells [Sharpen Claws], [Sharpen Teeth], [Grow Horns and Spikes], [Grow Tentacles], [Grow Limbs], [Grow Wings], and [Grow Armor] have fused!


    //Become Weapon, unlocked!


    ¡­


    ¡°There we go, that¡¯s one of the required spells taken care of. I¡¯ll get the rest in due time¡­¡±


    Curious about the Grow Tentacles part of the spell, and figuring that she might as well finally give it a try after having had it offered for so long, Bug goes ahead and gives a try. Making one grow from her shoulder, a wiggly and searching limb grows out, lined with suckers and little hooked claws. The thing is dressed in both scales and smooth, rubbery, flesh, a viscous mucous excreting from its pores to give the limb a shiny and slippery look... The strange thing seems to move around of its own accord whenever she isn''t actively focusing on controlling it, reaching out curiously and feeling things with little touches or trying to grab onto whatever it can like it has a mind of its own.


    Reaching out cautiously, Bug grabs the thing, grimaces at the slimy texture of this weird limb and how it tries to wrap around her arm and examine her fingers in turn.


    "This is soooo weird... Not sure how I feel about tentacles... He-hey! No grabbing there!" Bug shouts as she slaps the questing limb when it tries to wrap around her breast.


    Nope, none of that!


    Quickly activating Become Weapon again, Bug makes the tentacle return to her body, her shoulder being left just as it was before using the spell. Thankfully, the function of Grow Tentacles that makes it not permanent had remained with it when it fused into Become Weapon. Unfortunately, that didn''t get passed along to the other parts of the spell, so things like new arms and legs are still permanent.


    Ok, I don''t think I''m going to be using that one very much, at least not by itself... Something about having that thing touch me, felt... weird, or dirty... Best to avoid having that happen again.


    Shifting her attention away from the new spell, Bug digs through her newly gained Anatomy Knowledge.


    Hmm, so, I already knew about the heart, lungs, and the brain from my basic knowledge. Probably just because they are places you want to aim for when killing enemies¡­ But now I know about all the different organs, bones, and broadly how everything works together to keep something living¡­ There is obviously a lot of missing pieces, and the Knowledge doesn¡¯t go into great detail on how everything works, but for being just introductory stuff, it covers enough for me.


    Sadly, it doesn¡¯t really go in depth on different species, but it does cover Gremlins -probably because I am one ¨C and for some reason, humans¡­ Huh, we are really similar in how we are built. Like almost matching in every way except for on the outside and our legs with the rat like features of the Gremlins. But on the inside, our structures are almost exactly alike, just half the size¡­ It¡¯s almost like someone took a rat and tried to turn it into a human¡­ But why the hell would someone do that?


    It takes Bug a while of sitting there, mulling over her thoughts before she finally gets up and moves on.


    ¡°I won¡¯t figure anything out by sitting around. I need to keep moving¡­¡±

 Chapter 8.4- A Boar of a First Boss

    After spending some time to explore the interior of the tree, Bug fails to find anything of interest and moves on.


    While the internal structure of the tree is certainly different than what she was expecting, at the end of the day, she isn¡¯t here to learn about the Dungeon and why it looks the way it does. She is here to conquer the Dungeon and kill it.


    Leaving the tree behind and walking along another of the massive branches with her skeletons in tow, Bug keeps her head on a swivel as she navigates around giant flowers and clusters of hanging leaves that cover places like layers of draped curtains.


    With Sam the Shield Man leading from the front and pushing aside the leaves, Bug follows behind him nervously as she waits for anything to suddenly attack.


    Looking down at her feed, Bug watches as her Kill Notifications finally come to a crawling stop for the day, even ending with her getting another Level-up.


    ¡°Aaaannnd¡­ Everything upstairs is now either, dead, Undead, or mushroom¡­ Geez, I really did make this too easy. Although, the required experience per Level-up has been going up steadily. It probably won¡¯t be too much longer until killing everything upstairs isn¡¯t even enough for a single Level.¡±


    Although¡­ Not like it matters anyways. I think I only have maybe one more day where the mushrooms are considered mine. Then I won¡¯t be getting any more experience from them anymore.


    But, it is weird¡­ I haven¡¯t gotten any human kills today. Are the humans not trying to push through the mushrooms? If they were, I am pretty sure that I would get at least one or two of them. But to get none at all? It¡¯s weird¡­


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t think that they would give up on the bounty so easily. Those last guys seemed really intent on getting it until I started killing them all¡­ Maybe my bounty just isn¡¯t big enough to risk dying over? Hmm¡­ Not sure how I feel about that.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just see if I get any human kills tomorrow, and if I don¡¯t, then that probably means that they have given up on chasing me. Let¡¯s go with that. Besides, I would hate to have to fill this place with even more mushrooms. Even if the experience from killing everything here would be great, it is just for the best that I don¡¯t use that spell unless I must¡­ In the meantime-¡°


    Bug gets interrupted from her musings as a Goblin skeleton jumps next to her, pushing her aside as it gets snatched away in a clattering of bones. The skeleton having moved to block her so quickly that it had taken her by surprise.


    Watching the skeleton get pulled through the air by some long pink thing, the skeleton disappears inside of the large gaping maw of something, disappearing with a crunch somewhere on the body of a neighboring tree.


    Sam moves to stand before Bug as she remains seated and shocked on the floor. Looking to where her skeleton had just disappeared, Bug scans over the tree, but can¡¯t find any signs of the enemy.


    Can¡¯t see it! Is it invisible or something? All I see is bark¡­ I don¡¯t think that the attack came from any of the windows, it looks like it came from the wall¡­ Maybe Identify will work?


    Scanning over the tree, Bug continuously pings Identify against the surface of the tree around where the skeleton disappeared.


    ¡®N/A.¡¯


    ¡®N/A.¡¯


    ¡®N/A.¡¯


    ¡®N/A.¡¯


    ¡®N/A.¡¯


    ¡®N/A.¡¯


    ¡®N/A.¡¯


    ¡®N/A.¡¯


    ¡®Gigantes Tree Frogantes. A really big tropical tree frog that can blend in with bark, tree leaves, and even the dropping of some birds.¡¯


    ¡®N/A¡¯


    ¡®N/A¡¯


    ¡°There!¡± Bug points and orders her two flyers forward to attack. Taking off from the back of her new piggy skeleton, the flyers cut through the air on wings of sharpened blade-like wings.


    Bug watches the tree as her two flyers go on the attack. Staring at the spot where Identify is pinging the target, Bug sees as it starts to shift and a pink opening shows itself on the tree, aimed towards the incoming flyers.


    Dodge!


    The poisonous flyer banks off to the side and manages to avoid the tongue at the last moment, but the hoarfrost one fails to move in time and is grabbed.


    With a target snatched, and the bone bird flapping its wings violently, the frog reels in its prey and snaps it into its mouth. The poison flyer is quick to follow and dives in claws first to strike the back of the frog.


    In a spray of blood, the frog is revealed as it lets out a croaking scream. Opening its mouth, Bug watches as her captured flyer struggles inside of its mouth, wings and claws shredding the insides of its mouth as frost starts to spread and cover the frog.


    On its back, the other flyer continues to tear into its back and even goes for its eyes, ripping one of them out and swallowing the thing whole. Only the skeleton doesn¡¯t have a stomach, so the eye sort of just falls out of its ribcage after bouncing around a bit on inside¡­


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The fight doesn¡¯t last for very long, as the bleeding coming from its mouth becomes a constant flow of frothy half-frozen red. As for its back, the frog apparently doesn¡¯t have any way of protecting its back reliably. Its back is so torn open now, that its camouflage is practically useless.


    Watching the frog weaken, Bug panics a bit and calls out to her skeleton. ¡°Hurry up and get out of its mouth!¡±


    The still captured flyer tries to fight its way out of the grip of the tongue, but doesn¡¯t manage to as the frog loses its strength and falls away from the wall.


    Recalling the second flyer, Bug moves forward and watches as the frog plummets down below, only to go splat as it hits a branch a couple levels lower.


    //Killed lvl 12 Gigantes Tree Frogantes ¨C 38 exp gained!


    ¡­


    Looking to her mana upkeep, Bug sees that her flyer isn¡¯t ¡®dead¡¯ yet, so that means that it is still stuck in its mouth...


    ¡°Can you get out of there? Try to cut your way out or something...¡±


    Peering over the branch¡¯s edge as she lays on her stomach. From up above, Bug can see as the corpse wiggles around, probably from the flyer flailing around inside of its mouth¡­


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think that it can get out¡­ oh, lovely¡­¡±


    Watching from on high, the frog starts to jolt and move around. A few moments later, it is wiggling its legs around. After a few tries, it manages to roll over and get back on to its feet.


    ¡°Crap. Turn Undead!¡±


    Regretfully, the spell fails to hit as it is too far away. Completely unable to stop it, Bug watches as the giant zombie frog hops away with her flyer still trapped in its mouth¡­


    ¡°Haaa, great! Just what I need! Now there are going to be Undead running around down there¡­ Uhh, just keep trying to get out of it if you can. If you do, fly back to me if you are able...¡±


    Watching until the frog disappears from sight, Bug knocks her head against the branch a couple of times in frustration before finally standing up and brushing off her clothes.


    ¡°Ok! The rest of you, no getting swallowed by frogs!¡±


    Off to the side, one of the Goblins wanders a bit too close to a flower. Splitting open into a maw of drool covered teeth, the flower snaps down on the skeleton and starts to chew on it noisily.


    ¡°Holy shit!!! Kill that thing! Kill it! No getting eaten by flowers either!¡±


    <hr>


    Progressing though the giant forest of twisting branches, hanging leaves, giant flowers, and vines heavy with fruits of varying colors, Bug and her minions continue to work their way deeper and deeper. No matter how far they walk, they don¡¯t seem to make any notable progress beyond drawing further away from the area they arrived from.


    The paths through this place are all nonlinear, twisting around each other, and branching off into new directions seemingly at random. Even the insides of the large trees, while all seeming to have some internal structure of organization and design, are all of different looks and layouts with no two trees sharing more than a couple of similarities between them.


    So far, as far as Bug knows, she is lost. Her only choice to just simply wander and have her skeletons kill anything that harasses her, which has turned into both a constant source of annoyance and also a bunch of brand-new minions over the past couple of hours.


    ¡°Hmm, am I supposed to just keep following the branches until I hit a wall, or am I supposed to be finding a way to get to the lower branches? I haven¡¯t seen any ways leading down yet, and this place just keeps going and going, I can¡¯t even see the end yet¡­¡±


    Looking around while her skeletons finish killing a giant centipede thing that had tried to ambush them, Bug tries to figure out where it is that they are supposed to be heading. Up above, the lights that are flowing in though the canopy start to slowly dim and darken.


    ¡°Why is it getting dark?¡±


    //Killed lvl 11 Arthropleura¨C 37 exp gained!


    Mmm, ya, ya, more exp. Still need like four thousand for my next one now. The necessary exp per Level-up just keeps getting higher and higher. I don¡¯t think I am going to be able to get very many Levels here¡­


    Checking her clock, Bug sees that it is getting closer to time for the Dungeon to close. It is almost nighttime.


    ¡°Does the Dungeon mimic day and night in this area? It didn¡¯t do that on the first four floors¡­ huh.¡±


    After watching the strange phenomenon for a little while, Bug eventually gets everyone moving after raising the giant centipede.


    Or Arthropleura¡­ weird name. Why not just call it Giant Centipede?


    Walking along, the light continues to dim further and further as the shadows of the giant trees become deeper, swallowing up whole sections of the forest in darkness. The singing of the colorful birds soon gets replaced with the chittering of large bats darting through the air as they hunt equally large flying insects. The most horrible of which are the giant mosquitoes that are bigger than your hand... Thankfully, the bats seem to love eating those the most.


    ¡°Going to get dark soon¡­ I¡¯m going to need light.¡±


    Digging into her inventory, Bug takes out a torch she found in a human¡¯s pack and looks it over.


    ¡°How do I¡­ Uh, how do I make fire? This flint stuff is described as being useful for making fire, but I don¡¯t know how to do that¡­¡±


    I could just get the Fire Making skill or the Knowledge, How to Start Fires for Fledgling Arsonists, but even if they are just both one point, I would prefer to not spend my points on stuff that I can probably just earn on my own¡­


    Mmmm, what about the item store?


    Going into the store, Bug searches for ¡®fire¡¯ and finds a few different items. A flint and steel, a magnesium fire starter rod, bottles of oil, something called napalm that has a bunch of scary warning labels on it, there are manuals on how to start fires that Bug could read, and even a magic lighter among other items.


    Sitting down on the back of the mean girl skeleton, Bug considers her options and grimaces as she sees her points.


    I haven¡¯t been selling very much stuff lately and I am either keeping bodies for parts or raising them as new minions instead of selling them. This magic lighter would take almost everything I have left. Or I could get a how-to manual and then buy the stuff I need, but even then, I would probably end up using up most of my points¡­


    Hah¡­ I¡¯m never going to get that bed I want, am I?


    ¡°Mmmmhmm¡­ what to do¡­ If I get the manual, will I be done reading it before it gets dark? Will I even be able to figure out how to light a torch? It would be a lot easier if¡­ What¡¯s that?¡±


    Off in the distance, Bug sees some lights moving around.


    ¡°Hey, Sam, lift me up really quick! As high as you can go!¡±


    Walking over, Sam lowers himself to one knee and helps Bug climb up him until she is standing on his shoulders. Standing up, Bug has to grab hold of his horns to keep from falling off as she is raised into the air.


    With her feet getting cold from standing on his ice-covered body, Bug quickly looks to where she saw the lights and squints at them.


    ¡°It looks like¡­ Humans! Yes! I can just ask the humans how! I¡¯ll have them teach me how to make fire and tell me about this place. And if they don¡¯t, I¡¯ll kill them. Perfect!¡±


    Being as far away as they are, Bug would have never noticed them if it were not for the light of their torches moving though the shadows of the great trees. A coincidence that they will probably soon come to regret¡­


    Hopping down from Sam¡¯s shoulders and feeling excited, Bug looks around for a path that will lead to the humans. Running along the branches with her army of over a hundred skeletons in tow, she tries to keep the humans in sight lest she end up losing them.


    Eventually, as Bug climbs to a slightly elevated branch, Bug sees the humans hurry into the body of a nearby tree and disappear inside. The last light of their torches can be spotted from the windows on the side of the tree before vanishing somewhere deeper inside.


    ¡°Hmm, looks like that path over their will bring me towards them. I should be able to make it before the light sets. But I gotta hurry. Come on guys, I''m going to go say hello!¡±

 Chapter 9.1- Adventurers

    ¡°The map says that the Safe Room should be right up ahead, just around the corner here.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Hannah, good job leading us this far.¡±


    ¡°Haha, no problem, boss. It¡¯s what you hired me on for after all.¡±


    Heading a bit deeper into the tree¡¯s interior, the Adventurer Party, the Three Scarves, does indeed find the Safe Room just like their hired Guide said they would. Heading inside and letting some of the tension from traveling through dangerous territory finally drop away, they all get to work on setting up camp for the night.


    ¡°Hey, Jakub, you¡¯re on cooking duty today. Sam, you¡¯re on dishes.¡± Max calls out as everyone is dropping their packs and stretching.


    Sam lets out an annoyed noise and calls out, ¡°Uahh, why do I have to do the dishes!?¡±


    ¡°Because you almost made us late this morning before we fought the first boss. Now we¡¯re getting here just as the light is setting, when we should have been here with time to spare.¡± Max snaps back.


    ¡°Hey, I said I was sorry, but I had to take a shit.¡±


    Hannah is blushing off to the side as she works on getting her sleeping role set up. Jakub just laughs next to the eternally burning hearth that can be found in every Safe Room. Setting out some pots and bowls, he says jokingly, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you at least say that in a slightly more lady-like manner, Sam? We do have Hannah here with us after all.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Please, lady-like my ass. I¡¯m more man than you and Max put together. And besides, Hannah is an adventurer like the rest of us. I¡¯m sure that she hears plenty of rude stuff all the time.¡±


    Hannah just pretends to ignore them as she tries to focus on setting up her area. Sam, seeing this, lets out a laugh, but decides to leave her alone. Max has already gotten on her ass to not mess with the Guide too much, and she doesn¡¯t want to piss him off. At least not for now. He¡¯s fun to piss off, but the Dungeon isn¡¯t exactly the best place for doing that.


    Max, finding himself a place to sit, gets his sword out and starts working on maintenance while Jakub and Sam bullshit by the hearth. ¡°If your guy¡¯s gear needs some work, bring it over and I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    Hannah speaks up at this, ¡°Is there anything that I can do?¡±


    ¡°Hm? No, you¡¯re good. Just relax for the night. We hired you on to read maps and keep us from getting lost. Not to work the camp or anything else. We can handle that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok¡­ Um, I¡¯ll just do some reading then. Let me know if there is anything I can help with.¡±


    ¡°You could help me with the dishes later. Ouch, haha sorry!¡± Sam laughs as she rubs at where Max had just chucked a cork from a bottle at her.


    ¡°Ignore her, Hannah. You just read your book and take it easy.¡±


    Getting comfortable on her bed roll, Hannah nods her head and proceeds to dig out her book. It is a thick thing that goes over the history of these lands and its surrounding nations. It isn¡¯t the most entertaining of reads, but for long trips into the Dungeon, it helps to have something to do during your down time.


    Off to the side, Sam and Jakub continue to bullshit as Max works on sharpening his sword with a wet stone.


    Flipping the pages to pick back up where she had left off on last time, Hannah gets to reading by the light of the hearth as everyone else works. Getting a few pages in and trying not to get to bored by the flat and drawling writings of the historian that wrote this book, Hannah raises her head away from the pages to rub at her eyes under her glasses. In the corner of her vision, she sees someone walk into the entry way of the Safe Room, stopping a few feet in.


    Hannah has to blink a couple of times as the figure stands there. She is very short, about the size of a child, but her face doesn¡¯t seem like one that you''d see on a little girl. Her features are too defined, and she is lacking the baby fat of a little girl. Hannah''s first thoughts go to that of a female Dwarf or a Hobbit. An uncommon sight around these parts, but one that is still recognizable by most.


    Those thought are thrown aside when her eyes find the spiked horns that are growing out from the girl''s head. They arch forward from her temples out of a mess of black and grey hair that pools over her shoulders, before going up and then back over her head like a black crown of bone and thorn. Even stranger yet, adorning the sides of her head and peeking out from the mess that is her hair, is a pair of long fluffy ears that twitch as the girl looks around the Safe Room''s interior, taking in everything that she can see with her emerald-green eyes.


    Part of Hannah is whispering to her that she should play with the ears. They look very fluffy and soft¡­ She is quick to squash those thoughts.


    The rest of the girl¡¯s body from the chin down cannot be seen beneath a thick scaled cloak that is striped in greens and blacks. Even her feet are obscured beyond the shadows of the cloak, making it almost seem as if she had floated into the room.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Hannah is quick to realize that she isn¡¯t the only one that had spotted the intruder. Jakub has stopped where he was cutting meat for the soup. Sam is already reaching for her battle axe. And Max is slowly setting aside an oiled rag, his grip on his sword tightening as he readies to spring to his feet.


    The mysterious girl¡¯s emerald-green eyes scan over everyone from where she stands, a weird feeling of being¡­ weighed, judged, evaluated? The feeling fills everyone and makes Hannah shudder a little as she tightens her hold on her book, ready to throw the heavy thing if she must. Some part of her mind is screaming that this girl is dangerous, like being cornered by a Sabretooth Tiger that is trying to decide between playing with or eating its food. But either way, you are still the food...


    The girl gives a smile, her mouth showing perfectly straight pearly whites and sharp little canines. And then, most surprisingly of all, she speaks.


    ¡°Hello! Ah, I finally found you guys, hahaha~! I was really worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up with you after the lights went out. I was bumping around in the halls until I saw the light coming from this room. Thank goodness! Hahaha!¡± She says with a joyful and full smile, her voice like a bell ringing softly in the wind, soothing to the ears and pleasant to listen to like that of a songstress in a King''s court.


    Sam¡¯s hand finds her battle axe, and she moves to stand and say something, but she is stopped as Max raises a hand, his eyes refusing to leave the girl.


    ¡°Who, or what, are you? And what are you doing here?¡± He asks, a weight to his words like he is seconds away from attacking.


    The girl seems unperturbed by this and keeps a little smile on her face as she gives everyone one last look over. Her green eyes eventually settle on Max, and she speaks.


    ¡°My name is Bug, nice to meet you. And I am here because I saw your lights. It is dark outside after all.¡±


    ¡°Bug? You said that you were trying to catch up with us, why were you following us?¡±


    ¡°I just said, it is getting dark out. I don¡¯t have a light, but you guys do.¡±


    ¡°Besides light, why else are you here. Are you here to fight? Planning on robbing us?¡±


    This just makes the girl smile more, her fluffy ears wiggling with her apparent happiness. Sam shifts, ready to charge the horned girl, but stops as those green eyes shift to her. A bead of sweat rolls down her forehead as she stares at the girl named Bug, and Bug stares back.


    Max whispers something to her that Hannah can¡¯t here from her corner of the room, but Sam responds for everyone else to hear. She is the closest to Bug right now.


    ¡°She is a mage. I can feel her Field. Not a strong one, but enough to be felt from here. I don¡¯t recognize the element, but it feels dangerous¡­¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Jakub curses quietly.


    Bug tilts her head at this, ¡°Now, now, no need to worry about me. As long as you don¡¯t attack me first, I won¡¯t attack you. Like I said, I just came here because I saw your lights.¡±


    ¡°Well, you found us, now leave. We got to this Safe Room first and we aren¡¯t sharing it with¡­ whatever you are.¡± Max says.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just rude. But fine, I don¡¯t need to share a room with you. Instead, could you help me out by answering some questions real quick? It would be a big help.¡± The mysterious girl asks sweetly.


    Max narrows his eyes, weighing over his options before finally answering. ¡°What do want to know? As long as we can answer it, we will, but if you take one more step into this room, we will attack you. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine. Then first, can you tell me about this part of the Dungeon? I am sort of lost... Am I supposed to just keep walking, or am I supposed to find a way to get to the lower branches?¡±


    Max tilts his head at such a weird question, but answers it none the less. ¡°You are supposed to head down to the lower floors, or branches, until you reach the ground.¡±


    ¡°Is that where the second boss is?¡±


    Again, Max seems taken aback by this, but he just nods. ¡°Yes¡­ What are you doing in the second layer if you don¡¯t even know that?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Well, obviously I am trying to get deeper into the Dungeon, no? So, what is the boss? And what is the second layer, I thought I was on the sixth floor?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ok¡­ You really don¡¯t know anything about the Dungeon, do you? Uhm, the second boss is a giant poisonous spider that makes its nest in the entry way to the third layer, or the eleventh floor. The layers are what we call segments of the Dungeon. The first five floors are layer one. This forest, down to the ground level, floor 10, is the second layer. Each layer of the Dungeon is different and has different challenges.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Like what?


    ¡°Uh, well, the first layer is all just beginner stuff really. Gremlins and Goblins. Nothing crazy or complicated. The second is where the Dungeon starts to get hard. There are ambushes, poison, and the risk of falling¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the third?¡±


    ¡°It is a series of flooded caverns. You have to use rafts to get around. Now, I answered your questions, what are you? Tell me. You can¡¯t be a monster, because you are in the Safe Room, so what are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh! So that¡¯s why it is called a Safe Room¡­ Because the monsters can¡¯t get in. Interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°Oi, what are you? Answer the question!¡± Sam demands.


    Bug gives a frown towards Sam, but eventually relents, tilting her head in thought, her eyes look to the wall before eventually returning to Max.


    ¡°I¡¯m a person.¡± She answers cutely.


    ¡°No shit, I¡¯m asking what you are. Your face looks human, but we obviously don¡¯t have horns or ears like yours.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s one of those Demi-Human things?¡± Sam tries.


    ¡°This far into our lands? She would have been hunted down, forget even getting into the city.¡± Jakub counters.


    Bug speaks over them. ¡°I know I look like this, but my magic lets me change my form.¡±


    Jakub gawks. ¡°What? What kind of magic would let you turn into this?¡±


    ¡°Rude¡­¡±


    Hannah speaks up from where she is tucked in the back of the room, grabbing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Are you a Body Mage? You use Body magics, right?¡±


    Everyone turns slightly to glance at Hannah, but refuse to remove Bug from their sights. Bug herself looks towards Hannah with a smile, but says nothing. Hannah can¡¯t help it as a blush comes across her face. She can¡¯t remove her eyes from Bug¡¯s as they shine like emeralds in the dancing lights of the hearth.


    ¡°Hannah, what¡¯s a Body Mage? I¡¯ve never heard of one before.¡± Max asks.


    Hannah tries to focus on the question, but is a bit distracted as Bug continues to watch her, she eventually manages to work the words out of her mouth and answers. ¡°They uhm, they are mages that use a very rare type of magic to enhance and change their own bodies. There isn¡¯t very much written about them, at least not in any books that I could find outside of some museums, but from what I know, they are very powerful and are basically immortal. Supposedly, even if you cut their head off, they will just grow a new one¡­¡±


    A bead of sweat runs down Max¡¯s face as he shifts his attention fully back to Bug. ¡°You a Body Mage? Like she said?¡±

 Chapter 9.2- Adventurers

    Bug finally removes her eyes from Hannah and looks back to Max, ¡°I use Body magic, yes.¡±


    Almost as if to accentuate the point, her scaled cloak parts some as two pairs of arms reveal themselves. Each arm is covered in striped black and grey fur that stops before her elbows, leading up to scales that look the same as the ones that covers her cloak. Resting at the ends of her four arms are scaled hands adorned with a series of sharpened black claws. The arms slowly return back into the cloak after letting everyone get a good look, though the rest of her body remains as a hidden mystery.


    Hannah can see as the gears turn in everyone¡¯s heads. Questioning if they could take her in a fight or not. They eventually settle on probably not as the answer. This Bug person showed up alone, is looking calm despite being outnumbered, and is supposedly a user of a rare type of magic that may or may not make her immortal...


    Or, she could be lying. But the risk isn¡¯t worth it¡­


    Bug eventually speaks up again and breaks the silence.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me about the Dungeon, I feel more confident about exploring it now. I just had one more request, if you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°What would that be¡­?¡± Max asks nervously.


    ¡°How do you make fire? I don¡¯t know how to light a torch.¡±


    ¡­


    Everyone goes silent for a while before Sam has to let out a snort of a laugh. ¡°You serious?¡±


    Bug just nods, ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know how. Can you teach me?¡±


    Sam just laughs a bit, her guard lowering slightly, ¡°Haha, you are quite the weird little person, aren¡¯t you? How do you go your whole life without knowing how to light a fire?¡±


    ¡°Sam!¡± Max reprimands, but Sam just waves him down. ¡°Relax Max, if she was going to attack us, she would have done it already. Plus, I can feel it. She¡¯s much more dangerous than we are. And as long as we don¡¯t give her a reason, she won¡¯t attack us, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said earlier¡­ Just don¡¯t call me little.¡± Bug says, looking a litt- a bit irritated.


    ¡°Hahaha, sorry, sorry. Ok, I¡¯ll tell you how to light a fire, but then you have to leave, alright? Us adventurers don¡¯t do so well around strangers this deep in the Dungeon, understand?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll leave afterwards. I noticed some stairs in this tree earlier. I¡¯m guessing that is the way down, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup, that leads to floor seven. But will you be fine when the Mana Wave comes?¡±


    ¡°The Mana Wave¡­? Oh, the restock. Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine. It doesn¡¯t bother me any.¡±


    Jakub lets out a light curse and says, ¡°Shit, she really is stronger than us¡­¡±


    Bug¡¯s eyes shift to Jakub, and he clarifies. ¡°We can¡¯t take the wave yet. Last time I tried, I was puking my guts out and couldn¡¯t move right for a couple hours.¡±


    Bug doesn¡¯t comment but nods her head, seemingly in understanding. Returning her attention to Sam, she just asks, ¡°Fire?¡±


    ¡°Ok, so¡­ I don¡¯t see a pack on you, but do you have a torch with you? Or the stuff to make one?¡±


    ¡°I have a torch.¡± Bug says as one of her hands withdraws from her scaled cloak with a torch in hand.


    Hannah¡¯s eyes widen at that.


    She had a torch under there? Was it hanging inside of her cloak or something?


    ¡°Do you have a flint and steel?¡±


    ¡°I have flint¡­ But I¡¯m not sure about the steel part.¡± She says as she withdraws another hand with a shard of flint.


    ¡°You can use a dagger or even some types of rocks as the steel. Just clack them together to make a spark.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have a dagger¡­ So, I just hit them together?¡± Bug asks as she pulls out a third arm and starts hitting the flint and the dagger together.


    ¡°No, no, not like that. Hold on, let me dig mine out¡­ It¡¯s like this. See how it makes sparks? Just make the sparks land on your torch¡¯s head. And try not to damage your dagger.¡±


    Bug watches closely from her spot at the entrance while everyone else watches her curiously. Thankfully, she still hasn¡¯t tried to come any closer, just like she said she wouldn¡¯t. Nodding her head, she eventually gives it a try herself, and after a few failed attempts, manages to make a spark. A smile spreads on her face and her delight is clear to see as her ears wiggle. Trying again, this time she tries to light the torch, but regardless of how the sparks hit it, the torch refuses to light.


    ¡°Not working¡­¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Do you have oil on it? The torch. You can also use tree sap and animal fats as a fuel.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oil? Umm, one second¡­¡±


    Bugs eyes move to the side as she seems to be looking at something, after a few moments of silence, she eventually nods and then brings her forth arm out with a bottle of oil in her hand, removing the cork with her teeth, Bug pours some on the torch until Sam says that it is enough. Recorking the bottle and returning it under her cloak, Bug tries to light the torch again, and this time, she succeeds.


    Looking a little startled, she reels back as the flame ignites and her torch comes to life. A smile spreads across her face as she looks at the fire, and Hannah notices as Bug¡¯s eyes look down to the corner, her smile getting even brighter.


    ¡°I did it! Thank you!¡± Bug cheers happily.


    Sam just lets out a nervous breath of a laugh and says, ¡°No problem. You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Max calls out and gets her attention. ¡°Ok, you know how to start fires now. Congratulations. Now, please be on your way. We would rather not fight.¡±


    Bug just gives him a happy smile, ¡°Yup, no problem. I just have to say, it is so great finally meeting some people that actually answer my questions. Every other time, I¡¯ve had to kill everyone, hahaha! Thanks, and good luck in the Dungeon!¡±


    Bug turns after dropping those ominous words and leaves with a skip in her step, waving one hand goodbye as the others return her items back to wherever she is keeping them under her cloak. She makes hardly any noises as she walks away, the light of her torch eventually vanishing and the darkness returning to the hallway outside.


    ¡­


    Jakub eventually breaks the silence a moment later as he drops the cut chunks of meat into the pot of boiling water. ¡°I think we just avoided getting murdered¡­¡±


    Sam lets out a half-laugh, ¡°Haha, yeah, no shit¡­ Max?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, were sleeping in rotations tonight. Just in case she comes back. Hannah, any ideas on how to deal with a Body Mage? Just in case we have to fight her later.¡±


    Hannah just shakes her head, ¡°I have no idea. Everything I have read about Body Mages is about them being on battle fields tearing through armies with their bare hands. They¡¯re berserkers that don¡¯t feel pain or fear, and just regrow any damage that you deal them. But, they¡¯re rare. Only pop up from time to time and always leave a mountain of corpses in their wake.¡±


    ¡°The stories don¡¯t say anything about them dying?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Well, there was one that I read, in the Historical Museum of Sarataga, they had a record covering the subject wherein one died in combat, but everything about how it happened and who they were fighting was redacted. Best I can guess is that they pissed off an Immortal or someone incredibly dangerous and got themself killed¡­¡±


    ¡°Great¡­ Alright, while we are down here, if we see her again, we head in the other direction. I don¡¯t care if we have to take the long way around, we keep our distance. Got it?¡±


    Everyone nods and then tries to get back to what they were doing, but Hannah keeps finding it hard to focus on her history book. Her mind keeps wanting to go back to thinking about Bug and how weird that meeting was¡­ But also, she can¡¯t stop thinking about how Bug had really pretty eyes. That beautiful shade of green...


    <hr>


    Bright and early in the morning, Jakub goes around the camp and kicks everyone awake, rousing them from their short sleeps.


    Last night, everyone had slept in shifts, even Hannah despite everyone saying she didn¡¯t need to, to stay watch in case of the mysterious Body Mage returning. Thankfully, their extra care was not necessary, as the girl had not once returned to the room after leaving.


    Eating some leftovers from last night¡¯s dinner with some hard bread, everyone gets ready to resume their trek into the Dungeon.


    As Hannah is washing her face in the water of the fountain by the wall, Max, Sam, and Jakub discuss their plans for today.


    ¡°Alright, it took us two days to reach this point. I would like for us to reach the eighth floor before the end of today. There, we can focus on gathering materials before breaking for camp, and then in the morning, more gathering before then starting our return trip. Remember to keep an eye out for any mana shards, mandrake, and golden feathered warblers. Those are our money makers down here.¡±


    Finishing washing her face, Hannah joins everyone else and asks, ¡°What if we run into Bug again?¡±


    Jakub tilts his head, ¡°Bugs? There are ants, but they don¡¯t show up till the nineth floor. We aren¡¯t going that-¡°


    ¡°No, the girl from yesterday. She said her name is Bug. What if we run into her again?¡±


    Max speaks up to answer. ¡°We try to avoid her. And if that isn¡¯t possible, we try to peacefully get rid of her. I don¡¯t like our chances of fighting her, not without most of us dying in the process anyways. There is just something¡­ dangerous about her.¡±


    ¡°She feels like death. Like walking on a battlefield full of corpses.¡± Sam adds.


    ¡°Ah, so keep an eye out for her. She can¡¯t be trusted.¡±


    ¡­


    Sorting through some last details and getting the camp taken apart, everyone gets their packs made and their gear fitted before meeting up at the entrance to the Safe Room. Peeking outside, the light of a new day in the Dungeon is flowing in through the windows grown in the sides of the tree.


    There are no signs of the girl.


    ¡°Hannah, which way to the stairs?¡±


    ¡°Just down the hall and to the right. It¡¯s nearby.¡±


    ¡°Ok, everyone be careful. She went this direction, so be on the lookout in case of an ambush.¡±


    Carefully making their way through, the adventurers eventually find the stairs and then begin their descent. Unlike the first layer, the stairs here are weird in that they aren¡¯t just a straight staircase but are instead a long vertical shaft that stretches up and down for a great distance with the stairs wrapping around the sides with an opening in the middle. Thankfully, for most of the distance down, the stairs have railings to keep people from falling down the shaft.


    The distance between floors is already enough to make the prospect of jumping between floors almost unthinkable for most people, so by the time that they reach the bottom of the shaft and emerge on the seventh floor, Hannah is already winded by the descent.


    ¡°Hah, haah¡­ I am not looking forward to the climb back up¡­¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t your first time coming this deep, right?¡± Jakub asks.


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. I¡¯ve been down here before with a couple of other parties. I¡¯m just not as physically gifted as the rest of you. Hah¡­¡±


    Sam just laughs, ¡°Then you should work out more, hahaha! Maybe learn to swing around an axe instead of reading books.¡±


    Max just grimaces and pats Hannah on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. Sam has more muscle than Jakub and I put together. If you get as big as her, you¡¯ll never find a husband. You¡¯re just fine the way you are, trust me.¡±


    ¡°Oi, I¡¯ll have you know that I get plenty of dick. In fact, the night before we entered the Dungeon I had me this cute little freshy.¡± Sam says with a hungry smile.


    ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t drag him away after a few too many drinks¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha! Fuck you, Max. I don¡¯t need booze to get me some fun. Haha!¡±


    As they bicker back and forth, Hannah can¡¯t help but to smile and watch them.


    Well, I certainly don¡¯t want to end up all muscular like her, but I have to admit that she is good looking.


    ¡­

 Chapter 9.3- Adventurers

    Arriving at the exit to the tree, the party steps out to the branch.


    ¡°Hannah?¡±


    ¡°Yup, if we follow this branch for a while, we will eventually reach another one that we can climb down to on our left. It is a bit of a short cut. From there, it is almost a straight shot to the next staircase.¡±


    ¡°Got it, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    With Max leading the way, they walk on for some distance. Along the way, they find a number of bloody puddles and signs of fighting, but no corpses. Feathers here, bits of flesh there, maybe a broken claw or two and some bone fragments, some torn leaves and scratched-up bark. But never a body.


    ¡°You guys think that Bug girl did this?¡±


    ¡°She is the only other person in the area that we know of. I¡¯m not sure how many other parties are in in this layer, so, probably. Great¡­ keep an eye out in case she is nearby.¡±


    While everyone is looking around, Hannah is examining some of the bloodstained feathers. ¡°Where are the bodies?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? No idea, maybe she threw them over the side of the branch when she was done with them?¡± Sam offers.


    Hmm, I don¡¯t see any signs of her dragging or moving the bodies though¡­ How did she get rid of them?


    While Hannah is thinking this over, Jakub pipes in. ¡°There sure are a lot of feathers here. Did she go and piss off all the birds or something?


    ¡°Oh, uhm, the Birds of Paradise are known to hunt halfling races and children. With her small size, they probably mistook her as prey. Normally, they just leave most adventurers alone, as they don¡¯t usually attack a full-grown person unless antagonized.¡± Hannah informs him.


    ¡°Oh, sucks to be her I guess¡­¡±


    Looking around, there are certainly not as many of the colorful birds flying around as there usually is.


    Sam looks over the mess and comments, ¡°From the mess she left behind, she must have fought of a whole flock of them¡­ Easily over a dozen. Hard to imagine someone doing this by themself¡­¡±


    Clapping his hands together, Max gets everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Alright, focus guys. Come on, let¡¯s get moving. Hannah, thanks for the info. If we need to, maybe we can use this against that girl if we end up fighting. Draw her near a bunch of birds and run while she is distracted¡­¡±


    Continuing on their way, they find more and more blood stains and still no bodies. After a couple of hours of walking and drawing closer to where their turn is, they are forced to come to a stop as they find a little figure sitting on a leaf, just ahead of their path.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Jakub curses.


    On the side of her head, one of her fluffy ears twitches and she turns to look at the party of adventurers. Recognition fills her eyes, and a smile grows on her face. Reaching one of her arms out, she waves to the group.


    ¡°Hey, hello again!¡±


    Max turns to Hannah and quickly asks, ¡°If we double back now, is there a-¡°


    Hannah interrupts him as she is watching how Bug¡¯s ears are twitching and moving.


    ¡°Shhh, she can hear us.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Max turns and look towards Bug, who simply returns an even bigger smile. ¡°Yes, I can hear you! Come on over so I don¡¯t have to yell! I don¡¯t bite!¡±


    Everyone looks to each other nervously. Should they run and risk antagonizing the mysterious girl? Or should they risk it and try to talk their way out of this? The plan was originally to avoid her at all costs, but now it is a bit too late for that. They¡¯ve been spotted, and if they try to run away, there is no guarantee that she won¡¯t take that as a reason to chase them down and attack them.


    Max has to stop himself from nervously swallowing as Bug watches in the distance. ¡°Well, uhm, I guess we should go say hello and see what she wants¡­¡±


    The group hardens their resolve and moves to approach. As they draw near, Max, Sam, and Jakub can¡¯t help but tighten their grips on their sheathed weapons, ready to pull them out at a moment¡¯s notice. Hannah just nervously follows from behind, her hands gripping her backpack¡¯s straps as she is ready to turn and run as soon as any fighting breaks out.


    Bug is just all smiles as they approach. On top of her leaf, she is sitting comfortably on a bed roll and some blankets with food spread out before her in some bowls, nuts and berries with deer jerky, while she sips from a steaming bowl of soup with some hard bread for dipping.


    As Bug eats her food with two hands, she happily waves to the adventurers as they draw near with a third. Her fourth arm is relaxing on her scale coated thighs as she is sitting cross legged, her green and black scaled cloak laying open and hanging from her back, draping off the edge of the leaf behind her like a cape.


    She is wearing a green cotton shirt, grey cotton shorts, and a form fitting leather chest guard. Hannah looks her over from behind the safety of her party member''s backs.


    Despite Hannah¡¯s initial concerns that she might find some inhuman creature beneath that cloak, Bug¡¯s body is actually very much human in appearance, giving much credence to her initial assumptions of Bug being originally a Dwarf of a Hobbit, or perhaps even a very tall Gnome. Regardless, besides the extra pair of arms, her body shape is very much human, even down to her legs that end with perfectly shaped feet and cute little toes. A bit too perfect though. They are the kind of feet that you would expect to see on Nobles or rich merchants. The kind that has worn the best shoes since infancy and have never seen a day of fieldwork or suffered through a harsh winter. Despite this, Bug¡¯s body doesn¡¯t suggest a lazy life of luxury, but of instead one of strength and purpose. Her arms and legs, and what can be gleamed through her figure under her clothes, is a healthy body of muscle and fats that seems to have developed in exactly the right way to make her body perfect in form, function, and appearance. Almost as if her body had been sculpted to look as perfect as possible by a higher power. Her thighs and rear are full, her stomach is tight, and while strong, her arms are thin and almost dainty in appearance with slender fingers and soft looking palms.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Overall, her form is amazing, like that of a warrior and a dancer mixed in perfect union, contrary to how most halfling races, like the Dwarves, tend to be stocky and thick. If she were to be a couple feet taller, she could easily be considered as the ideal body shape for most human woman. The inhuman parts of her, the scales and claws, the horns that tops her head like a Queens crown, they add more than they take, the scales in particular only seem to accentuate the curves of her thighs as they reflect the light and seem to almost glow with some kind of magic. In a single word, she is beautiful¡­


    ...


    So, it¡¯s not just her arms that have scales and fur, but also her legs. I wonder if the rest of her body is covered in scales?


    Looking her over, Hannah¡¯s eyes can¡¯t help but to land on Bug¡¯s chest.


    Goddess, for someone so short, she has some big breasts¡­


    Bug¡¯s head snaps to look towards Hannah, who quickly turns to look away, her face turning crimson as she hopes that she didn¡¯t just get caught staring. Turning to peek back at Bug, she sees Bug put down her bowl of hot soup as two of her arms move to pull her scaled cloak around her front, hiding her body.


    ¡°I don¡¯t much like being looked at.¡± Bug says at Hannah, a slight threat in her voice.


    Max turns to look back at Hannah before quickly turning back to Bug. ¡°Apologies. Uhm, our friend here is just a scholarly type and was probably just interested in your Body Magic. I¡¯m sure she meant no harm. Right?¡± He asks over his shoulder.


    ¡°Uh, umm, right. Yes, sorry! I¡¯ve never seen a Body Mage before, so I was just interested in the changes that you made to your body. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Bug hums as she extends an arm from her cloak to retrieve her bowl of soup and drinks from it. It is still hot, and steam is even visibly coming off of it.


    Huh? How does she have hot soup? She doesn¡¯t have a fire or even a cooking pot out here.


    Bug continues to watch Hannah with skeptical eyes as she drinks from her soup, eventually, she turns her attention back to Max and shrugs.


    ¡°Fine. So. Where are you hu- people going?¡±


    ¡°We uh, are working on getting to the next floor¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Bug turns her head, her ears twitching, and looks down the direction that the adventurers were heading, further past her leaf. ¡°So, the stairs to the next floor are this way, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are¡­¡±


    ¡°You been to the lower floors before?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, no. No, this is our first time heading deeper than the sixth floor.¡±


    ¡°But yet you know where to go and how to get to there. How?¡± Bug asks with a slight tilt of her head, her eyes moving slowly over everyone and slightly unnerving them.


    Max swallows back his words as Bug looks over the group, her gaze eventually settling on Hannah in the back. Everyone shifts slightly to block her, but Bug doesn¡¯t move from her spot. Instead, she simply drinks from her soup until it is empty.


    ¡°Haaah¡­ That tasted good~¡±


    Pulling the bowl under her cloak, Bug picks up a piece of jerky to chew on as she looks Hannah over.


    ¡°Hmm, so it¡¯s you that knows how to get to the lower floors then?¡±


    Hannah feels the urge to back up, but she forces herself to stop. If she runs, that might just tempt Bug into chasing her. Depending on how much she wants what Hannah has, murder might even be possible. People have killed for less in the Dungeon before¡­


    ¡°I uh, yes, I do. I¡¯ve been as far as the nineth floor before.¡±


    Bug tilts her head to the other side inquisitively, seemingly confused. ¡°How is it that you have been to the lower floors, but they haven¡¯t, when you are clearly weaker than these three?¡±


    ¡°You can tell how strong we are?¡± Hannah asks.


    ¡°Yes. You are about the same as some of the people I¡¯ve seen on the first couple floors. And these three are about the same as the strongest group I had seen up there so far, but these three are easily twice your strength.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, I¡¯m a Guide¡­ I don¡¯t participate in fights. My job is to guide parties down safe paths, disarm traps, read maps, provide information about different creatures¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why¡­ Hey, could you guide me to the lower floors? I am trying to get the next boss, and I would like to get there quickly.¡± Bug asks nicely, her voice sounding like she is asking a friend for a simple favor.


    ¡°I¡­ I, I uhm¡­¡±


    Max cuts in by stepping further in front of Hannah, blocking Bug''s view of the nervous girl. ¡°She is currently signed on with us. I¡¯m sorry, but she is already paid for.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Ah! So, people pay for your services then- Uh, what was your name again?¡±


    ¡°Hannah¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hannah! So, if I pay for you to guide me, then will you?¡± Bug asks again with a pleasant smile.


    ¡°Mhr¡­ Like Max said, I am currently working for them¡­¡± Hannah responds from behind Max, like a child being offered candy by a stranger, becoming more and more certain that she is about to be kidnapped.


    ¡°Hmmmmm¡­¡­ But you guys are also heading to the lower floors, right?¡± Bug asks Max as she tilts her head ever so slightly to the side again, her fluffy ears twitching a bit as her eyes narrow a little and her smiling face takes on a slightly darker expression.


    Max can¡¯t help but take half a step back. ¡°W-we are only heading down to the eighth floor to do some gathering. Then we are heading back up top¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, I would really recommend against doing that.¡± She says as her smile grows, exposing her perfectly straight white teeth and her sharp canines that are noticeably longer than most people¡¯s, almost as if they are ready and waiting a chance to sink into someone¡¯s soft neck.


    Everyone finds themselves taking a step back at that, with Max slowly working up his next question. Is this where she is going to give her demands? What is she going to ask for? Will she tell them to hand over Hannah?


    ¡°Why would you recommend against it?¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t know then? Honestly, I was pretty surprised when you didn¡¯t mention it at the Safe Room. It is sort of a big deal.¡±


    Max can¡¯t help but turn his head at this. Even Hannah is curious about it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know about what?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Undead of course. What else would it be?¡± Bug asks as if she is asking a question so obvious that it shouldn''t even need to be spoken.


    ¡°Undead! What!?¡± Max asks in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah. The first four floors are currently filled with Undead and highly poisonous mushrooms. For the past two days, everything up there has been dead. You didn¡¯t run into any before facing the first boss?¡±


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t. How could there possibly be Undead in the Dungeon. The nearest Dungeon with Undead is months away and is sealed by the Church.¡±


    Hannah calls out while peeking out from behind Max, ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be lying¡­ How could there be Undead. We just entered the Dungeon two days ago and there were no signs of any.¡±


    ¡°A necromancer is in the Dungeon. Might have come in after you guys did. They spent quite a while killing and raising everything on the first layer to delay their pursuers, so you probably just never ran into them.¡±


    ¡°How would you know that there is a necromancer here? Who are they?¡± Max asks.


    ¡°They have a bounty on their head. Some woman that pissed off a Noble girl by killing her guards. Last I heard, the bounty was ten gold coins.¡± Bug says with disinterest, like the bounty is below her.


    Jakub can¡¯t help but curse at this. ¡°Ten gold! That¡¯s almost enough to retire on!¡±


    Max raises his hand and waves for Jakub to calm down.


    ¡°So, if the Undead are on the first layer, then why are you down here? Shouldn¡¯t you be searching for the necromancer?¡±


    ¡°She is not up there anymore. I have seen wild Undead down here already. But not as many as the on the first layer. She is probably trying to get deeper into the Dungeon to get away from her pursuers. With the first layer turned into a death trap, she has gotten herself a window of safety to make some distance.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re hunting her?¡±


    Bug just simply throws another piece of jerky in her mouth and smiles.

 Chapter 9.4- Adventurers

    ¡°So, about using your guide? It would be a big help.¡±


    Max turns and looks to everyone else, getting back some silent responses and looks, he looks back to Bug.


    ¡°Let us discuss this privately?¡±


    Bug shrugs. ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯m still eating my meal after all.¡±


    ¡°Alright, were going to talk over there¡­¡±


    The group turning to leave, they nervously watch Bug as they walk away from her, but she doesn¡¯t move from her spot on the leaf. Instead, she just continues to munch on her food.


    Once they are far enough away, they huddle up and whisper quietly, wary of Bug eavesdropping with her surprising sense of hearing.


    ¡°Ok, what are the chances that she is lying?¡± Sam starts.


    ¡°Pretty high, but at the same time, low. If the first layer is full of Undead like she says, then it would be easy to check, but also time consuming.¡± Max answers.


    ¡°And assuming that there are Undead up there?¡± Adds Jakub.


    Hannah pipes in, ¡°Then we would be risking our lives. Undead are relentless and they don¡¯t stay down unless they are completely destroyed. Not only that, but it only takes one getting loose to potentially end a city¡­ Which is where it gets even worse for us¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, if there are Undead flooding the Dungeon, then the Guild Master should be following lockdown procedures¡­ They can¡¯t risk an infestation. Which means that no one will be coming in to clear the Dungeon until they can get an extermination force put together.¡±


    ¡°But if we can manage to reach the entrance by fighting our way out, then they¡¯ll let us out, right?¡± Jakub asks her.


    ¡°¡­ Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on how bad it is at the entrance. We need to remember that this Dungeon doesn¡¯t spawn Undead, it spawns living monsters. An Undead Dungeon will only ever spawn up to a certain number per floor. Even the people that die in an Undead Dungeon won¡¯t be raised as more Undead. They just get eaten by the Dungeon. But, that isn¡¯t the case with this one¡­¡±


    Hannah swallows nervously before continuing, but realization is already on everyone else¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Every day, the Dungeon restocks its floors with the Mana Wave. And every day, the Undead are up there killing everything. And almost everything that gets killed by the Undead will be raised as more¡­ And this will happen every day. The numbers going up with every Mana Wave until it gets to the point that the Undead have nowhere else to go; except to leave the Dungeon and flood into the city¡­¡±


    ¡°Hannah, what¡¯s are chances of us fighting our way out?¡± Max asks nervously.


    ¡°If the first layer has been full of Undead for two days now, like she said, then that is already about two or three times the normal monster density per floor. And the Undead don¡¯t fight like normal monsters. They swarm like rabid animals and don¡¯t stop even as you hack them apart. We would be bogged down for the entire layer, and I am no help in a fight¡­¡±


    Sam cuts in, ¡°Didn¡¯t she mention something about poisonous mushrooms?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, there is that to¡­ Considering that it was a necromancer that is spreading them, they can¡¯t be anything good. We would have to ask Bug about them.¡±


    ¡°Assuming that she isn¡¯t lying.¡± Says Jakub.


    Max cuts back in, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think she was. At least she didn¡¯t seem like she was lying, or she is just really good at it. Plus, what about when we first met her?¡±


    ¡°Mh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°She followed us and had us cornered in the Safe Room. And the entire time, it looked like she was checking us over. Maybe she was checking if any of us was the necromancer?¡±


    ¡°And what? Her not knowing how to light a torch was what? A way to stall for time or something?¡± Jakub asks incredulously.


    Sam says with a shrug, ¡°She did have everything she needed for lighting one. Plus, who honestly doesn¡¯t know how to light a torch? Even kids know how to do it.¡±


    Max continues. ¡°Ok, we will need to ask her for more proof, but for now, I think it is best that we assume that the first layer has fallen. Which means that getting out of the Dungeon is our new priority. How do we do it?¡±


    Hannah raises her hand a bit, ¡°If we can¡¯t make it out through the entrance, then our only way out is to use the teleporter on the tenth floor.¡±


    ¡°Only problem is that we would have to beat the second boss to use it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Wonderful¡­ So, it is either we fight our way out through several floors of Undead, or¡­¡±


    Everyone turns to look back towards Bug who has finished eating her food and is now doing some stretches on her leaf.


    Max sighs. ¡°Let¡¯s go and talk with her...¡±


    The party breaks their circle of whispers and walks cautiously back towards Bug. She quickly notices them, simply acknowledging them with a look before resuming her stretches.


    By the time they get back to her leaf, Bug has herself in the splits and is bending forward, reaching for her toes with her torso practically parallel to the floor.


    Sam can¡¯t help but whistle as she walks over, ¡°Damn girl, you are flexible! Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Mmmm, thanks.¡± Bug says as she works through the burn in her muscles.


    She really is¡­ Hannah thinks to herself as she watches Bug shift her posture to bend her herself forward between her split legs, stopping as her chest presses against the surface of the leaf, her body now like the letter ¡®T.¡±


    Bug turns her head, her eyes snapping to Hannah. ¡°Stop watching me. For some reason, your gaze feels¡­ different.¡±


    Hannah looks away, trying to hide a blush as Bug lifts herself with four arms and brings her legs together to sit cross-legged. Pulling her scaled cloak back around her body, Bug gives everyone a look, her eyes lingering on Hannah for a short while before eventually returning to settle on Max.


    ¡°So, have you decided?¡±


    ¡°We would like to ask you some things first?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Well, first, can you prove that there are Undead in the Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t believe me?¡± Bug asks with a little grin on her face.


    ¡°Not necessarily, no. But it does seem a bit too convenient.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Fair enough. Earlier, I did say that there are already Undead in this layer. Wild things left behind by the necromancer. You are bound to run into them eventually. I¡¯m pretty sure that there should be a giant tree frog zombie around here somewhere¡­ darn thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright then, next question. Why are you heading for the second boss? If the necromancer is here, then shouldn¡¯t you be searching for her here?¡±


    Bug looks around at the massive forest that expands further than she can see. In the distance, a waterfall is dropping thousands of gallons of water from somewhere up above, a rainbow is shining from the light passing through its mist.


    ¡°This place is huge. She could be anywhere. But I have a feeling that she is planning on heading deeper into the Dungeon. In order to get away from her pursuers. And if I can get there first?¡±


    Max finishes the thought. ¡°Then you can set a trap instead of wasting your time searching and possibly missing her¡­¡±


    Bug simply returns a smile and doesn¡¯t say another word.


    Max thinks for a bit and then nods. ¡°Ok, next. Can you beat the second boss?¡±


    Bug just shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ve never even seen the boss, but if it is anywhere near as easy as that big boar was, then it shouldn¡¯t be an issue. Tell me about the boss some more, you said it was a giant spider, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve never fought it either, obviously, but from what we have heard, it is a giant spider that makes its nest in the center of the tenth floor, right above the stairs leading to the next layer.¡±


    ¡°What can it do?¡±


    Max looks to Hannah, and she takes over, finally having gotten her blushing back under control in this serious situation.


    ¡°It is called the Brood Mother Black Widow. It can use spider webs to restrain targets, spit poison, and all ten of its legs are bladed. Besides that, is also its bite and the paralytic stinger on its abdomen. It is well armored, but its eyes are a weak spot, and heavy enough blows can break its armor.¡±


    Bug nods as she listens to Hannah list off some details. Before looking back to Max, seemingly prompting him to continue. But before he can, Hannah asks a question.


    ¡°You mentioned some poisoned mushrooms in the first layer. What is that about and can you describe them for me?¡±


    Bug looks back to Hannah and thinks for a second before answering. ¡°They are about as tall as me and some as tall as you. Their flesh is like a rainbow of colors, and they have frilly parts that hang and flow in the wind. They also have this poisonous oil that drips off of them and smells really nice. Last I saw, they had filled the second floor and started spreading into the third, probably also the first and maybe the fourth by now¡­¡±


    Hannah has a scared look on her face now, and she shakes as she asks, ¡°And the necromancer is the one that spread them?¡±


    ¡°Most likely.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is not good¡­ That is not good at all!¡±


    Max turns to her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong Hannah?¡±


    ¡°If it is what I think it is, those mushrooms might be the Deathly Walking Fungus¡­ Did they grow on the creatures up there as well?¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Bug nods. ¡°Yes, the Undead had them growing all over them. Looked like walking mushroom people.¡±


    Hannah turns to Max, her face pale as a sheet of paper. ¡°We NEED to get out of the Dungeon as quickly as we can. Now!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, they¡¯re just mushrooms.¡± Says Sam.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter!? Do you know about the scorched lands to the south-east? About what happened there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­? Place is always on fire for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Those mushrooms are the reason! Three neighboring kingdoms were swallowed up by those mushrooms in a plague, when one king had the BRILLIANT idea of using them as a biological weapon on his neighbors! The mushrooms got spread further by animals, monsters, birds, and any idiot dumb enough to eat them. In just a couple of years, the mushrooms had covered the lands, and their capitals were consumed, the people that couldn¡¯t get away, reduced to walking blights that spread spores with their every breath!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ So, why is it the scorched lands now?¡± Asks a nervous Jakub.


    ¡°An Immortal. Everyone in the surrounding lands was panicking, and the only thing that seemed to be effective was fire. The Church eventually managed to hire an Immortal to take care of it, and their answer was to burn it all away. Three kingdoms went up in flames, and a day later, the mushrooms were all burned away. The only problem though is that the land is still burning even to this day, almost seven hundred years later¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Bug asks a question next, startling everyone as they had almost forgotten about her as she was sitting quietly on her leaf, happily listening to Hannah''s story.


    ¡°Where did the king get the mushrooms from?¡±


    ¡°Nobody really knows¡­ Any documents related to how he got them were most likely destroyed in the fires long ago, but a popular theory is that he got them from a wandering merchant that sold them as a solution to his problems. They actually wrote a children¡¯s book about it, supposed to teach some moral lessons about not trusting shady people that offer you easy solutions, because it will probably just turn around and become a problem for you later as well.¡±


    Sam whispers in the back, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of this book before.¡±


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t know how to read.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t either, Max!¡±


    Bug and Hannah just ignore them for now, both thinking different things about the story and about how the knowledge within applies to them. Eventually, Bug speaks up again. ¡°Well, luckily, I haven¡¯t seen any of the mushrooms here in second layer yet. I¡¯m not sure if they can get past the first boss room to spread down here¡­¡± She looks to Hannah, who just shakes her head no.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good then¡­ Problem is that the necromancer could decide to spread more of the mushrooms down here. Like say¡­ before entering the second boss room? If I was her, that would be a good way of wiping out any pursuers that managed to chase her this far. If they don¡¯t make it to the second boss fast enough to catch up, they will have the mushrooms in front of them, blocking their path¡­¡±


    Hannah picks up after Bug, completing the thought as everyone listens in shock. ¡°And even if they tried to escape back up to the first layer, they would have more mushrooms and the Undead blocking their way out¡­¡±


    Max curses, ¡°Shit! We''re boxed in!¡±


    Bug gives him a smile. ¡°Not yet. Not if I, or we, can get to the boss first, that is. Might I remind you that the necromancer doesn¡¯t have a guide.¡± Bug says pointedly, her eyes on Hannah. ¡°With your help, we could get there first and make it to the third layer.¡±


    ¡°Why not just ambush her before the second boss?¡± Jakub asks.


    Bug looks to the others, seeing if they will answer for her. Hannah eventually comes to the answer and speaks. ¡°Because on the tenth floor, the necromancer has little reason to not use her mushrooms against us! She is planning on spreading the mushrooms there anyways, but at the top of the third layer? Unless the necromancer is immune to the mushrooms, she won¡¯t want to risk it. She¡¯ll be getting chased by her own mushrooms as she tries to clear floors eleven through twenty on her own¡­ So, it is much safer to face her after the boss by setting a trap for her.¡±


    Sam pipes in. ¡°Plus, she¡¯ll probably be tired after taking on the boss. It might even take out some of her Undead for us and make our fight easier.¡±


    Max and Jakub look to Sam before then looking back to Bug who is still sitting comfy on her leaf. Max eventual works up the courage to ask, ¡°Assuming that you would be willing to accept our help, for a split of the bounty, of course¡­¡±


    Bug looks off to the left for a little bit as she considers the offer. Eventually, she answers. ¡°Fine. I am willing to spit the bounty evenly. That means two gold per person. Or four if we take her alive that is, since it is double for live capture.¡±


    Hannah pipes in. ¡°Considering the threat the necromancer poses to the nation; I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the bounty has gone up. If those on the surface discover the mushrooms and are busy keeping the Undead from escaping, then the king of Sil will probably increase it. Not to mention the Church.¡±


    Max, Sam, and Jakub all look to each other and nervously swallow as the potential couple of gold coins each, just multiplied into small piles of gold in their minds. Their adventurer hearts filling with greed at the promise of wealth and a life of comfort and fun.


    Turning to Bug, Max asks. ¡°And you¡¯re fine with splitting the bounty evenly? Equal shares for everyone?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, yes. I don¡¯t have too much of a need for the money. So long as you help me, I don¡¯t mind splitting it evenly. Hannah can help by guiding us to the boss, and you three can help with fighting and keeping the Undead occupied. I¡¯ll handle the Necromancer. Seems like a fair deal, yes?¡±


    Everyone looks to each other and nods as Bug smiles, thoughts of an early retirement from adventuring in their minds, and plans for their futures held in their hearts.


    Max, seeing that everyone is in agreement, nods and turns back to Bug, reaching out his hand he says, ¡°It a deal then.¡±


    Bug looks at the offered hand curiously for a second before finally reaching out to grab it. Shaking hands, they part with Bug looking at the palm of her hand curiously.


    Hannah asks her, ¡°Everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m just not used to people touching me. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Pulling her arm back under her cloak, Bug stands and then gets to work on folding up her blankets and sleeping roll. Somehow tucking them into her cloak one after the other as they disappear inside. Her cloak doesn¡¯t even bulge as more items are brought inside.


    Hannah can¡¯t help but watch in amazement as the items disappear, as her party discusses plans behind her, not even watching.


    Is her cloak a magic item? I read of rings and bags that can store many items, but it is always legendary individuals, hero¡¯s, and rulers of empires that have them¡­ How would this woman have one? I¡¯ve never heard about anyone famous named Bug, let alone someone that looks like she does¡­ Hmm, although, being a Body Mage, her appearance might just be a disguise, and Bug? That has to be a fake name. Is she a traveler from a faraway land? Ahh¡­. I want to ask her all about herself, but if I am right, then I doubt that I will get any answers¡­ I probably shouldn¡¯t ask about the cloak either. If it is as valuable as I think it is, she will probably be very guarded about it and might not like having me poking around¡­


    Bug looks over to Hannah as she finishes packing away her stuff. Standing on the leaf, she is almost to the same height as Hannah now. Looking each other in the eyes, Bug says, ¡°I don¡¯t like being looked at¡­¡±


    Walking forward, Bug alights from the leaf, leaving it waving in the air as she walks past Hannah and down further along the branch. She stops and turns a short distance away as she watches Hannah and waits for everyone to get moving.


    Mhh, she is definitely very perceptive. As for the cloak, I don¡¯t think that it would be a good idea to tell the others. They had good recommendations from the Guild, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I can trust them to not try and steal something as valuable as a storage artifact while in the Dungeon. Adventurers are adventurers, no matter how good of people they seemingly are¡­ And if they fail to kill her and take it, then Bug would probably kill all of us for trying, myself included. And even if they succeed? They might end up killing me to keep my mouth shut. After all, I¡¯m not actually a part of their party¡­


    Standing off on the sidelines, Hannah watches as Max and his friends finishes talking and then move to join Bug. The sight of them all standing together would almost be comical ¨C considering that Bug is half everyone¡¯s size- but because she can probably rip them all apart with her bare hands if she gets pissed, it is far from a joking matter right now.


    Max smiles to Bug and she returns the smile. ¡°Well, looks like we will be working together for the time being then. Glad to have you, Bug. Now, let¡¯s hurry up and get to the second boss, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Max and Bug turn to Hannah, the question obvious and unspoken.


    ¡°Just a little further. You see the branch that is crossing just under ours, further ahead? We¡¯ll have to climb down to that one, and then it will be a straight shot to the stairs from there.


    With directions given, Max and his party take the lead as Hannah follows them. Bug remains a bit off to the side, not wanting to walk in front of or behind the party. And though everyone is curious about her, she remains silent as she follows along, her scaled cloak pulled tight around her body and shining in the light that pours down from the canopy far above, her head from the chin up being the only part of her body that is visible.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Gremlin


    Class ¨C Little Bodily Horror


    Level ¨C 25


    EXP ¨C 15/5000


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 270/270


    Stamina ¨C 90/90


    Mana ¨C 304/304 [Total = 470] [-166 From Control Upkeep]


    Vitality ¨C 45 [+1 From Equipment]


    Endurance ¨C 30


    Strength - 27


    Dexterity - 47


    Magic - 47


    Intelligence - 47


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    Well, this certainly makes for a fun change of pace. Hahaha. Who would have thought that all I had to do was change my appearance a little bit and suddenly, the humans can¡¯t even tell that I am a Gremlin anymore. Even the smart girl doesn¡¯t seem to suspect me. They just think that I am human that went too far with the Body magic or something. My legs and feet still feel a little awkward from changing them to be like a human''s, but it was worth it so I can blend in better. Just wish that I didn¡¯t have to keep my tail tucked in my shorts¡­ Might have to pick up Grow Tail here soon so I can change how it looks or shrink it into a knub. The less that I look like a Gremlin, the better¡­


    Bug glances towards the humans while she walks a short distance beside them. Her eyes inevitably landing back on the Level 3 smart girl.


    It would be nice if she would stop staring at me though¡­ Most of the time, it feels like she is looking at something interesting, like she wants to study me or take me apart or something. But sometimes¡­ usually when I don¡¯t have my wings wrapped around me, it feels like she is looking at me in a different way, almost like those mobs that wanted to touch me¡­ It makes me want to cover myself. I feel like this is yet another reason why it is good to wear clothing. Thank you so much Redacted, for that first gift¡­


    Sending another look towards the girl to get her to stop staring, because that seems to work for the most part so far, Bug eventually gets tired of walking in silence and decides to throw a question at the girl.


    ¡°Hey, Hannah, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, uhm, yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why do you wear that thing on your face?¡±


    ¡°What? You mean my glasses?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why do you wear them? What do they do?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uhm, my eyesight isn¡¯t very good, so I wear these so I can see better. Without them, everything is blurry, and I can only see things that are close.¡±


    ¡°That can happen!? Is that some kind of sickness or something? A curse?¡±


    ¡°No, it just happens for some people. It doesn¡¯t help that I spend a lot of time reading by candlelight¡­¡±


    ¡°And these glasses help you see? Can I see them?¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure? Just don¡¯t break them. They are expensive and I need them¡­¡±


    Bug walks closer and extends a hand to receive them. Watching Hannah, she notices as she starts to squint as she looks around, her hands gripping her clothes nervously as Bug handles the glasses.


    Putting them on, Bug looks through them and reels back as her eyes try to compensate to the suddenly blurry vision of distant trees. Taking them off in a hurry, the others laugh as they watch, probably already knowing what was going to happen.


    Bug just quickly returns the thing to Hannah, who happily puts them back on.


    ¡°How is that supposed to make your vision better? It just made everything hurt to look at.¡± Bug asks as she rubs at her eyes.


    ¡°They only work for people that need them. For people that have good eyesight, they just make your vision worse.¡±


    ¡°Are they magic?¡±


    ¡°No, they aren¡¯t. It¡¯s the curvature of the glass. Depending on how it is shaped, it adjusts what you are seeing and can help correct your vision. Only specialized craftsmen know how to make them though, so they are expensive.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    Bug looks up at her and at the glasses as she thinks.


    I could steal them, but I don¡¯t think it would be worth much to me. Could I sell them? She said they are expensive, but I don¡¯t even know who I would sell them to or for how much¡­ Would have to leave the Dungeon first anyways. I wonder how much they would be worth in the Point Store? Meh, if it comes down to a fight with these humans, I can always just break them so she can¡¯t see. Even if she is only Level 3, I already learned not to underestimate a human just because of their Level.


    ¡­


    On the subject of eyes though, I really don¡¯t like the idea of mine going bad. Plus, what if an attack takes my eyes? Getting blinded in a fight wouldn¡¯t be good... Was saving up to get Body Modification, so I can finally grow taller, but I think I¡¯ll get Grow Eyes first¡­ There we go, that¡¯s all my points spent again, but at least now I can heal and regrow eyes if I need to. Plus, this spell is one of the necessary ones for getting Grow Head, and I need that one¡­ Not going to grow any extra eyes though. Having more than two would just be weird¡­ Regardless, I can use it to enhance my eyes, so I¡¯ll do that later when I have some time.


    Hannah had looked away, blushing for some reason, as Bug was staring at her face. Looking at the smart girl¡¯s eyes, Bug notes that they are a brown with rings of green around them. They match nicely with her curly brown hair.


    I could also use it on her and heal her eyes, if I wanted to¡­


    Hannah looks back down at Bug again, a weird blush on her face still for some reason as she nervously returns Bug''s stares. Bug gives her a glare before looking away and making some space between her and the humans.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it when people stare at me.¡±


    ¡°Ah! But its ok for you to stare at me!?¡±


    ¡°I was looking at your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Eeh!¡± Hannah squeaks out as she turns away, her blush coming back again stronger for some reason as she looks away from Bug.


    Weird human¡­ Maybe instead of healing her eyes, I¡¯ll just grown a foot on her forehead¡­

 Chapter 10.1- Welcome to the Jungle

    ¡°Ah, I hate these damn birds! Leave me alone already!¡± Bug curses as she takes a step back to dodge a diving bird that is trying to peck at her head as it flies by.


    Lashing out from under her cloak, Bug grows out her claws into sword like blades and reduces the bird to ribbons and a cloud of colorful feathers before it can even flap it wings to fly away. The strike is so quick that before everyone can even blink, her arm is already hidden away under her cloak again.


    Max and Sam share a look, before the giant woman eventually breaks the quiet with a laugh. ¡°Haha, your pretty fast, huh? I could hardly see that attack¡­¡±


    Bug looks to her and shrugs as she steps over the corpse of the bird, kicking its head aside. ¡°I focus a lot on my dexterity.¡±


    Giving a quick look towards the corpse, Bug feels some regrets.


    It¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t store it, but I¡¯m pretty sure they would freak out if I started making corpses disappear. Plus, Hannah keeps watching me when I put stuff away under my wings¡­ The less they know, the better. At least I am still certain that they think my wings are just a cloak. Best to not let them learn too much¡­


    ¡°So, what kind of training do you do? Some kind of martial arts maybe?¡± Sam continues to ask.


    ¡°Hm? No, I don¡¯t do training. I just kill stuff and get stronger.¡± Bug answers truthfully.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re one of those types. You ever fight on any battlefields, maybe do some mercenary work?¡±


    Bug looks over to Sam and tilts her head. Scouring through her limited knowledge of the outside world, Bug manages to come to a simple but reasonable answer.


    ¡°Do you honestly think that they would hire someone that looks like me? Normally, people point weapons at me before I can even introduce myself.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Haha, ya uh, good point. Sorry¡­ So then how did you- ¡°


    ¡°I just wander around and fight. Chance saw me to this Dungeon, and now I am here. That is all.¡± Bug says pointedly, her tone making it clear that she will not be answering anymore questions on this subject.


    ¡°So¡­ I shouldn¡¯t ask where you¡¯re from?¡±


    Bug turns and stares at Sam without saying a word. Walking up behind her, Max reaches up and smacks Sam in the back of the head.


    ¡°Stop digging. We¡¯re working together now, and we don¡¯t need you pissing her off. We got gold and our lives on the line here.¡± Max reprimands, but it feels a bit hollow.


    Hmm, as long as I didn¡¯t get mad, he probably would have let her keep asking questions. Not too hard to guess that they want to know more about me, and they clearly still don¡¯t trust me¡­ Not surprising.


    Looking away from Sam, Bug casts her eyes over everyone, noticing as Jakub shifts a little and his hand quivers in a halted motion towards the handle of his dagger. Bug pretends not to have noticed and moves on.


    Walking along in awkward silence for a while, Hannah eventually points out one of the flowers and directs everyone to avoid it. ¡°That one is a snatcher. Give it some room and don¡¯t step on the vines.¡±


    As everyone moves to walk around the gigantic flower, Bug asks Hannah a question. ¡°How do you tell them apart? The carnivorous ones?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uhm, if you look at the edges of the flower petals you can see some bulges where the teeth are stored while they wait for prey. Also, the ones with the vines will try to grab your legs if you step on them, but you can tell them apart by the purple leaves and thorns on the vines.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Looking closely at the flower, it takes a second, but Bug does eventually find the bulges that Hannah mentioned. Trying to Identify the flower just gets the same result as last time, with it showing as being no different than the other flowers around it.


    Maybe if I finally Level-up Identify, it might be able to tell them apart. The only problem is that I have had this skill for a while now, but it still hasn¡¯t gone up in Level yet. No matter how much I use it¡­ Such an annoying skill.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Bug nods as she stares warily at the flower. Taking a step away from the thing, she says. ¡°Thank you, Hannah.¡± And then walks off. Further up ahead is their destination, the branch leading towards an opening in another tree, where the next set of stairs down should be located.


    Hannah just blinks from the surprise, not expecting Bug to thank her for such simple knowledge. ¡°Uh, you¡¯re welcome¡­¡±


    Hannah follows along a short distance behind Bug, the others sending a curious look back at the two stranglers. Bug just pretends to not notice that she has someone walking right behind her as she catches up with everyone else and returns to hanging out off to the side, away from everyone else.


    Inside the tree, the interior is similar to, but yet also different in some ways to the other trees¡¯ interiors.


    Why the heck do they all look like this. You would think that they would all look the same on the inside or something¡­ Wait, I¡¯ll just ask the smart girl. Maybe she knows?


    Turning around as everyone walks through the halls of the massive tree, Bug asks, ¡°Hey Hannah. Why do the insides of the trees look like this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uhhh¡­ Nobody really knows for certain.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°But, uhm. A popular theory is that the trees grew over and subsumed some ancient civilization''s buildings some millennia ago, and then remained in the shape of those buildings after the original material disappeared. So now, all that is left is the trees.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ But then why is it underground?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, again, the leading theory is that the Dungeons are responsible for dragging those ancient cities underground, or that the Dungeons were born from these remains. This is supported by the fact that every recorded Dungeon so far has a layer similar to this one with these trees.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­ Thanks.¡±


    Ancient civilization huh¡­ neat. I wonder what it was like back then. They must have really like building tall houses¡­


    Still looking towards Hannah, which for some reason has the weird girl blushing again, Bug sees some plant bulbs on the wall twitching towards Hannah who isn¡¯t looking where she is going. The head of one of the bulbs opens lightly, a needle with purple liquid coating it, sticking out of the opening.


    Widening her eyes in surprise, Bug dashes forward and grabs Hannah by the arm, yanking her forward as she lets out a scream that irritates Bug¡¯s sensitive ears. The others shout something as they turn around and draw their weapons, but Bug ignores them as she watches the plant bulbs spit out their needles towards her and Hannah.


    Pulling Hannah behind her body as she screams, Bug draws her other three arms out and smacks aside as many of the flying needles as she can.


    They fly forward in clusters, several fired per pod, and while Bug manages to swat aside most of them, plenty still manage to make their way through, pinging against the scales of her winged cloak or against her scaled arms. Some manage to stick to the palms of her hands, the purple fluids mixing with her blood.


    ¡°Hannah! Are you ok!? Bug what are you¨C!" Max screams as Sam is looking like she is about to jump towards Bug with her axe. But they stop as they see Hannah hiding behind Bug''s little back, and Bug¡¯s posture clearly looking defensive and not aimed towards them. They come to a grinding halt as they realize that Bug is not attacking them.


    Looking to where Bug is glaring, Max finds the plant bulbs and calls out, ¡°Poison dart traps. Sam, break it before it can fire again!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    Sam rushes forward and jumps up to the corner of the wall where the bulbs are growing. Swinging her battle-axe in midair, she buries it into the side of the wall and crushes the cluster of bulbs with one blow.


    ¡°Is Hannah ok!?¡± Max asks in a hurry.


    Bug looks behind her and checks the girl over, but doesn¡¯t find any of the needles.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡±


    Hannah slowly pulls herself up and looks to where the bulbs were. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my job to be looking for traps like that, did anyone get-¡°


    She stops as she looks down at Bug and finds her pulling needles out of her palms with her teeth before spitting them out with globs of blood.


    ¡°Bug! You got hit! Are you ok!? Max, we need one of the antidotes, quickly!¡±


    Max hesitates before reaching for his bag, but Bug just say, ¡°Don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m immune to the poison.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, immune?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Bug answers casually before yanking out another bloody needle.


    Finishing pulling the last needle out, Bug activate Become Weapon and pushes her palms to rapidly heal. Licking some of the blood off her hands, Bug show a palm to Hannah, it is completely unharmed and just a bit stained red.


    Looking down at her notifications, Bug reads the pop-ups.


    //Warning! You have been poisoned!


    //Notice: Poison is well below your Level of Resistance. All damage has been negated.


    //Notice: The poison has been neutralized successfully. You are no longer poisoned.


    I guess that the plants here aren¡¯t using Deadly Poisons, so my resistance is more than enough for this layer probably. Still, I should play it safe¡­


    ¡°Uh, uhm¡­ Bug?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± Bug asks as she looks up at Hannah. For some reason, she is blushing again as she looks down between them.


    What is up with this weird human?


    ¡°Uhm¡­ You¡¯re still holding my arm¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Bug looks down and sees that she is indeed still holding her arm with one of her hands. Bug just blinks a couple of times at the sight of it, but eventually lets go and returns her arm beneath her wing cloak.


    ¡°Thank¡­ Thanks for saving me. I should have been watching for traps instead of getting distracted like that¡­ Thanks-¡°


    Bug walks away and returns to her normal spot aside from the rest of the party, ignoring the weird girl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s just hurry to the stairs...¡±


    The others move over to Hannah as they stow away their weapons and fret over her for a bit as Bug waits off to the side.


    They were ready to attack me in order to protect her. But they were also smart enough to realize what was happening before they made a mistake. They¡¯re definitely better than some of the other humans I¡¯ve met so far¡­


    Looking over the humans, Bug catches Hannah looking at her again, so she gives her a frown and looks away.


    Weird human¡­

 Chapter 10.2- Welcome to the Jungle

    //You have now entered Floor ¨C 8.


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 6 Goblin ¨C 16 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Goblin ¨C 14 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 3 Goblin ¨C 10 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 5 Goblin ¨C 14 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 1 Gremlin ¨C 5 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 3 Goblin ¨C 10 exp gained!


    //Killed lvl 4 Goblin ¨C 12 exp gained!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    And it finally stopped for the day... Not even enough experience to get me one Level-up anymore and I am pretty sure that I just wiped out almost everything in the first layer again. Feels like less kills than last time though¡­ Kill notifications have been coming in all day, but I imagine that quite a few of the mobs up there have been killed by the wild Undead. Mmm, today is probably the last day that I will get any experience from my mushrooms upstairs. A shame, but I¡¯ll make do down here. The important thing is that the mushrooms and Undead should help keep any bounty hunters from following me for a while.


    Standing out on the branches of the eighth floor, Bug looks around but notes that, despite being lower, everything mostly looks the same as it had up above. At the very least, there are less birds down this far, as they seem to reside mostly on the higher branches, but instead, there are now other critters roaming about.


    Off on a distant tree branch, Bug watches as a giant snake is busy swallowing one of those giant tree frogs. She has to hold down a shiver as some part of her instincts reel back at the sight of the snake.


    Dumb instincts. I¡¯m not some prey or a mouse. Why should I be afraid of a snake? Even if it is big enough to swallow me whole¡­ Ok, you know what, that is pretty scary. Never mind¡­


    ¡°Bug, you ok?¡± Asks Hannah.


    Bug turns to look to her, the girl had been busily catching her breath after climbing down the flight of stairs, and everyone had been waiting on her. Bug just points to the snake in the distance and doesn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Huh? What is that?¡± Hannah asks as she squints behind her glasses.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a snake. Titanoboa, I think. What is it eating?¡±


    ¡°A frog.¡±


    Hannah just looks down to Bug before turning back to the snake in the distance again. ¡°Wow, you have really good eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°I used my magic to enhance my vision earlier while we were waiting. If I focus, I can see further now¡­ Titanoboa, are there a lot of them down here?¡±


    ¡°Hm, no. This far down, they are sort of the apex predators. They¡¯re the biggest things we¡¯ll find on this floor, but that also means that they are few in number.¡±


    ¡°Are they strong?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it usually takes a full party to take one on. It is dangerous to fight one alone, because they will wrap you up and constrict you. Plus, they are highly venomous and have thick scales.¡±


    ¡°Right, thanks.¡±


    Watching the snake for a while longer as it swallows the frog, Bug gets to see as it yawns and snaps its jaw back into place. Tasting the air some, the snake honestly looks pretty satisfied after its meal and has sleepy eyes. As Bug is about to look away from the snake, she notices it snap its head upwards in surprise.


    Looking up to see what is happening, Bug gawks as a bunch of creatures are falling from one of the upper branches and are plummeting down towards the massive snake. Among the creatures is a bunch of those giant centipede, and other big bugs, a whole flock of birds, and most notably, a frog.


    Examining the creatures, they are all rather rotten and bloodied up. Many are missing limbs or are practically nothing but bones. And what takes Bug by surprise the most is that the frog is definitely the same one that had ate her flyer. And she knows this, because her flyer is still trying it darndest to claw its way out of its mouth, even as the frog falls through the sky and lands on top of the snake like a freaking comet.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The scene over their quickly turns to chaos as the snake tries to get the Undead things off of its body, but they just keep attacking it with wild abandon.


    Bug isn¡¯t the only one that notices this, as Hannah is even watching with awestruck surprise.


    Bug pops her lips and says, ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°What isn¡¯t good? What is happening over there?¡± Hannah asks.


    ¡°Undead. All of those things are zombies.¡±


    ¡°Oh no¡­ That really isn¡¯t good. Max! We need to go! Now!¡±


    Max turns around from where he is chatting with his teammates and looks to Bug and Hannah curiously. ¡°What is it. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Hannah points, ¡°Undead just came down from the floor above us. We need to move.¡±


    Bug pipes in, ¡°The necromancer is probably close by. If we aren¡¯t quick, we might be the ones getting ambushed instead.¡±


    Max runs over to them and squints as he watches the distant snake fight for its life, but it is quickly weakening.


    ¡°Crap¡­ Hannah, what¡¯s our quickest route to the next floor?¡±


    ¡°I have three routes we can take, two of them will take us about six hours to get there depending on fights.¡±


    ¡°What about the third?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the quickest route at only two hours, but it takes us straight through a nest.¡±


    ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°Monkeys¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Bug, if we had to fight an ambush from the necromancer with your help, what do you think our chances are right now?¡±


    Bug tilts her head for a bit to think, shrugs, and then points towards the snake. It is dead now, and as everyone is watching, it slowly gets back up and slithers away with the rest of the horde that had jumped it. Bug watches as her flyer desperately flaps its wings but can¡¯t get away, eventually disappearing along with the frog into the distance.


    ¡°Do you think that you guys could have fought that snake?¡±


    Max grits his teeth and frowns, looking back to Sam and Jakub, they shrug. ¡°Maybe. It would be a hard fight.¡±


    ¡°Well, that snake just got taken out in an ambush, and the necromancer wasn¡¯t even there. If we get jumped, and she is there, I¡¯ll have to handle her while you guys keep the Undead occupied¡­ and well¡­ You saw what happened to the snake.¡±


    ¡°You''re right¡­ We need to fight her on our own terms. Get the advantage from being the ones springing the ambush.¡±


    Bug just nods without saying anything else, glad that the wild Undead had made such a timely appearance.


    With this, they should be even more certain that I am on their side now. This should make things easier.


    Max turns to Hannah after looking to his friends and getting nods in return. ¡°Ok Hannah. Lead us down the quickest route. We should be able to handle some monkeys, especially with Bug here. We need to hurry, so we will be skipping our next break.¡±


    ¡°Got it, just know that the monkey nest is dangerous. Most people prefer to avoid them¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can handle it. Alright, let¡¯s go guys!¡±


    With Max leading the way, and Hannah giving direction, they all set off at a quick pace towards the next floor. Following from behind, Bug can¡¯t help but smile as she looks up towards the upper floors. In some areas she can see as the wild Undead continue fighting and spreading their curse up above, her enhanced eyes watching as her flying flocks of zombie birds continue to decimate the local wildlife on her orders and leaving behind countless corpses in their wake.


    The mushrooms may have stopped being a valuable source of exp in the first layer, but I still have this entire layer to squeeze dry for Levels. And when I leave this layer behind, I¡¯ll fill it with mushrooms too.


    Bug looks down, back towards the adventurers. Hannah is peeking over her shoulder at Bug, but she is quick to look away when Bug catches her looking. Bug just smiles at their backs.


    In the meantime, I¡¯m going to keep having fun playing adventurer with these humans.


    <hr>


    A monster house, nests, ambush spots, clusterfucks, etc. The adventurers have a lot of words for these places in the Dungeons, but in the end, what they are, is very simple. It can be a trapped room, a short cut, a dead-end, or even just a random hallway that suddenly gets filled with monsters, but in the end, they are all the same. It¡¯s a place in the Dungeon that has a shit load of monsters for the express purpose of overwhelming adventurers with sheer numbers.


    One such place is currently right before Bug and the party, and it is very obvious about what it is.


    From what Hannah was more than happy to teach Bug, nests like these start to appear as soon as the first floor, with maybe a small mana shard as the prize to lure in adventurers to fight against upwards of a dozen Gremlins, seemingly intended as a learning experience for new adventurers on what to expect deeper in.


    Well, I definitely experienced a couple of those rooms. That¡¯s where I got some of my first crystals¡­


    Bug directs her attention back to Hannah as everyone else preps to go through the obvious trap.


    ¡°The deeper you get into the Dungeon, the more dangerous the nests will get. They also won¡¯t be anywhere near as obvious as this one. You might walk into a seemingly empty room, only to have dozens of monsters drop down from the ceiling. In fact, I read of one story about a swordsman that was the only survivor of a particularly nasty one.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°He was a more experienced adventurer working with a new team that had somehow managed to recruit him, even though he was planning on retiring. Well, with his help, they had managed to push much further into the Dungeon than they had ever before. And during their delve, one of the party members had found an empty room with a single chest sitting in the middle. The party celebrated and ran into the room to claim the treasure, even as he had tried to stop them. Before he could get them to leave the room, one the guys in the part tried to open the chest, and that activated the trap. The room sealed shut with all of them trapped inside. Then, stone golems started to teleport into the room. The party and the swordsman tried to fight them off, but they just kept teleporting in until the room was practically filled. The party was quickly overwhelmed with the swordsman being unable to save any of them¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what happened to the swordsman?¡±


    ¡°He survived. He continued fighting for hours until the golems stopped teleporting in. Once the room was cleared, the door opened, and he was free to leave. He retired from adventuring shortly after and the author wrote that the swordsman spent most of his time in a tavern, finding solace in the bottom of a bottle after that¡­ Supposedly, he was in love with one of the girls in the party, which is why he even joined them in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Jakub walks over and cuts in as he checks over his many knives and daggers. ¡°I heard that one before. I¡¯ve always been of the opinion that he led them into the trap and that it is all a lie. Stuff like that happens all the time. Assholes find a rich kid and trick them into the Dungeon, pretending to be friends. Then, ¡®Oh no, we ran into a trap, and he died. Boohoo¡­¡¯ And then to no one''s surprise, they come back a bit richer and with some extra gear to sell.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the story is a lie. At the end, the swordsman seemed really remorseful, and there was no mention of him selling his parties gear afterwards.¡±


    Jakub shrugs. ¡°He was good at acting and just hid the stuff to sell later. Or, he had someone help him out. Besides, how would a single swordsman survive against a roomful of stone golems for hours. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to remind you, but stone golems are made out of, stone. Swords don¡¯t usually work very well against them.¡±


    Max walk over with his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate a real swordsman. Sure, I can¡¯t cut through stone yet, but there are some real monsters out there. You hear about them all the time, cutting through men in full plate armor like they are made of butter. I even met a mercenary once that could supposedly cut through both a man and his horse with a single swing from his great sword and even fought off a hundred men single handedly.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like bullshit to me.¡± Jakub tells him.


    Max just shrugs. ¡°Might be, but there was no way in hell that I was going to call him out on it. He seriously looked like he could do it, and I was more than willing to believe it.¡±


    ¡°What was in the chest?¡± Bug asks.


    Hannah turns back to her, a bit surprised, but is quick to realize what Bug is asking.


    ¡°Oh, uhm. The chest had an enchanted top hat that apparently helps make the wearer feel more confident and helps them be more persuasive when talking with others.¡±


    ¡°Huh, cool hat.¡±

 Chapter 10.3- Welcome to the Jungle

    As Max and Jakub are finishing up on bullshitting about stories they had heard. Sam finishes checking over her gear and interrupts them.


    ¡°If we are going to get going, we should hurry up. Is everyone ready?¡±


    Max and Jakub nod and the three of them turn to Hannah and Bug.


    ¡°I have my dagger, but don¡¯t expect me to be able to do much¡­¡± Hannah tells them as she pulls the dagger out from her coat, but it is better described as a knife rather than a dagger...


    Bug simple shrugs back her cloak so that her wings are hanging from her shoulders behind her like a cape. Silently casting Become Weapon the claws on her lower arms grow out to a dangerous point, while her topmost forearms shift to become a pair of long bone swords coated in scales and fur where her arms transition into blades. Some blood lost from the transformation runs down the blades and dyes the white bone with lines of red as her arms heal into their new form.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Bug tells them as everyone gawks at her sudden changes. Their eyes clearly locked onto the pair of massive blades that are almost touching the ground with their needle like tips.


    Max quickly pulls himself together and clears his voice. ¡°Right, let¡¯s get going then¡­¡±


    Bug looks over to Hannah, and of course, the weird girl is staring at her again, her eyes locked onto Bug¡¯s changed arms.


    ¡°Mrm, stop staring at me¡­¡±


    Hannah looks away in a hurry, but her eyes keep darting back to Bug¡¯s arms.


    The group starts walking towards the nest, with Max and Sam in the front, while Jakub and Bug stay on the left and right, with Hannah in the middle.


    Bug sighs as she notices Hannah still throwing glances at her.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ What do you want to ask?¡±


    Hannah fully looks back, and asks, ¡°Does it hurt to do that? That looked painful¡­¡±


    Bug looks to her curiously, tilting her head. She wants to ask why she even cares, but doesn¡¯t. ¡°It hurts, but I¡¯m used to pain now.¡±


    Turning away and ignoring Hannah for now, Bug looks towards the nest. The thing really is obvious about being what it is. The nest itself is an area of overlapping branches and hanging vines, with colorful fruits hanging in bushels from almost every branch. And munching on those fruits and lounging around are troops of monkeys that can be seen from a distance.


    The monkeys are ridiculous looking things, with long arms, short legs, and colorful bottoms of blues and reds with equally colorful mohawks on their heads and spikes growing from their shoulders.


    As they get closer to the nest, Max calls out to everyone. ¡°Get ready. We are going to take it slow and steady. We kill them as they come at us, focus on not getting overwhelmed.¡±


    Hannah pipes in with some info after him. ¡°They are called fancy mandrils. Individually, they aren¡¯t very dangerous. They are most dangerous in groups, and they have a nasty bite that can pierce leather armor. Besides that, they have a lot of grip strength, so don¡¯t let them grab you.¡±


    Max nods, ¡°So we take it slow, and we eliminate them one group at a time without drawing the others.¡±


    One last check over of everyone¡¯s gear and they head in under the cover of the layered branches and hanging vines. It only takes but five minutes for monkeys to start descending upon them. Screaming from above, the monkeys fall towards them with murder in their eyes as they glare at the intruders.


    The first to arrive after swinging down from a vine, gets its head and an arm removed as it meets Max¡¯s sword. The corpse tumbling to the floor and getting kick aside as the group pushes on.


    The next drops towards Bug, landing on the floor and swinging for her head with a roar as it shows off a line of long, sharp, yellowed teeth in its snarling mouth.


    Bug side steps it and strikes with a bladed limb, cutting the monkey in half bellow the arms. Its lower half trips and falls, as the top half lets out a gurgled scream before collapsing to the floor and dying.


    Hannah lets out a yelp as the corpse falls behind her, moving to stand a bit closer to Bug as the little Body Mage jumps up and kicks aside a second monkey, folding its spine with a crunch and then cutting a third in half before landing with bent knees, the tips of her bladed limbs carving lines into the bark-covered floor at her feet.


    Hannah hears Bug mutter something to herself about thirty experience each or something, as she is shaking the blood off her arms.


    As Sam is pulling her axe out of a monkey and tossing its corpse aside, Max checks around and nods. ¡°Good job everyone. If we keep it up like that, we should be able to get through with no trouble.¡±


    Jakub laughs as he retrieves his throwing knife from another monkey. ¡°We¡¯ve got this. How long until we get through the nest?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, going slowly, maybe half an hour or so?¡± Hannah answers.


    Max and Sam join in to talk with them. While ignoring everyone else, Bug looks over and pokes at one of the monkey corpses, examining it and poking around at its limbs, Bug plays around with how its arms move and examines its hand like feet.


    ¡°Bug, you ready to get going?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Everyone is looking at her as she is holding its arm up. Dropping the thing, Bug stands up and joins them with a shrug.


    Shame I can¡¯t take a few of these with me. Undead of these things are probably better that the Goblin ones¡­


    ¡­


    Four more groups of pissed off monkeys later, Bug is feeling very bored. Slicing yet another colorful monkey in half, Bug can¡¯t help but let her mind wander away from her.


    This is taking forever¡­ And I can¡¯t even get any new Undead like this. I¡¯m having fun playing adventurer, but it is also getting in the way of other things¡­ Is there a way that I could make this more fun? Hmm, yes. Yes, there is.


    Smiling to herself, Bug gives an order to her roving bands of zombie birds, ordering them to fly straight into the nest.


    It takes only a few moments for the sounds of chaos to eventually come from back the way they came, the sounds of screaming monkeys creating a mess of noises as the branches shake violently from hundreds of monkeys running and fighting as they kick up a ruckus and make fruits drop all over the place.


    ¡°What the hell is that!?¡± Curses Jakub.


    ¡°Sounds like the monkeys are getting riled up¡­¡± Answers Sam.


    Turning around and looking back the way they came, Bug watches for a bit. It doesn¡¯t take long until a flock of zombie birds comes flying overhead and attacks a group of monkeys, tackling them in a suicidal charge that results in tangled messes of birds and screaming monkeys falling from on-high to their deaths.


    Not too far away, corpses smack into the surface of the branch with wet squelches of breaking bodies. Bug has to hold back her smile and a laugh as she watches her experience start to slowly go up faster. The number of her bird zombies is also steadily going down, but the sacrifice is worth it.


    Everyone starts to freak out as the chaos spreads all around. Calling one of the flocks down to do a fly by, Bug moves to cut down one of the birds as they are flying towards Hannah, just to put on a bit of a show and give them a scare.


    A single cut brings the bird down, its bisected body crawling on the floor as it moves for Hannah¡¯s legs. The thing is already half rotted, with one eye missing, most of its feathers are falling out and its beak is coated with blood and pus.


    Hannah lets out a scream and trips backwards as the crawling thing goes for her feet, but it is stopped as Bug pins it to floor with her blade, severing its spine and destroying most of what is left of its chest cavity. The Undead finally dies and its pull on her mana disappears after a couple seconds.


    Hmm, no experience for killing my own Undead. Makes sense honestly, but worth checking.


    Hannah looks up to Bug and stutters out a thank you as she keeps looking back to the corpse at her feet. ¡°Than- thanks¡­ Was that?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Undead.¡± Bug looks up to Max as she offers Hannah one of her unaltered hands to help her up. ¡°We need to hurry. The necromancer might be close. If we don¡¯t, this place will be full of the Undead in no time.¡±


    ¡°Right, we need to move. We keep moving and we cut down anything that gets in our way. Let¡¯s go!¡± Max tells the others in a hurry.


    The group gets running as the chaos of screaming monkeys continues to call out from all around. Up ahead, some of the monkeys alight from the vines as they spot the fleeing humans, their anger firmly getting turned towards them.


    The party continues to move as they cut down any monkeys that get in their way, tossing aside the corpses as they run.


    Jakub yells out a complaint, but Bug ignores him as she is too busy trying to keep herself from laughing. Directing her birds to spread as much chaos around as she can, Bug eviscerates another two monkeys that tries to attack her from the side.


    As they run, more and more monkey¡¯s get drawn towards them until the path ahead is practically swarming with them. Cutting their way through waves of monkeys, Bug notices as several of the corpses around the area starts to pick themselves up. Off to the side, Bug spares a moment to watch as one of the monkeys crying, over a corpse, celebrates as it gets back up. Hugging the living corpse, the monkey screams as it gets its throat ripped out.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Bug can¡¯t help but to watch the surprisingly human like behavior from a dungeon spawned monster. Watching as it continues to hug the zombie even as it dies.


    Up ahead, Max and Sam continue to cut their way through waves of pissed off monkeys. Over on Hannah¡¯s left, Jakub reels back from grasping hands and kicks a monkey in the face.


    Pulling the group together tightly, with Hannah sandwiched in between everyone. Bug has to hold back some more of her joy as she continues to cut apart monkeys one after the other.


    Hahaha, this so much fun! Spreading chaos and stringing these people on, making them think they are being chased by someone that isn¡¯t even real! Oh, and now here comes the wild Undead to spread more chaos.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Behind us! We need to move faster, cut your way through or we are going to get overwhelmed!¡± Bug yells out to them as she fights to keep down a giggle.


    Getting an opening to look over his shoulder, Max curses as he sees dozens of zombie monkeys running towards them from behind. ¡°Shit, run! Push through with everything you have! Bug, switch with Sam and help me cut through!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Bug moves forward and slips past Hannah and under Sam¡¯s arms, as Sam turns to move and strike at a monkey that tried to jump into the opening. Moving to the front, Bug transforms her remaining arms into blades and moves forward with all four arms lashing out to cut apart everything in front of her, turning everything into a bloody mess of flying limbs as she digs her way through the horde of monkeys like a blender.


    Max continues to fight next to her, swinging over and past Bug to strike at anything that tries to get past her. Behind them, Sam and Jakub continue to cutdown anything at their tail as the Undead slams into the monkeys from behind, turning the melee into a three-way brawl as the humans run from the zombies and the monkeys in the middle get caught off guard by getting bitten on their colorful asses.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost through!¡± Max yells. ¡°The exit to the nest is just ahead of us!¡±


    Bug looks over her shoulder and sees that the wild Undead are getting closer.


    Funs over, I guess. I don¡¯t want to risk anyone getting killed¡­yet.


    Sending out an order to her flyers, Bug has a flock of them kamikaze straight into the monkeys ahead of them, scattering the horde a bit and making an opening for everyone to run through.


    ¡°Quickly! We have an opening, move!¡± Bug yells as she cuts apart another monkey.


    Everyone moves quickly as the rear guard disengages. The Undead are quick to slam into the monkeys and push through as they try to chase the fleeing humans running through the opening made by the suicidal birds.


    Bug has to slow herself down to not outrun everyone else as they make a mad dash for the exit, cutting apart everything that gets in their way.


    Behind them, Hannah screams as she falls, a half dead monkey holding her by the ankle. Sam and Jakub run past her as Max keeps going, making his way for the exit. Turning around, Bug looks to Hannah and their eyes meet.


    The fear in her eyes is obvious, and a call for help is right on her tongue as the Undead are just steps away from running her over. Peaking back at the fleeing humans, they aren''t even looking back.


    Are they seriously not going to help her?


    Tisk, damn humans¡­


    Bug stops and turns mid sprint, dragging her blades into the floor as she kills her momentum. Pulling on her arms, Bug launches herself back and jumps toward Hannah, moving past Sam and Jakub as they sprint past.


    Delivering a kick to the wounded monkey, Bug smashes it away as she moves past Hannah, standing in between her and the oncoming horde of zombies.


    Activating Become Weapon, Bug extends out her arms by turning them into bladed tentacles, serrated claws growing down their lengths like a line of blades. Lashing out with her four modified limbs, Bug removes the legs and tops-halves of everything around her in slicing arc, her weaponized limbs passing harmlessly over Hannah¡¯s cowering head with a woosh of cutting wind, instantly disabling or killing everything for a dozen meters around her. Taking a peek behind her, the others are exiting from the nest along with a few dozen monkeys on their tail. Hannah is still on her rear, looking around as she tries to find something.


    The following groups of zombies trip over the first, but they are quick to recover as they catch themselves and run forward on all four limbs. The live monkeys are still fighting the dead, and all around the area Bug just cut out is now a place of chaos.


    Continuing to lash-out with her limbs in large slashing arcs, Bug cuts down anything that gets within a few meters of the two.


    ¡°Hannah, we need to move! Get up and run, I have you covered!¡± She shouts down at the girl.


    ¡°I, I can¡¯t! I lost my glasses! I can¡¯t see!¡±


    Bug looks back at her as she cuts apart a dozen more targets. Hannah¡¯s glasses are nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Shit¡­ Stand up and hold my shoulders! We¡¯re walking out of here.¡±


    Walking backwards and nudging Hannah with her foot, Bug stands there as Hannah grabs onto her and climbs back to her feet. Once she has her hands on Bug¡¯s shoulders, they both start walking backwards towards the exit as Bug continues to cut down everything around them, aiming for legs, arms, and heads to disarm everything she can.


    Getting guaranteed kills on the Undead is impossible in this situation, so the best thing she can do is limit their ways of attacking.


    ¡°Just keep walking and don¡¯t trip, we¡¯re almost to the exit. Just don¡¯t let go of my shoulder.¡±


    ¡°Ok, yes! Thank you, Bug. Thanks for- ¡°


    ¡°Shut up and focus!¡± Bug yells as she lashes out at a monkey that jumped from a branch and tried to attack from above.


    Stepping over the corpses and scattered limbs at their feet, they continue to work their way closer and closer to the exit.


    Up ahead, deep into the vines of the monkey nest, the sounds of crashing and breaking wood sounds out as something big comes smashing its way through, the sounds of screaming monkeys echoing out as they scream in fright.


    Around Bug and Hannah, the remaining living monkeys scatter in all directions. Thankfully, many of the Undead are drawn away by the fleeing monkeys, freeing up space around them and giving Bug some room to breathe.


    ¡°Something big is coming, we need to move. Come on!¡±


    Bug turns and moves as quickly as she can while making sure that Hannah doesn¡¯t fall behind. Which ends up being not very fast. Bug hasn¡¯t spent much time checking to see how fast she is now, but having to slow down so much for someone else is really brings it into perspective for her. Realizing just how much stronger she has already become compared to a normal human.


    A short run later, Bug and Hannah exit the nest moving as quickly as Hannah can while being supported. Up ahead, Bug spots the others as they are finishing off the remaining monkeys that had chased them out.


    ¡°Thanks for the help by the way!¡± Bug yells over at them. They look surprised as they turn and see Hannah still alive and whole.


    ¡°Holy shit¡­ hey uh¡­¡± Max tries, But Bug just waves him off as she helps Hannah forward and further away from the nest.


    They try to come over and talk with Hannah, who is looking around while squinting, and Bug leaves her by a large leaf while the adventurers fret over her. Catching her breath and looking down at her stamina bar, Bug waits for it to slowly refill. Taking out her canteen from under her wings, Bug drinks her water as she continues to listen to the sounds coming from the nest. Whatever it is that is making all the noise is clearly very big¡­ and is getting closer¡­


    Storing away her canteen back away under her wings, Bug walks back towards the nest as she reforms her arms into even larger blades. Planting her feet and growing her claws into the ground to anchor herself, Bug spreads out her limbs and readies herself.


    Walking up from behind Bug, Max calls out to her. ¡°What are you doing? Shouldn¡¯t we be going, we made it out of there?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    The noise from the nest is growing even louder, getting to the point of where even Max is turning from Bug and looking that way. Before he can ask what is happening, a large figure comes bursting out of the wall of the nest, flesh and scales falling loose from its body in thick sheets of necrotic rot as it scrapes against branches and rips through tangled up and binding vines.


    Letting out a gurgling hiss, the gigantic snake wiggles around as it works its way out through the wall of the nest. It eventually stops moving around as its one good eye locks onto Bug and the humans down on the branch. With renewed vigor, the snake fights its way out of the wall of foliage and charges towards the little living figures on the branch.


    Bug looks over at her shoulder at Max and the others as he freezes up, and then back to the snake.


    Mmmm¡­ I could just use Turn Undead on it, but then that would just ruin everything¡­ Hah¡­ I would have really liked to keep this one. And I don¡¯t want to ruin the fun yet¡­


    Bug notices that Max is backing away from her as the snake is charging towards them. Bending her knees and pulling back her arms, Bug waits until it enters her range and then lashes out with all four of her arms, aiming straight for its mouth.


    Pushing her Dexterity enhanced speed to the limit, her whiplike arms lash out and reach the mouth of the snake in less than a second, the air snapping with a clap as her blades tear into the sides of its open mouth, slashing its jaws open and cutting up into its head from four directions.


    With the air exploding with a whip crack, the lower jaw of the snake gets blasted away as its head gets thrown up into the air. Reeling back her arms for another attack, Bug launches her blades forward and buries them into the neck of the snake form both sides, slicing though like two pairs of scissors sliding through its rotting flesh.


    With the four blades meeting in the middle, the snakes head goes flying. Bug ignores the surprised curses from behind her as she continues to attach the snake¡¯s body, sending out her bladed limbs to carve furrows through its blackened-scales and expose the bones underneath.


    Regretfully, taking its head off is not enough to kill it. The body continues to charge forward even as its head falls off the side of the branch. And though it is without direction, the thing is simply massive enough that simply moving towards them is all it needs to do in order to be a threat.


    This is going to suck¡­


    Letting out a sigh, Bug lashes out with her blades again and sinks them into the side of its body. Pulling them as hard as she can, the snake is forced to move. After fighting against its immense weight, Bug finally manages to redirect its headless charge towards the side of the branch. As it goes over the edge and begins to fall, Bug tries to yank out her blades from its body. Only three of them manage to get pulled free before the snake starts to fall, its weight pulling on her and ripping her feet free from the ground. Claws cutting lines through the branch¡¯s surface, Bug transforms her freed arms back to normal as she is pulled along the ground. Her remaining trapped arm refuses to change as she continues to pull on it, every second drawing her closer to the edge of the branch.


    The things I do to have some fun!


    Drawing too close to the edge and resigning herself for some pain, Bug grows out one arm¡¯s claws and takes it to her trapped arm, slicing though it with one swipe.


    Bug lets out a scream as she falls forward, rolling towards the edge. Slamming her claws into the bark of the branch, Bug stops her roll just as she reaches the edge, her legs dangling off the side as she holds on for dear life with three arms, her feet scrabbling to get a purchase in the bark.


    ¡°Haaaaaaah¡­ OUCH!!!¡±


    Slamming a hand into the ground angrily, Bug slowly works her way back onto her feet after climbing back up and walks over to the stunned adventurers. Hannah is squinting as she watches Bug.


    //Congratulation! You leveled-up a Skill!


    //Pain Tolerance Lvl 3 is now Lvl 4!


    Oh, thank goodness¡­ That helps so much more. Become Weapon.


    Clutching her arm as it regrows, Bug rejoins everyone and then uses two arms to rewrap her wings around herself like a cloak, having managed to somehow keep herself from using them and maintaining her disguise. She doesn¡¯t say anything as they all look towards her with looks ranging from amazement to outright fear.


    Max comes up to her after giving a look to the squinting Hannah, ¡°Bug¡­ uh, I¡¯m sorry that- ¡°


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. We need to keep moving. The necromancer is close, and we still have a lot of distance to cover before night. We still need to get to the safe room on the nineth floor for you guys.¡±


    ¡°Ehm, uh, you¡¯re right. Yes, let¡¯s get going¡­¡±


    Bug starts walking but is stopped as Hannah calls out. ¡°Wait, I can¡¯t see very well without my glasses¡­¡±


    Max scratches at his hair as he thinks, ¡°Uhm, Jakub, help Hannah walk. Hannah, can you still read your maps without your glasses?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it will take me a while, but I can¡­¡±


    Hannah looks towards Bug and tries to walk towards her, but almost trips and Sam has to catch her.


    Bug lets out a sigh as she looks at Hannah squinting. Wetting her lips, she walks forward.


    ¡°Bend over or kneel. Just let me see your face really quick.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Just do it, let me see your face.¡±


    ¡°Ok?¡±


    Bending over, Bug reaches up with two hands and brushes the hair out of her face, holding her face and placing her thumbs just beneath Hannah¡¯s eyes.


    Silently casting Grow Eyes, because saying it out loud would just sound scary, Bug pushes the spell into Hannah¡¯s eyes and orders them to have the same structure as Bug¡¯s own, just without changing their color. Bug likes Hannah''s hazelnut eyes the way they are, they suit her face very well, and she also doesn''t like the idea of her having her eyes be exactly like Bug''s. Bug''s emerald like eyes is her own personal treasure, one of the few parts of her appearance that she truly actually cares about, and she isn''t about to share them.


    Hannah winces as her eyes change, her innate magic resistance not being anywhere near high enough to stop Bug from using the spell on her body. Especially when considering that Death infused Body Magic also functions as offensive spells, designed to change a targets body against their will. With just a slight push of will and some mana, Bug could do some truly horrifying things to this girl''s body, and she would be entirely unable to resist. Thankfully, for Hannah, these spells can also be used beneficially. After all, Death is not a wholly evil thing, and neither is Bug.


    ¡°Ouch! What are you doing!?¡± Hannah winces as the mana goes to work on altering her biology.


    ¡°Bug, what are you-?" Max tries, but Bug simply points a clawed finger at him and says, ¡°You left her behind earlier. Shut up and let me fix her.¡±


    Max trips on his words as Hannah continues to try and pull her head away from Bug, but her strength is nowhere near high enough to get away from Bug¡¯s grip.


    After a few seconds, she stops fighting as she blinks her eyes with surprise. Her hazelnut eyes eventually locking onto Bug¡¯s emerald ones as realization sets in.


    Holding her face and moving Hannah¡¯s head around as she checks over each eye, Bug eventually nods. ¡°Good, now you don¡¯t need help walking, right?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡­ Did you just?¡±


    ¡°I healed your eyes. Made them better. Now you don¡¯t need your glasses anymore.¡±


    Turning to Max, Bug snaps out, ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    As she is about to turn and walk away, Hannah moves forward and wraps Bug up in a tight hug. She freezes at the sudden contact, just barely holding herself back from making her spikes grow and impaling the larger girl, her claws itching to remove her by force, and her teeth aching to bite her in order to free herself by any means, just barely being held back by a modicum of self-control.


    ¡°¡­ Please, let go of me¡­¡± Bug eventually works out through her frozen mind and clenched teeth.


    ¡°Oh! Uh, sorry¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ Thank you¡­¡± Hannah says nervously as she lets go of Bug and backs away. Straightening out her clothes, she looks away with a blush on her face, one hand going up to investigate her eyes and marvel at her clear vision.


    Bug turns and walks away in a hurry as she tightens her winged cloak around her body. Once everyone realizes that she isn¡¯t going to wait for them, they hurry to catch up with her.


    Under her wings, Bug hugs herself tight with all four of her arms¡­


    That felt¡­ weird¡­

 Chapter 11.1- Friends?

    Is this how everyone sees the world? It¡¯s so clear and beautiful, even more so than when I had my glasses¡­


    Looking up to a distant branch as she follows everyone, Hannah spots some flowers and fruits hanging over the side. As she is looking at them, her vision suddenly adjusts, and the distant plants are pulled into focus, vibrant blues, purples, oranges, and reds suddenly filling her vision as she lets out a startled yelp.


    Blinking her eyes, her vision returns to normal, but everyone is turning and calling out to ask if she is ok.


    Hannah turns to them and tries to placate their concerns, but is stopped as she sees the detail of their faces. The pores on their skin, the slight twitches and wrinkles from their expressions, the sheer detail of even just one of Sam¡¯s eyes brought into focus.


    What is this!? This isn¡¯t normal! I can see so much. How do I return it back to normal? Everything is like I am looking through a telescope.


    Blinking her eyes furiously, Hannah tries and fails to get them back under control. Looking past everyone that is fussing over her, Bug is still walking on ahead and ignoring everyone. She hasn¡¯t said a word since Hannah hugged her¡­


    Watching Bug¡¯s back, Hannah¡¯s eyes focus in and bring everything into beautiful detail. The individual lines of grey and black hair that flow from her scalp. The slight twitches of her long fluffy ears as they pick up every sound from who knows how far away. The shining green and black scales that covers her cloak, softly reflecting the light that shines from above, down to the individual scale and the spaces in-between.


    When Bug turns around to see what the commotion is, Hannah can¡¯t help but stare as her emerald-like eyes fill her vision. They practically have a glow to them as if they were actual gems. And her skin, it is almost perfect with hardly a pore showing. Looking down further, she finds her little lips that so full and pink and soft and healthy looking¡­ Oh, and she is frowning, her eyes locked on Hannah¡¯s.


    Oh, she can see me too. Just like I can. Even though she is so far ahead of us¡­


    ¡°Hannah, is everything ok? Are you alright? Hannah!?¡± Sam asks worriedly, her words cutting through and grabbing Hannah¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Huh!?¡±


    Startled out of stupor, Hannah returns her gaze to Sam who is right in front of her. For a moment, she gets way too much detail, managing to see the depths of Sam¡¯s skin before her eyes seamlessly adjust back into perfect focus on their own accord. They remain closed in, Sam¡¯s face filling her vision with perfect clarity while everything else stays out of focus.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Hannah starts, her first instinct being to lie and say that she is ok, but she quickly decides against it. This is the Dungeon, and doing stupid things like that is a recipe for disaster. It¡¯s one of the ten rules of Dungeon delving. ¡®Rule #3- If something is wrong, anything at all, tell your teammates!¡¯


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s my eyes. I can see everything, it¡¯s all so beautiful! But it¡­ it is too much. I don¡¯t know how to keep them from focusing on things. I can¡­ I can see those birds, way over there, as if they are right in front of me...¡±


    Sam looks to where Hannah points, but even as she is squinting, she can¡¯t spot the colorful birds that are dancing as they fly through a rainbow cast by one of the many waterfalls that poor from the ceiling of this place. Hannah continues to watch them as the male does a silly dance in the air for a female, puffing himself up and splaying his feathers about as he shakes his booty before going into a free fall and spinning in the air before resuming his flight, pulling up and taking to the air just before almost colliding with a branch. Hannah chooses to look elsewhere when the female accepts him, his sky dance apparently getting a passing grade, and lets him mount her.


    As Hannah is looking away to watch literally anything else, Sam is calling for Bug to come back over, but Hannah is too locked into taking in all the details of a particularly beautiful looking flower that she found. Its colors are just so much more vibrant than the others, and apparently, a giant bee agrees with her as it flies closer to get some pollen. Only for the flower to slam down on the bee with a massive pair of jaws and lines of serrated teeth, snatching the poor fluffy bee out of the air with a crunch that, while can¡¯t be heard at this distance, can more than easily be imagined.


    ¡°Oh, my Goddess!!!¡± She screams, startling everyone around her for a second. They look around in confusion, but can¡¯t find any danger around them.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Hannah eventually hears Bug ask in an annoyed voice.


    ¡°Something is up with her eyes. Whatever you did to her, she is freaking out.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Hold on¡­¡±


    Hannah turns to Bug and is startled as she suddenly finds her filling her vision. Reaching up and grabbing Hannah¡¯s face, Bug pulls down on her and says, ¡°Sit down so I can look at you.¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Doing as she orders, Hannah plops down to the floor as Bug forces her face towards her. They look into each other¡¯s eyes and Hannah can¡¯t help but notice as the layers of Bug¡¯s eyes seems to move, layers moving over layers as muscles contract and shift. A touch of magic flows into Hannah like last time, but this time, nothing changes.


    ¡°Her eyes are fine. What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem? She¡¯s staring off into space and freaking out?! How is that not a problem?¡±


    Hannah speaks up before anyone can get too heated, trying hard to not stare too much at Bug¡¯s face and how cute her little nose is right now, though the task is rather difficult with Bug holding her so closely by the cheeks.


    She has really soft hands¡­


    Hannah speaks as Bug is still holding her face, a blush filling her cheeks under Bug¡¯s palms. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what is going on, but I can see things that are really far away from me with no problem.¡±


    Bug just raises an eyebrow at that. ¡°Ok, and?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think my eyes are supposed to be able to do that¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem normal?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Well, they do now.¡±


    Bug lets go of her face and goes to walk away like that¡¯s a job done, but Hannah quickly reaches out and grabs one of her hands before it can slip away under her cloak. She can feel Bug freeze up under her grip, even her face going rigid like she just got dunked in ice water. Hannah quickly lets go of her with an apology.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ Uhm, why are my eyes doing this, please?¡±


    Bug takes a second to recover, and with a breath, turns to Hannah. ¡°To fix your eyes, I made them change to be just like mine. My vision is perfect, much better than a normal human¡¯s. Now your eyes are too.¡±


    ¡°But they keep changing and zooming in on stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°You have new muscles inside of your eyes and some other changes that I am not going to bother explaining. If you use these muscles, you can make your vision move forward or backwards to focus on stuff. Just focus on trying to draw your vision back to what is most comfortable for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know ho-¡°


    ¡°Just focus on your eyes. Stop looking at stuff, focus on them and nothing else. It¡¯s like reaching your arm out to grab stuff or pulling your arm back, just focus on what you want them to do.¡±


    ¡­


    Bug continues to watch Hannah¡¯s eyes as they shift slightly, seemingly understanding that Hannah is trying to work on getting a handle on it.


    It takes some focus and time, but slowly, she regains control over her eyes, and everything starts shifting back into normal view. Everything is still beautifully detailed and vibrant, but it is no longer shifting out of her control for the most part.


    ¡°I¡­ I think I have it under control now¡­ It is still shifting a little, if I focus on one thing for too long, but I think I can figure this out with some practice¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, part of the spell is to teach your body how to use your changes naturally, give it time, you¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Bug says as she turns and walks away in a hurry.


    ¡°Ahhh, wait¡­¡±


    Hannah watches as Bug walks off as she gets back up to her feet. Quickly moving to catching up with her, Hannah reaches out to touch Bug¡¯s shoulder, but stops just short, remembering how the smaller girl had frozen up from her touch earlier.


    ¡°Uhm, thank you, again¡­¡± She says nervously as she follows behind her.


    Bug looks back at her curiously, and then further back at the others who are following a distance away. She eventually works up a question after a moment of silence, her eyes landing on Hannah¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Why do you keep trying to touch me? And you¡¯re always looking at me¡­¡±


    Hannah peeks back at the others, and while they are watching them, they are also keeping their distance. Sam has a worried look on her face, but the other two are mostly keeping an eye on their surroundings.


    ¡°I¡­ find you really interesting. I¡¯ve never seen someone like you¡­ Plus¡­¡±


    ¡°Plus?¡±


    ¡°You seem like a really nice person¡­¡±


    ¡°Hah!?¡± Bug reels back and tilts her head at Hannah, a look of utter confusion on her face. ¡°You think I¡¯m a nice person?¡±


    ¡°Well, you did just heal my eyes, and you helped me back there.¡±


    ¡°I need you to be able to guide us and walk on your own.¡±


    ¡°And you saved my life when everyone else would have just left me behind.¡±


    ¡°Again, I need a guide.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t actually, do you?¡±


    Bug goes silent as she watches Hannah, narrowing her eyes, it is a long few moments until she finally asks, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re strong. Really strong. I don¡¯t know why, but I get the feeling that you are only staying with us because you want too. You don¡¯t actually need me. You could have made it to the next layer by now all on your own. I¡¯m doubtful that you even need us to help with the Necromancer.¡±


    Bug doesn''t let her relief from not being caught show. For a moment, she thought that the game was over.


    ¡°And then I would get lost on the way down.¡± Bug continues the conversation after a moment''s delay.


    ¡°There are more ways of getting down there than just using the stairs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared of heights.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re¡­¡± Hannah tilts her head at Bug. ¡°Are you? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ So, I have to use the stairs¡­ What¡¯s with that face?¡±


    ¡°Nothing! It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s hard to imagine someone like you being scared of heights. Never would have thought that a Body Mage would be scared of a fall¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if it won¡¯t kill me, pain still hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°Ok, but what about-¡° Hannah tries, but is cut off by Bug.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you mad at them? They left you behind to die. They didn¡¯t even look back once after you fell. Shouldn¡¯t you want revenge against them, shouldn¡¯t you hate them?¡±


    Hannah itches cheek and just shrugs. ¡°Uhm¡­ well¡­ they¡¯re adventurers. It¡¯s how they are.¡±


    Bug just gives her a confused look and then peeks back at them, as if trying to see if there is some visible marker that would differentiate them from other humans. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, they are a group, a party, the three of them. They come from the same place, they are friends, they care about each other, like family. But me, and you, we aren¡¯t a part of that¡­ They are nice to me, but I am not one of them. I¡¯m just a hired guide. If it comes down to it, they aren¡¯t going to risk their lives to save mine. I go into this job understanding the risks that comes with it.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean that you can¡¯t be mad at them. They left you behind to die when they could have saved you.¡±


    ¡°And then you saved me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did, but that¡¯s beside the point, they-¡°


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to save me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I already told you why I did that!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to.¡± Hannah tells her, clearly not buying Bug¡¯s reasoning. ¡°But you did it anyways. Please, why did you save me?¡±

 Chapter 11.2- Friends?

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to.¡± Hannah tells her, clearly not buying Bug¡¯s reasoning. ¡°But you did it anyways. Please, why did you save me?¡±


    Bug just watches her for a moment before finally talking again. ¡°You answer a question of my own first, and depending on your answer, I¡¯ll tell you the truth. Why do you keep trying to touch me and why are you always watching me?¡±


    ¡°I already told you. I think you are interes-¡°


    ¡°And that was a lie. At least a partial one. Tell me the real reason.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes go to Bug¡¯s face, looking into her emerald eyes, gliding over her smooth skin, taking in her little nose, and finally stopping on her pink lips to trace over their curves, a cute little tongue shows itself for just a moment as Bug wets her lips. With a blush, Hannah glances back up to her eyes, but has to look away as a blush hits her even harder. Those eyes¡­ Why did they have to be that beautiful shade of green? If they were any other color...


    ¡°Do you¡­ Do you promise not to tell the others? If I tell you?¡± Hannah asks nervously, holding her arm to her chest like she is trying to protect herself.


    ¡°Sure? Just tell me.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡­ I like girls?¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­? What does liking girls have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Wha?¡±


    Bug just tilts her head as Hannah look at her in confusion, her fluffy ears twitching a little in a cute manner than makes Hannah want to reach out and pet them. ¡°Uhm¡­ It means that I am¡­ well¡­ I find women attractive¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Oh¡­ Wait¡­ So, you want to mate with me? I¡¯m sorry, but no. I don¡¯t want to be touched like that. And if you try to, I will kill you. I already killed the last three that tried.¡±


    ¡°Ahh! I don¡¯t mean, I¡­ Not like¡­ I don¡¯t actually want to, do that, with you¡­ I just find you attractive¡­¡±


    Bug tilts her head curiously. ¡°Really? Does it work like that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Ah, yes, of course, why wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know much about this. The first two times, they were like animals. Mating and having fun were clearly the only things on their minds. The second one really confused me, because it was a girl¡­ The last one was an adventurer. He kept talking about my chest and said he was going to rape me, but I killed him¡­ Why were you looking at my chest? Is there something appealing about these things?¡± Bug asks as she uses her hands to bounce the large things growing on her chest, a look of uncertainty and annoyance in her eyes. Her form fitting leather chest guard really doesn¡¯t leave much to the imagination.


    Hannah is screaming in her head as she sees this.


    She knows I¡¯ve been looking at her chest?!


    ¡°Uhm, well, you see¡­ I don¡¯t really know what to tell you, but, breasts are nice and most people¡­ like to touch them¡­ And big ones, like yours¡­ are¡­ appealing¡­¡± Hannah manages to say through the blush that is dying her face crimson.


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­ So, you want to touch mine?¡±


    ¡°Ehh! Uhm, yes?¡±


    Was that an offer!?!?


    ¡°But you don¡¯t want to mate with me?¡±


    Hannah has to take a second to think before answering. ¡°¡­Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hmhm¡­ weird. Well, I¡¯m not going to let you touch them.¡±


    ¡°And I won¡¯t, I promise! You don¡¯t like being touched, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Ok, some more stuff is starting to make sense to me now¡­ Why don¡¯t you want the others to know?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know why?¡±


    ¡°No, should I?¡±


    ¡°Wait, I guess that makes sense¡­ You don¡¯t spend much time around other people or in cities, do you?¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Bug extends out her four arms and tilts her head to show off her horns and her fluffy ears, ¡°Do I look like the kind of person that would?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. Honestly, most people would probably mistake you as a Demi-Human or a Demon, and they aren¡¯t exactly tolerated around these parts¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmh, so why then?¡±


    ¡°Well, in most places, people that like the same sex are¡­ seen as sick or evil, as heretics¡­ It isn¡¯t so bad here, but in some cities, I could be executed¡­ I might be safe with these guys, but I can¡¯t guarantee that they won¡¯t turn on me or start treating me poorly if they found out¡­¡± Hannah says sadly, her voice sounding weak.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Weird, but ok. I won¡¯t tell anyone. But shouldn¡¯t you be worried that I might have turned on you for telling me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just felt like you are¡­ Different. Like it wouldn¡¯t bother you, or I guess more accurately, you just wouldn¡¯t care¡­ You felt safe to tell¡­ Because you¡¯re nice¡­¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not nice¡­¡±


    ¡°But you won¡¯t tell anyone?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And you won¡¯t judge me or hate me for this?¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t try to touch my chest or breed with me, I have no reason to.¡±


    ¡°You protected me from the poison trap.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m immune to those poisons.¡±


    ¡°And you healed my eyes, and even made them better.¡±


    ¡°I already told you why I did that.¡±


    ¡°And you saved my life, please, tell my why you did that. The real reason why, and not just because I am your guide.¡± Hannah implores, her voice serious but also somewhat hopeful.


    ¡­


    Bug lowers her head and thinks for a second, gathering her thoughts before finally answering. ¡°¡­Because I am having fun.¡±


    ¡°Fun?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I am having fun being around you people. Even if you are weird and keep looking at me when I tell you not to, even though you want to touch me, and even though you are weak, I am having fun. I have spent my life so far doing nothing but fighting and trying to get stronger so I can get my revenge and my freedom. And now, on my way towards that goal, I have a chance to maybe enjoy some time around other people without having to kill them. Because that is how most of my interactions with other people have ended, with me killing them. Sometimes, I even toy with them and lead them into traps. I am not a good person. I was not born to be a good person. I was born to be a monster.¡±


    Hannah watches Bug for a long while as she digests her words, the two of them walking together, probably pulling her own interpretations out of her words. Bug simply remains silent so as to not say too much.


    Eventually, Hannah comes to her own conclusions and says, ¡°I still think you¡¯re nice. Even if you are lying-¡°


    ¡°I only speak in truths. I have never lied, not once in my life.¡±


    ¡°- Then even if you believe that you were born to be a monster, or to be a bad person, I still think that you are a good person. I think that you are nice. You didn¡¯t have to save me or heal my eyes, and even if it is because you don¡¯t fully understand or care, you don¡¯t judge me for who I am. Even if you just did it because you are having fun. I think you are nice. You are a good person. I like you¡­¡±


    Bug just watches Hannah¡¯s eyes, looking for lies in those hazelnut eyes of her, but she doesn¡¯t find any¡­ She is telling the truth.


    So, she looks away and hugs herself under her cloak, a weird mix of emotions filling her chest with feelings that she is not used to. ¡°Well, you¡¯re wrong. Even if you aren¡¯t lying, you aren¡¯t right. But you¡¯re welcome to think whatever you want¡­¡±


    Bug walks a bit faster and grows the distance between them, the fact that this conversation is over being made clear. Hannah just stops walking as she watches Bug from behind, the others soon catching up with her.


    Sam is the first to address her as she gently lays one of her big hands on Hannah¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Hey, everything alright? What where you two talking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright. And¡­ it was a private matter.¡±


    Sam doesn¡¯t try to push that subject any further. Anyone who has been an adventurer for long enough, knows that private matters are not to be touched. It is usually more trouble than it is worth, and most adventurers have plenty of their own troubles to deal with. A common phrase used by most, would be, ¡®Picking up Side Quests.¡¯ A term coined by some Immortals that ended up getting picked up by mortals a long time ago.


    ¡°Is¡­ Is Bug alright? She is more distant now after what happened. I¡¯m thinking that she doesn¡¯t like us anymore.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think she actually cares all that much about it, though she was curious. She doesn¡¯t seem to understand much about how adventurers think and work, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Hey, again¡­ I¡¯m really sorry that we left you behind. There was just so many of them and-¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Sam. I understand, this is just one of the risks of my job after all. I¡¯m not one of your party, so you don¡¯t need to make excuses.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not! Haah¡­¡± Sam tries, running her fingers through her short hair in frustration. ¡°Sorry¡­ Just, know that I will protect you if anything like that happens again. I swear it!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, thank you, Sam.¡± Hannah says with a smile, though it comes out a bit hollow, and from the look of Sam, she can tell that Hannah doesn¡¯t honestly believe her.


    Max turns and tries to say something as well, to try and help assure Hannah as well, but she interrupts him and says, ¡°For now, our way to the next floor is getting close, you see that tree over there? We need to take the next branch on our right and head that way. It will lead us down to the nineth floor. If we are quick, we can make it to the final Safe Room before the tenth floor, before nighttime sets in.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Alright, that is good. Thank you for your assistance, Hannah. Jakub, could you run up ahead and let Bug know for us plea-¡°


    Hannah cuts in, ¡°I can tell her.¡± And then, before anyone can stop her, she moves to go and catch up with Bug, leaving the three of them behind as she runs up ahead, her big backpack bouncing against her back as she moves to catch up with the little figure.


    The three adventurers just share an awkward look with each other as they watch her run off, feeling guilty for what had happened.


    ¡°We really fucked up, didn¡¯t we?¡± Max says.


    Jakub comments, ¡°She would rather hangout with a complete stranger than with us now¡­¡±


    ¡°To be fair, it wasn¡¯t us that risked their life to save her. Let¡¯s just try not to give her anymore reasons to hate us¡­¡± Sam says sadly.

 Chapter 11.3- Friends?

    The party arrives at the next Safe Room before the nineth floor with thankfully little interference. Aside from an ambush from a waiting giant trapdoor spider, the party managed to reach safety with little trouble.


    The spider, when it had attacked from its hiding place in a hollow of the branch, had tried to target Hannah and Bug up ahead of the party. When it sprang out of its hole, Bug reacted fast enough to move and pick up Hannah to jump away, far faster than the spider could even leave its nest. By the time its attack had finished, they had already long cleared the spot, the spider striking nothing but air with its mandibles as its massive legs slap the surface of the branch with a loud smack.


    The others had drawn their weapons and started to run forward to help, but by the time they arrived, Bug had already pursued the spider back into its hole, tearing the entrance open and wiggling her way in like a ferret let loose into a rabbit¡¯s burrow. A short while and a lot of violent shaking later, Bug came back out, dragging the dead spider from its hole, kicking the entrance open as she exits, covered in ichor and loose strands of silk.


    ¡°Ah, damn thing! That¡¯s what you get for trying to eat me!¡± Bug screams as she discards the battered corpse, several of its legs missing and half of it still sticking in its hole.


    As the others arrived, they couldn¡¯t help but gawk at the corpse of a spider that is large enough for a full-grown man to comfortably ride on. The thing could have considered a horse as a normal prey item.


    ¡°Uh, good work Bug¡­¡± Max says as he slowly sheaves his sword.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She says absent mindedly as she tries to wipe off most of her mess on a big leaf.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, could we gather the spider silk from its nest? It sells for a lot.¡±


    ¡°I have no need for it, just don¡¯t take too long¡­¡± Bug says without a care, not even looking at them as she speaks. Hannah on the other hand comes up to her and gives her thanks.


    ¡°Thank you for saving me¡­ again¡­ hahaha¡­¡±


    Bug actually looks towards her and stop what she¡¯s doing, taking a moment to consider before finally just saying, ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­¡±


    Hannah just smiles and doesn¡¯t say anything more as everyone else watches them for an awkward moment.


    Once they figure that Bug isn¡¯t going to stop them, the others hurry over to the spider¡¯s nest to roll up as much spider silk as they can, stuffing it all into their packs. The original purpose of their trip down here was to gather materials to sell after all, and the silk of the Man-Eating Trapdoor Spider is highly valued by many artisans for its quality as a crafting component in making not just clothing, but also very durable, easily enchantable, adventurer¡¯s gear.


    ¡­


    Besides this one incident, nothing else happened and they manage to make it to the Safe Room to take a much-needed rest. Upon arrival, Bug immediately makes a b-line for the fountain and sets to work on cleaning her arms and scrubbing her hair to get the rest of the mess out of it.


    As Bug is washing her head, the others set to work on getting some food out for a quick meal of bread and jerky.


    Hannah decides to go and sit near Bug, digging some of her own rations out to munch on as she watches Bug.


    Bug throws her a glance, but surprising doesn¡¯t tell her to stop watching her, just simply getting back to scrubbing her black and grey hair under the falling water from the fountain''s faucet. Once she is done, she plops down on a spot close to Hannah and pulls out her towel from her cloak to dry off.


    The meal of bread and jerky ends up being a quiet and awkward one, as no one really knows what to say. Bug isn¡¯t much for talking unless she wants something, Hannah is content to just relax for a minute after almost dying, and the others are all still feeling guilty about what had happened. They want to apologize again, but every time they do, Hannah just waves them off, and worse, she now seems to be keeping her distance from them, preferring Bug¡¯s company over theirs.


    Eventually, for the sake of moving things along, Max clears his throat and brings up what is coming next.


    ¡°Alright, next is the ninth floor. Hannah, what can we expect?¡±


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Yes, unlike this floor, which is mostly the occasional big monster and the monkey nests, the ninth floor is controlled by three colonies of giant ants. They are the red, black, and yellow ants, and they are in a perpetual state of war with each other over control of the nineth floor. Normally, the queens would be people¡¯s goal for that floor, as a queen¡¯s chamber often have valuable loot and rewards that can be claimed. But we aren¡¯t here for that. While I have only been to the nineth floor once, and haven¡¯t gone any further, I do have the maps for it, so I should be able to lead us to the next Safe Room, hopefully before dark. If we keep to the safe paths, we should be able to avoid most of the contested areas, but we will have to be careful, as we will be traveling through Yellow territory.¡±


    Max nods in thanks, and is then followed up by Jakub raising his hand to get attention.


    ¡°Should we even risk it? Try and get there with what time we have left?¡± Asks Jakub.


    ¡°It depends, Bug, can the Necromancer handle the Mana Wave?¡± Asks Max.


    ¡°Yes, she can.¡± Bug answers after chewing some jerky.


    ¡°Then we need to make it to the next Safe Room. We can¡¯t risk her passing us in the night, or worse, ambushing us here.¡±


    Bug just nods as she chews on some hard bread, chasing it down with a swig of water. Hannah consents along with a nodding Sam, leaving Jakub feeling resigned to the death march.


    ¡°We can get a proper rest tonight. For now, we need to haul ass so we can avoid having another mess like the nest happening again.¡± Says Max.


    Saying that, most of the eyes in the room move towards Hannah, but she doesn¡¯t say anything about it or let it show if it is bothering her any, which just makes things feel a bit awkward. The only one in the room that doesn¡¯t care is Bug, who is just happily munching on some extra seasoned jerky that Hannah had just given her, her ears wiggling happily as she eats.


    The conversation quickly dies out after that, everyone quickly losing the motivation to try and pick it up again, lest they say something stupid.


    By the end of it, the only one that seems to be having a good time is Bug as she happily chews on her food, and Hannah as she watches her.


    <hr>


    The ninth floor really is an interesting change of scenery from the floors above. Here, the falling waters that cascades down from the ceiling so far above their head, come down to find the surface, crashing down just below into lakes and rivers that flow alongside massive tangles of roots that are comparable in size to the very branches they are standing on now.


    Those waterfalls produce a lot of mist, which naturally rises up in the humid air of this place, blanketing the ninth floor in a permanent, literal, fog of war that shifts and moves with the currents of the air, temporarily exposing sections of the forest for brief moments before it is all swallowed up by a thick fog again. Off in the distance, the sound of combat can be heard as distant chittering and insectile war cries of hisses and gnashing mandibles are made in distant battles that can only be seen as vague silhouettes in the distance. Watching through the occasional openings in the fog, one could witness as battles between different colored ants are fought on distant branches, the bodies of the dead occasionally falling down to the forest floor below, where waiting scavengers feast upon the raining corpses.


    Bug looks around from near the exit of the tree, remaining near the base of the branch as she cautiously peers over the side and down to the floor below where the tenth floor awaits, her sharp claws on three hands digging into the bark as she leans forward.


    ¡°Still way too high for me¡­ I could climb down, but¡­ Yeah, no, I¡¯ll take the stairs¡­¡±


    Carefully inching away from the side, Bug pulls her wings tightly around herself, still pretending that they are nothing more than a fancy scaled cloak. And considering her newfound fear of heights, that is exactly what they shall remain as for now.


    I¡¯ll get over it eventually. Just¡­ not right now¡­


    Not too far away, Hannah is looking out at the distant battles that are taking place, marveling at how her improved vision can make her capable of watching such amazing sights from a safe distance. Under normal situations, anyone who would try to watch the ants fight, drawing too close to their conflicts, would inevitably get attacked by the ants in turn. While the ants are in a perpetual three-sided war with one another, this doesn¡¯t change the fact that, as Dungeon monsters, their number one priority will always be the slaying of any intruders of the Dungeon. Which basically means humans.


    Hannah¡¯s show gets interrupted as Max calls out to the both of them from behind. She was rooting for the black ants to win this skirmish and was just about to ask Bug if she wanted to take bets.


    ¡°Hannah, Bug, we should get moving.¡±


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s get going. Come on, Bug.¡± Hannah says as she extends a hand towards Bug on reflex.


    Bug just stares at it for a short while before carefully, and very slowly, reaching out and taking her hand¡­


    Hannah doesn¡¯t say anything, just blinking in surprise at the fact that Bug actually touched her hand.


    Bug on the other hand continues to stare at their held hands like they are going to explode or suddenly combust into flames. Eventually, she has to let go and quickly pulls her hand back under her cloak, before walking away in a hurry, her little clawed feet clicking on the bark of the branch as she hurries away.


    ¡°Uhm, what was that about?¡± Jakub asks.


    Hannah just looks at her hand curiously before glancing at Bug. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know.¡±


    She actually held my hand, willingly? Hmm¡­ she had no problem touching my face. Maybe it is fine as long as she is one doing the touching? Does she not feel comfortable if she doesn¡¯t feel like she is in control? Maybe¡­ If I take it slowly, I can get her to consider me as a friend? That would be nice¡­


    <hr>


    Why the hell did I hold her hand!? What is going on with me? The urge to hold it, just sort of¡­ came over me? It was weird¡­ This is weird. She is weird! I just need to wait until we beat the boss, and then I can stop playing around with them. Then I won¡¯t have to worry about¡­ Whatever the hell this is!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    I wonder if she like cookies¡­

 Chapter 11.4- Friends?

    A couple hours later, walking out of a moving cloud of fog, Bug shakes her head as beads of water run down the lengths of her hair, sending water droplets in every direction. Reaching up a hand, she wipes a layer of water off of her face and tries to flick it away from her with a huff.


    ¡°All of this fog is annoying; my clothes are getting soaked¡­¡±


    Max and the rest follow her out with Hannah safely guarded in the middle of the formation, everyone else is wet as well from the thick precipitation, grumbling as they try to wipe some of the water off or wring it out of their clothes.


    ¡°Yeah, makes me wish that we had a Wind Mage with us, but they are already hard enough to find as adventurers, especially compared to other mages, as is.¡±


    Bug turns back towards Max and tilts her head curiously. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Oh.¡± Max has to take a second to remember that Bug, being so different from a normal human, obviously doesn¡¯t know much about how society works. Even stuff that should be common sense.


    ¡°Mages, in general, don¡¯t typically become adventurers. Most mages are nobles, so those that do are usually kids that ran away from home for one reason or another, or they are the bastard child of a noble and a whore. That¡¯s usually the story for them whenever you see them, so they aren¡¯t all that common and are usually picked up by the more experienced parties or even brought into an Adventurers Clan as members. For a small party like ours, getting a mage of any element is a pipe dream at best. Add to that the fact that a mage can basically find work almost anywhere, and that makes them even less common of a sight as adventurers. It is basically only the ones that crave danger and adventure, or have really hit rock bottom that would end up in our line of work.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ So, why is it harder to find a Wind Mage then?¡±


    ¡°Compared to other mages, they are in even higher demand than most. A Fire Mage could make a living helping out at the forges, an Earth Mage could become rich working at the mines or a stone quarry, but a Wind Mage? They are needed for keeping the air ships in the sky. I don¡¯t know how it works, but they make a fortune with that work and are always in demand.¡±


    ¡°Air ship? What the heck is that?¡± Bug asks herself in a whisper.


    Bug¡¯s only knowledge of the outside world comes from what little knowledge she had gained from Introductions to the Basics of Magics. One of the first Knowledges Bug had purchased on recommendation from the System before picking her chosen element. Though it had failed to include the fact that picking Death as your element comes with an almost ninety percent chance of just dying outright¡­


    Regardless, the Knowledge only contained information pertaining to the outside world, in relation to magic. So, while Bug knows of the trees and the Sun, of the mountains and the oceans, of the plains and the desserts. Even of what a forge is or a mine and a quarry, as there are Fire and Earth spells made by the System, dedicated to their use, she doesn¡¯t have any real knowledge about what a ship is, let alone an air ship. Which, when thinking about it, it sort of makes sense that information intended for Dungeon monsters, living underground, wouldn¡¯t really need information about things that supposedly flies though the sky in the outside world.


    Deciding to just roll with it and continue playing as the clueless outcast Body Mage ¨C Which honestly isn¡¯t a lie - Bug just turns to Hannah and asks her question with honest curiosity.


    ¡°What¡¯s a ship?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± She says with a shrug.


    ¡°Do you know what a boat is?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I know what a raft is. Is it like that?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ sort of, in a way, yes? Have you never been to the ocean?¡±


    ¡°Nope, but I know what it is. I want to see it someday.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, maybe I could¡­ Maybe we could go see it¡­ together someday? Would that be alright?¡± Hannah asks nervously.


    Hmmmm¡­ Would she even be willing to show me by then, after I manage to escape the Dungeon? If she is still alive, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she were to hate me¡­ Still, I would like to see the ocean, and since she is offering, I have no reason to refuse.


    ¡°Sure, I would like that. But what is a ship?¡±


    Hannah instantly lights up with a smile before going on to explain to Bug how a boat and a ship are different than a raft. It basically just comes down to a matter of size and how many people they can fit, but Bug happily listens as she is told about a facet of life on the surface that she knows nothing about, her mind made to imagine wondrous sights, filled with images of a bustling port town, its harbors full of behemoth like structures that can move across the water, or even strangely enough, flying though the skies, their bellies full of valuable goods and foods from faraway places.


    ¡°Have any of you ever been on a ship before?¡± Bug asks.


    Everyone just shakes their heads no as they walk along the branches, avoiding walking into the clouds of fog where they can.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Max speaks up for Sam and Jakub. ¡°The three of us have never gone further than the neighboring kingdoms, and that was just for escort jobs, deliveries, and a bit of mercenary work. Basically, we have lived in Sil our entire lives.¡±


    Hannah raises her hand a little. ¡°I¡¯m originally from Sarataga. I used to attend the university there. Have you ever been there?¡±


    ¡°Nope, never. I don¡¯t even know where it is.¡± Bug answers truthfully.


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s one of the biggest human nations on the continent. Their border is near the territory of the Demons. How have you not heard of them?¡±


    Bug just shrugs and plays it cool, telling the truth as she always does.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been there. I didn¡¯t even know the name of this city until a couple of days ago.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite the weird person, Bug.¡± Sam says with a shrug.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me weird. Hannah, what is a university? What was Sarataga like?¡±


    She said that it is near the Demon¡¯s territory. That must be where I can find the Land of the Demon Queen. If I am ever going to head there, then I might want to stop by Sarataga on the way.


    Hannah hesitates for a bit, chewing on her lower lip as she mulls over the request. Her look is uncertain and a bit painful, but also nostalgic in a way.


    ¡°It was an interesting place to live. Much bigger than Sil is, but also a lot older and more set in its ways¡­ The Church of the Goddess is very prominent there, and the academy, it is a place of learning¡­ I¡­ I would rather not talk about my life there.¡±


    Sam gives her a pat on the back. ¡°You a run-a-way from home? Yeah, I thought as much. Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t have to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, thank you Sam.¡±


    Bug watches her and tries to think about why she would not want to talk about her home, but comes up short. After all, Bug has no experience with any of this. She doesn¡¯t have a family. She doesn''t have a home she can return to. She doesn¡¯t even have a history beyond the past few days that she has been alive¡­


    For some reason, this makes her depressed¡­


    I wonder what having a family is like? What it would have been like if I could have been born from normal Gremlin parents instead of a plant in this damn Dungeon¡­ Could I have gone to a university, like Hannah did? Would I have eventually run away from home to, or maybe lived a different life?


    Before she can stop herself, Bug finds herself reaching out and grabbing Hannah¡¯s sleeve, giving it a tug. When the taller girl turns to look down at her in surprise, Bug asks, ¡°Could you tell me about your life?¡±


    ¡°Eh? You, you want to know about my¡­ Why?¡±


    Bug lets go of her sleeve quickly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, if you don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to! I¡­¡±


    Hannah turns and looks at the others, feeling embarrassed and put on the spot.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I can tell you later. Just not right now. Is that alright?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, mhm¡­ Yes¡­¡± Bug works out through her confusion as her mind start to catch up with her and realize what she just did. Quickly looking away, she speeds up her pace and walks away from the group.


    Behind her Jakub and Sam whisper together.


    ¡°No fair, why does Bug get to learn about her, but we don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°She really does like her more than us now, huh? Ah, we fucked up royally¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you noticed that Bug always walks away like that? She must get embarrassed really easily.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it almost makes you forget how dangerous she is, like she is just some little girl, hahaha.¡±


    ¡­


    Bug chooses to ignore the whispers that her sensitive ears can easily hear and keeps walking away. Thankfully, Hannah didn¡¯t chase after her this time and is just watching from near the others. Bug can feel her eyes on her back as she walks away in a hurry.


    What the hell is going on with me? I¡¯ve only been messing with these humans for a couple of days, but now they¡­ she has me acting all weird now¡­ Why the hell would I care about her life? The only reason why I am doing this is so I can have some fun while I learn as much as I can about the outside world. I don¡¯t need to learn about her past, or where she grew up, or what it was like to have parents¡­ or to have a childhood¡­ and making friends¡­ having a life full of choices¡­¡­¡­ not being born a monster¡­


    Bug reaches up and feels at her face, her finger coming away wet with a tear from her eye. Taking a quick breath, Bug feels as her face grows wet with even more, her vision growing cloudy as more tears stain her cheeks.


    Am I crying!? Why? Why am I¡­?


    Bug quickly glances back at the following humans, her sight landing on Hannah before quickly turning away.


    I can¡¯t let them see me like this! I need to, I need to¡­ Over there!


    Spotting a moving cloud of fog passing over the surface of the branch, Bug quickly runs over and dives into the floating vapor to hide away from prying eyes. Behind her, the humans call out to her in concern, but Bug just calls back that she is fine, continuing to move through the fog as she wipes the tears from her eyes.


    Get ahold of yourself damn it! You¡¯re stronger than this! You can¡¯t let the humans think of you as weak, so get this under control, Bug! I¡¯ve endured pain. I¡¯ve even cut off my own arm and I didn¡¯t cry, so get ahold of yourself!


    Behind her, footsteps are quickly approaching, so she quickens her pace again, moving faster until she is reaching the other side of the cloud of fog. Bug quickly comes to a stop as she looks ahead of her, blinking the last of the tears out of her eyes as she wipes away some of the precipitation from the fog off her face.


    The others quickly come stumbling out after her, wiping water off of themselves as well as they find blessedly clear air.


    ¡°Bug, what the hell is going on? Don¡¯t just run away like that, what if we get separated?¡± Someone asks, but Bug isn¡¯t listening.


    Bug only has eyes for what is happening up ahead, and it doesn¡¯t take much longer for the others to also notice.


    Further ahead, where seven branches meet as a twisted and overlapping intersection, hundreds of figures are currently mixed in a melee of clashing claws and pincers.


    Black, red and yellow, but also the figures of torn apart and twisted moving dead, ravenously attacking everything that moves.


    ¡°What the hell, why are there already Undead here!?¡±


    Bug just casually answers while keeping her face and puffy eyes pointed away from everyone else, ¡°They probably fell down here from the higher branches¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ Hannah, which way are we supposed to be going again?¡± Max asks.


    Behind her, Bug can hear as Hannah quickly digs out her map, answering shortly after giving it a look. Bug quickly takes this chance where the attention is off of her to wipe her face clean of any remaining tears and get her breathing back under control.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ You see that branch over there, the third left at the intersection?¡± Hannah says nervously as she points.


    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if we are going to make it to the Safe Room before night arrives, then we have to go that way¡­¡±


    ¡°Through the battlefield of giant ants and the Undead?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± Hannah says nervously.


    ¡°Eh, Bug!?¡± Sam calls out in surprise.


    Bug doesn¡¯t say anything as she shrugs back her cloak, exposing her four arms as they slowly shift into long bladed limbs. Stomping towards the battlefield, Bug lets out a sigh of relief.


    Oh, thank REDACTED, a distraction! Maybe another Level-up will help me clear my head of these weird thoughts!

 Chapter 11.5- Friends?

    An intersection of seven overlapping and tied together branches, each one wide enough to easily accommodate several carriages moving side by side and putting most roads on the surface to shame, this place has become a twisting battlefield of four sides tearing each other apart.


    All over the intersection and even fighting on the vertical sides of the branches, black, yellow, and red ants, each as large as a man, are fighting it out in a battle for domination as ants gang up on other ants of different colors and tear them limb from limb. The common strategy being to have several members surround one ant, and then grab them by their antenna and limbs, pulling them until the parts come free. The delimbed bodies, some still alive, are quickly pushed off the side of the branches to fall down below where waiting scavengers are no doubt waiting for their next meal to fall out of the sky. Others aren¡¯t so lucky. Some of the ants, their limbs removed and still breathing, are being carried away by their enemy, dragged away to be taken back to the nest as food for their young.


    Some ants aren¡¯t killed in this manner, however. Some are simply crushed under foot or outright cut in half by the giant mandibles of the rampaging super major ants. There giant bodies make them a prominent force on the battlefield and their hard armor covered bodies make them into absolute tanks that can simply ignore the smaller ants that crawl over their bodies. On one particular super major, its back has turned into a battlefield of its own as ally ants fight to protect it from the enemies on its back, fighting to keep them away from the super majors few weak points.


    It is utter chaos as three colors clash and mix, fighting in three dimensions in a battle suspended dozens of meters up in the air, a guaranteed drop promised with but one mistake.


    To add further chaos to all of this, is the Undead.


    Zombies of all sorts of creatures, having fallen or flown down from the upper branches, drawn in by the sounds of combat and the lure of Death¡¯s presence, had joined the fight in numbers and are savaging all sides, dragging the already brutal fight into a near free-for-all melee as the Undead attack everything that dares to have the audacity to still draw breath.


    Things are only drawn into even further chaos as the fallen ants begin to rise from the dead, turning on their own allies and surprising them as red attacks red, yellow attacks yellow, and black attacks black. Many are blindsided by the surprise, their pheromones telling them that an ally is currently attacking them. For many of the ants, they are simply too slow to react before the Undead manage to claim yet another victim, further increasing their numbers even as they are slain by the dozens.


    As the battle continues to unfold into sheer chaos, being continuously fed by more reinforcement streaming in from several branches, the battlefield is thrown into further turmoil as a small figure slams into the side of a yellow super major, four bladed limbs tearing into where head connects to abdomen and slicing through with the crunch of breaking chitin, cutting through the massive creature like a guillotine on a Noble¡¯s fat neck. Its head falls down below and crushes several other ants as they desperately fight one another, never even seeing their deaths coming before they are crushed. The giants body falls to the side, slipping off of the branch as those on its back continue to fight a now useless battle that will end the moment the corpse hit the ground, far down below.


    The little figure, half the size of the ants and able to run between their legs with ease, moves through the battlefield like a little whirlwind of death. With every move of her bladed limbs, ants and the Undead both are reduced to chunks of flying meat and chitin. Heads and limbs go flying as she screams bloody murder, letting out her pent-up emotions on anything that dares to stand in her way, her body quickly getting covered in blood and ichor as she cuts through everything without a care, her only thought being on carving a path through the walls of bodies in her way.


    Behind her, the four adventurers quickly follow behind her, moving fast to keep up with the spinning blades of death that is cleaving a bloody trail through the center of the battlefield like a hot spear through flesh.


    The adventurers keep to a tight formation, keeping their weakest member safely tucked in between all of them as they push back and strike any enemy that tries to attack them, smashing them with axe or cutting them with sword and daggers.


    When a zombie monkey comes flying out from the chaos, trying to latch onto one of the humans, it is met with a sword and cut in half from hip to shoulder. The top half continues to try and grab at the humans with its one remaining arm, but is grabbed by the neck and tossed away with a curse, only to get snatched out of the air by an ant and eaten.


    ¡°Fucking Undead! Tighten formation, don¡¯t let them touch Hannah! Keep moving and don¡¯t let Bug get too far ahead of us!¡± Max yells out as he pushes his back to Sam¡¯s, ensuring that Hannah is kept safely in between everyone.


    Up ahead, two super majors are locked in battle, their mandibles locked against each other as they wrestle for supremacy, trampling enemy and ally alike under foot as they move to keep their high ground, with one pushing the other down the side of the branch to a lower level of the intersection.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Bug doesn¡¯t stop moving even as she reaches these two wresting behemoths, simply tearing apart everything in her path as she moves for the back leg of the one holding the high ground. Leaping off the ground and clearing several meters in a single jump, Bug latches onto the giant leg that is thicker than her body with her bladed limbs, and climbs up it like a squirrel let loose into a tree. In a matter of seconds, she is already on its back, blades stabbed into its hard shell and gouging out jagged trenches in its back that pour with yellow ichor as she runs over its back and towards its head.


    The beast lets out a chitter scream of pain as it rears its head back, the lower super major taking this chance to lock its mandibles around its opponent''s head to try and crush it.


    With the two locked together, Bug jumps forward, her bladed arms fanning out around her as she lets out a screaming war cry. Rotating in midair, she spins and dives, her blades moving around her like a blender before she slams into the head of the first super major, bring all of her momentum together and slicing down on its head.


    Her blades break through, several levels worth of stats difference turning her body into a living weapon that can plow through the ants hardened defenses with a loud crunch.


    Digging through the top of its head, she slices through layers of meat and something resembling a brain before breaking through to the other side, finding the open mouth of the second super major just as its mandibles snap shut on the now weakened head of the other, finishing it off for good.


    Bug doesn¡¯t stop moving, diving into the massive creature¡¯s mouth and kicking off the bottom of its jaw to attack the roof of its mouth. With gore-soaked blades, she easily tears its mouth apart and rips its head open from the inside, digging up and through the brain before exploding out the top in an explosion of gore and shards of chitin.


    The two super majors slowly collapse, their bodies still connected together by their destroyed heads and interlocked mandibles as they fall forward. Beneath their bodies, dozens of the Undead and the smaller ants are simply crushed by their massive weight, others run away and scatter, chittering loudly as they run for their lives.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Jakub screams as he witnesses to the two behemoths get slaughtered by a girl half his size in a matter of seconds. He had heard about these things from more experienced groups, and the common thought is that the super majors are never to be fought without at least two full parties of five members, one of which is just there to keep the smaller ants away from the actual fight. And yet, here is a little girl simply tearing them apart as she screams like a maniac, ripping apart hard chitin that many adventurers would have considered an amazing material for crafting armor with.


    Max pulls on his shoulder and screams, ¡°Keep moving, she made a bridge for us! Quickly!¡±


    Taking advantage of the temporary opening in the fighting as ants quickly scatter in every direction, they all move for the collapsing corpses, jumping up on to the thorax of the first one and running down its back towards the second. Sam has to lean down and pick up Hannah with one arm, the panting and sweating girl being unable to keep up with or even make the jump up with her untrained body. Shouldering her like a sack of potatoes as she sprints, Sam and the others slide down the corpse as it collapses, jumping to the second and running across its back to the lower branch as the two massive bodies start to fall to the side, slipping off the branches of the intersection with their heads still connected together in a destroyed mess.


    As the adventurers alight to the lower branch of the intersection, the two giant corpses slip over the side, dragging groups of hissing ants and gnashing Undead with them in a crashing cacophony of breaking wood and crushed chitin.


    Running for their lives, Hannah letting out a scream on Sam¡¯s back. The group continues to move as they follow behind the still rampaging Bug. Thankfully, the route they need to follow is not part of one of the ant armies¡¯ supply lines. It does not take much longer until they are tearing their way out through the other side. One moment they are in the thick of layers of violence, and the next, they are out, nothing but open branch spread out ahead of them.


    They don¡¯t stop moving and keep sprinting, not stopping until they are far away from the battlefield. They had been chased by a number of ants on their way out, but also by the Undead. It thankfully didn¡¯t take long until the Undead had switched targets from the fleeing humans, and to instead attack the ants they were running besides, giving the fleeing humans a chance to get away.


    Leaving behind a mess of chaos, the group finally comes to a stop and collapses to their knees as they try to catch their breaths. When Hannah is set down by Sam, she quickly collapses, her legs shaking like a newborn faun¡¯s as she lays on her back, covered in sweat.


    Bug is resting a bit ahead of them, sitting on the ground in a puddle of gore dripping off her cloak and her soaked clothes as her four arms slowly revert back to normal, blades changing back into little hands and delicate fingers adorned with little claws.


    Through tired breaths, Max yells out, ¡°Bug, what the Hell!?¡±


    She just laughs as she collapses to her back, breasts heaving as laughter escapes from her exhausted lungs. ¡°Hahahahaha! Ah, I fucking needed that! Hahahahaha!!! Ahhh, I smell horrible! When we get to the safe room, I¡¯m taking a fucking bath! Hahaha~!¡±


    Max just turns to Sam, the only one still able to remain standing after all of that. ¡°She¡¯s crazy, we¡¯re following a crazy person¡­¡±


    Sam walks over and gives Hannah a gentle kick, nudging the collapsed girl that looks like she is contemplating passing out right where she is.


    ¡°Hannah, please tell us that we are almost there. Light will be gone soon.¡±


    She just raises a hand and waves it around a bit in some vague motion of giving direction. ¡°Not much further, we¡¯re¡­ we are almost there. These floors are seemingly laid out with the intention of letting people choose to move through floors quickly or to get to explore around a lot¡­ look for treasure and stuff¡­¡± She says as she flops her arms to the ground.


    While Bug is still giggling to herself like a mad woman, Max calls out, ¡°Five-minute break, then we get moving¡­¡±


    The crazy girl just talks to herself without a care. ¡°Level-Up, yes! All the points into Endurance, my Stamina is too low! Hahahaa!¡±

 Chapter 11.6- Friends?

    As the night is drawing near and everyone is forced to have to make use of torches to navigate the twilight cast by the forest canopy, they finally make their way into the interior of one of the many titanic trees that fills this place. Being warry of traps and thankfully only having had to deal with a couple more little skirmishes on the way here, everyone lets out a sigh of relief as they find the door to the Safe Room.


    Bug immediately makes a b-line for the room, heading inside before anyone else can. Blocking the entrance, she declares, ¡°We have an hour until the restock happens, I¡¯m taking a bath. If any of you try to spy on me, I swear that I will turn your feet into hands and your hands into feet. Do not test me.¡± Her eyes on Hannah for a moment as she says, any.


    Everyone immediately takes a step back and returns to the hallway, not wanting to argue with the little crazy person that is currently caked in layers of gore and smelling like the back end of a butchery. If she wants to take a bath, they aren¡¯t going to stop her.


    Sitting in the hallway just outside, they can hear as Bug jumps into the large fountain that adorns one wall of the Safe Room, a big splash of water sounding out as water spills out over the rim and wets the floor.


    ¡°Ahhhhh~ So good!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°So¡­ How long does it take for the water to clean itself again?¡± Jakub asks.


    ¡°¡­ About an hour or two, I think.¡±


    He just tips over his water skin and watches as the last couple drops drip out through the tap¡­


    ¡°Can I have a drink from your canteen?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡­


    Closest to the door, Hannah sits with her knees to her chest, blushing as she listens to Bug splashing in the water, her satisfied voice reaching her ears as Bug happily cleans her body.


    No peeking! No Peeking! No peeking! I don¡¯t want my hands turned into feet!


    <hr>


    Sometime later, Bug calls out to everyone and says they can finally enter. Sitting next to the hearth, she is waiting as her clothes dry nearby from the heat of the fire. Sitting on a seat that is a grown-out part of the floor, she is wrapped in a towel with her scaled cloak hanging down her back from her shoulders, warming herself by the fire with a satisfied look on her face.


    Running a second towel through her shoulder length grey and black hair, she dries out the last few drops of water as they bead off of her.


    Hannah is stopped and stunned at the sight of her and has to force herself to stop staring like an idiot at Bug¡¯s exposed legs, marveling at how her scales flow over the curves of her thighs until they disappear somewhere under her towel, which can only do so much to hide her figure.


    Hannah carefully takes a seat nearby, and tries to fight down the urge to look, but her eyes keep going back to Bug, settling on her exposed shoulders and examining how her four arms connect to her body, how the scales cover her body and transition into soft, tan colored skin at her torso, leading down to a pair of amazingly sized breasts that are practically trying to spill out of her towel. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that one of her hands was holding the towel together, if she were to let go of it-


    Holy shit stop staring at her chest! Don¡¯t look at her like that, Hannah! You know she doesn¡¯t like it!


    Hannah quickly turns her head away, resisting with all her might to keep her eyes from returning their lustful gaze to Bug¡¯s barely covered body.


    Thankfully, the other girl isn¡¯t paying her any attention and has now started on brushing her hair with a brush that she had somehow just pulled out of her cloak from behind her back. Bug happily hums to herself as she takes care of her hair and then works on brushing out the fur that covers her forearms.


    Looking towards the rest of the group, Hannah finds that the guys are looking away as well, and when Jakub tries to sneak a peek at Bug, he gets a slap from Sam. He quickly decides that the wall is suddenly very interesting.


    ¡°Hmm? Why is everyone acting weird? Are we not going to cook some food?¡± Bug asks curiously after she finishes brushing herself, her hair and fur all looking very soft and fluffy now.


    Hannah looks back towards her, fighting to keep her eyes on Bug¡¯s face, and absolutely nothing else but her face. ¡°Uhm, do you mind covering yourself up some more, please?¡±


    ¡°More?¡± Bug looks at Hannah¡¯s face and seems to realize something. Very quickly, her other arms go up to her scaled cloak and pulls it around herself. ¡°Oh¡­ I thought I was covered up enough¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ We can¡¯t see anything important, but¡­ Well, wearing nothing but a towel is sort of¡­ ¡°


    Bug interrupts in a hurry. ¡°Yes, I think I understand now, thank you! Uhm, my clothes should be mostly done drying now, I¡¯ll go and get dressed!¡±


    With one hand darting out of her cloak, Bug snatches up her clothes and pulls them in. As she does, Hannah can¡¯t help but notice the silk and lace white panties before they disappear with her hand under the cloak.


    Isn¡¯t that the sort of stuff Noble women wear? How does she have such fancy underwear?


    Her thoughts are blown away as Bug stands up and runs past her. The scent of fruit and soap is carried by the air in her wake as Bug runs out of the room.


    ¡­


    A short while after Bug leaves, Jakub lets out a curse. ¡°Shit, I¡¯m starting to see why some guys have a thing for Dwarf and Halfling women¡­¡±


    Max just gives him a smack on the back of the head. ¡°Shut up, she might be able to hear you.¡±


    Hannah ignores them, her mind questioning how it is that Bug could have these things. What her life must be like. What sort of a mystery this strange, but beautiful, little person is.


    <hr>


    In the middle of the night, a few hours after the mana wave had passed outside, Hannah stirs from her sleep and sits up in her bedroll, her eyes heavy with sleep.


    Looking around, she has to blink her eyes a few times as she draws her vision back under control, her enhanced eyes wanting to focus on a distant crack in the wall for some reason. Looking around, she notices that Bug¡¯s bedroll is empty, the girl is instead sitting near the hearth opposite to Sam. The two of them are both chewing on some jerky, but they aren¡¯t talking about anything.


    Hannah moves to crawl out of bed, and catches as Bug¡¯s ears twitch. Turning her head, Bug looks Hannah¡¯s way.


    ¡°What are you doing up already? We still have three hours till morning.¡±


    ¡°I was going to ask the same¡­¡± Hannah ask as she fights down a yawn.


    ¡°I don¡¯t sleep much. I only need a couple of hours per night.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    Sam nods her head toward the freshly woken Hannah and asks, ¡°Do you want to switch with me for the watch? I wouldn¡¯t mind getting a couple hours more sleep if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Hannha thinks for a second and decides that she has had enough sleep for now. She might as well let one of their fighters get some more sleep before the big boss battle tomorrow.


    ¡°Sure, get some more sleep. I¡¯ll stay up with Bug.¡±


    Getting up from her chair with a grunt, Sam says, ¡°Try not to get too distracted, sweetie. If anything happens, make sure to wake us.¡± Being loud enough for anyone listening to hear.


    As Sam is walking past Hannah to head to her sleeping roll, she leans down and whispers in her ear, ¡°If you two need to have some privacy, feel free to grab one of the nearby rooms. You don¡¯t need to worry about us.¡±


    ¡°Wha!?¡±


    Sam just pats her on the shoulder and doesn¡¯t say anything else as she crawls into her sleeping roll, a cheeky smile on her face as she rolls over to face away from the hearth.


    Does she know!?


    Watching Sam for a bit, her spine locked up in fright and confusion, Hannah waits for something to inevitably explode or for someone to yell at her or hit her, but nothing happens. Sam just goes to sleep, nobody stirs in their sleep, and Bug just keeps munching on some jerky without a care in the world.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Feeling a little shaken, Hannah slowly works her way over to the hearth and sits down a short distance away from Bug. The flames of the hearth are pleasantly warm, and help greatly to warm up the cold blood in her face that has become chilled from the fright.


    Maybe she just meant if we want to talk in private? It¡¯s not like I have to assume that she meant¡­ that¡­ right?


    Sitting quietly together for a while, Hannah stewing in her embarrassment, Bug finishes off her jerky and washes it down with some water.


    Surprisingly, it is Bug that breaks the silence as she asks a question. ¡°So¡­ Earlier, I asked if you could tell me about your life¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh, right¡­¡±


    ¡°Could you¡­ if you don¡¯t mind¡­ You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Hannah looks down at her hands, watching as the flames from the hearth make light and shadow play over her fingers. Slowly, she asks, ¡°Why do you want to know?¡±


    Bug doesn¡¯t answer for a long while, simply staring into the fire. For a while, Hannah worries that she might have scared Bug away from the subject. As she is about to apologies, the spiky horned girl speaks up.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t have a family. I don¡¯t really have much of a past of my own¡­¡±


    She doesn¡¯t say anything more than that, going quiet as she just keeps watching the fire.


    Should I tell her? I did say that I would¡­


    Wetting her lips, Hannah takes a moment to think before opening her mouth to talk, the words weighing heavily on her tongue. ¡°My, my life before coming here was, normal I guess, for the most part¡­ I grew up the daughter of a merchant. My mother was a seamstress before she married my dad and then worked to help him with his business. As a kid, I helped with keeping the store clean, did chores around the house, and studied a lot. My parents made sure that I could read at a young age. They wanted to be sure that I would have a better future than them, and I am very grateful for that and everything they did for me¡­¡±


    She has to take some time as the memories start coming back to her. Memories of playing with the neighborhood kids in the streets. Memories of the time when Clemet, the neighbor boy, three houses down, had gotten sick and died. Memories of going to church with her parents and praying to the Goddess. Memories of her first time earning an allowance from helping her parents and then promptly spending it all on sweets.


    She tells Bug about her childhood, about her family, and about how she lived her life. Bug sits quietly and politely listens to her story. Eventually, Hannah¡¯s story brings her to the University of Sarataga.


    ¡°My family had worked hard to pay for my admission, and I studied for weeks to be able to pass the entrance exams¡­ My parents were so proud of me when I got in. I was even able to move out so I could live in the University¡¯s dorms. I got a job working for the library so that I could afford my stay, but I only had so much money, so I sometimes had to skimp on meals.¡± She says with a nostalgic smile on her face, memories of a happier time playing before her eyes in the light of the fire.


    She hesitates as she works up the courage to say what comes next. ¡°¡­It was in my second year when I met her¡­¡± Hannah says, her voice almost a whisper.


    ¡°She was a freshman in her first year, and I don¡¯t know why, I still don¡¯t to this day, but for some reason she took a liking to me. We quickly became friends and would do everything together. Eating lunch, going out to the city to shop, studying in the library¡­ She took my first kiss, right there in the History Section, aisle 16C¡­¡± Hannah says as her fingers go up to her lips, lightly tracing the curves of her lower lip, as if she can still feel something soft and wonderful pressed against them.


    ¡°I had never even thought of us as being anything more than friends. The idea of being with¡­ another woman¡­ I had never considered it, and why would I? The Goddess teaches us that love can only be between a man and a woman, but¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ At first, it frightened me, I pushed her away and we fought. This went against everything I knew, everything I was taught and raised to believe. But¡­ I just couldn¡¯t get that kiss out of my mind. One night, I couldn¡¯t sleep, my thoughts full of her. We hadn¡¯t talked in days after our fight, but I found myself walking to her dorm room, the moon was full, and its light filled the halls with such a wonderful glow¡­ When she answered the door, wearing nothing but her nightgown, I couldn¡¯t stop myself¡­¡±


    Hannah is holding herself now in a sad hug, her eyes staring into the depths of the fire as if she could see something there, leaving the next part unspoken, kept only as a wonderful memory in her heart. She has to fight to keep the tears from coming.


    ¡°We, we started dating after that. We became more than just friends¡­ We didn¡¯t tell anyone about us, we couldn¡¯t. We never could¡­ In front of everyone else, we pretended to just be really good friends. We didn¡¯t want to ruin what we had¡­ But good things can¡¯t last forever. We got caught by a teacher and he sent letters to our parents¡­ We were separated and sent back to our families, the both of us getting expelled¡­¡±


    The tears start flowing now, no longer able to hold themselves back as she is forced to remember how they were separated, kicking and screaming as the guards pulled them away and locked Hannah in her dorm room.


    ¡°I never got to see her again¡­ I got put in a carriage first thing in the morning with all my things and sent home. I never even got to say goodbye to her¡­¡±


    Shaking, Hannah says, ¡°My parents were furious. They told me that I betrayed them! They beat me and then sent me away to the church where the nuns tried to cleanse me of my sins. They would have me prey on my knees for hours every day, to beg the Goddess for forgiveness as they poured freezing water on me, but all I could think of was her. I just wanted to see her again, to hold her and kiss her one more time¡­ I couldn¡¯t take it anymore, so I ran away. Leaving a note for my parents, I told them how sorry I was and that I still loved them. I ran away from the church, from the Goddess. I ran away to try and find her¡­¡±


    Hannah remains quiet for a long while as she shakes and tears continue to stream down her face. Bug carefully asks, her voice small and gentle like she is afraid Hannah might shatter like glass. ¡°Did you find her?¡±


    Hannah slowly nods her head, sniffing back a cry in her throat, still having enough composure as to not want to wake the others.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I found her. It took me months of travel, but I finally reached her home¡­ Where she comes from, people are far less forgiving of those who slight the Goddess¡¯s teachings¡­¡±


    She runs a trembling hand through her hair as old tears are dredged up from the well of her heart, a hic in her voice as her breaths become halted. ¡°She was executed. Burned at the stake for being a heretic¡­ Her family had called for the punishment when she was submitted to the church! Her own parents demanded that she be burned! Never had I wanted to kill another person so much in my life! Never had I wanted to make someone suffer! I wanted to see that whole place burned to ground for what they did¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Nothing. I couldn¡¯t do anything. I was just a weak girl then. I still am¡­ I¡¯m not a mage or a warrior, I can hardly even use a knife to prep food for cooking. The only thing I am good at is reading maps and books¡­ I couldn¡¯t do anything¡­ I didn¡¯t even get to see her body, buried in an unmarked grave near the woods... I was so scared that if they found out, that I would have been killed as well. So, I left, and I never went back. I just wanted to get away from that place, to put as much distance between myself and home. But no matter how far away I get, I can never forget about her. And I can never forgive myself for what happened¡­¡±


    Bug asks softly, ¡°¡­ What was her name?¡±


    Bug has no idea why she should care, but a part of her needs to know.


    ¡°Her name was Jesica, and she was beautiful. Fire red hair and wonderfully green eyes¡­ she had these adorable freckles and her lips where just so soft that I could never possibly forget them. Her voice, her laugh¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Bug¡­ Your eyes just reminded me so much of hers. I¡¯m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable with my always staring at you.¡±


    Bug feels awkward as she watches the shaking girl, tears falling from her eyes and looking so incredibly vulnerable. So fragile that she could probably be shattered with a couple words. Already, Bug knows exactly what she could say to make her break, what horrible things she could do to shatter and destroy this fragile creature before her. She could even bend her will and manipulate her, it would be easy. A little bit of comfort, a physical touch in her time of need, a little bit of faked affection to make her fall under her will and do anything she wants.


    The little part of Bug that makes her a monster whispers these things to her. The very same part of her that pushed her to trick and delay those two teenagers, costing them their lives when they failed to leave the Dungeon in time, the skeletons of which are now mixed together in death, forming an insectile abomination of bone and poison.


    But another part of Bug asks herself something. ''Is this what a human is? Is this a person?''


    And Bug latches onto this question. Is Bug a person simply because she is capable of higher thought and reasoning? Is she a person because she is better than those mindless creatures that spawn on the first floor? Because she is capable of resisting her baser, more animalistic urges? Is she a person because she is capable of planning for the future, of having dreams?


    If that is all it takes for her be a person, then what is this thing that is sitting next to her?


    Sadness, regret, nostalgia, love, hatred, happiness, and so much more, all tied together and woven into the history of just one person¡¯s life. So many things that Bug can¡¯t even begin to say are parts of hers.


    Has she ever loved? Has she ever regretted something with all her heart? Has she ever formed a memory so powerful that it will never be able to leave her, no matter how long she lives?


    No, she hasn¡¯t. But, at the same time, she has only lived but a short number of days. She has not truly been given the chance to live as a person yet. In all honesty, despite being better than and smarter than the others¡­ she is still a little monster, born from a plant by the Dungeon. Her purpose has always been to kill the humans, and that is exactly what she has been doing¡­


    Even now, on the higher layer, a plague of her own creation is brewing. One capable ending the lives of hundreds of thousands of people if it were to be let loose. And even now, she has no intention of stopping. Even if she has to slaughter an uncountable number of people to see it done, Bug will have her revenge, her freedom.


    She is a monster that wants to be a person¡­ Despite all the power she has gained, and all she plans to further gain, no matter the price¡­ She envies this fragile, weak, little human. She wishes that she could be like her¡­


    ¡­


    Without thinking, Bug reaches under her wings and pulls out her box of cookies. Taking out two of the chocolate chips, Bug hesitates for but a moment before slowly reaching out and offering one to the crying girl.


    ¡°Ah, what is this¡­ a cookie?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ you can have it¡­¡±


    ¡°Where did you?¡± Hannah tries to ask, but she sees the uncertain look on Bug¡¯s face, as if she is questioning her decisions, just one mistake away from running away from this place.


    She carefully takes the cookie from Bug and tastes it. Instantly, her tongue that only tasted of the saltiness of tears, is filled with the warm sugary goodness of soft cookie and slightly bitter, melty black chocolate. The cookie practically melts in her mouth with warmth and softness, still hot as if it had just been pulled from the oven and set aside to cool down but a short while ago.


    Hannah sniffs back more tears after she swallows, the warmth of the cookie filling her stomach like a warm hug.


    ¡°This is delicious. Thank you, Bug¡­ Thank you¡­¡±


    Bug nods as she eats her own cookie in silence, savoring the taste with every bite. Between bites, she works up the courage to ask, ¡°Could we¡­ be friends?¡±


    Hannah looks up at her, blinking, startled by the sudden request.


    Bug quickly corrects herself, ¡°But no kissing or anything like that! Just friends, ok¡­?¡±


    Hannah smiles, wiping away her tears with her sleeve, holding the half-eaten cookie close to her heart, she says, ¡°I would like that. I would like that a lot. Thank you, Bug¡­ Can I give you a hug?¡±


    Bug thinks for a little bit, but decides that being touched is still too much for her right now.


    ¡°No hugs¡­¡±


    Hannah just smiles and gives a giggle as she watches Bug. ¡°Ok, no hugs. Thank you for the cookie, Bug.¡±


    Beneath her cloak, Bug hugs herself with her lower set of arms, a weirdly warm feeling filling her as she eats her cookie beside her very first friend. But also regret, so much regret¡­


    What am I going to do? After what I have planned for tomorrow, would she still want to be my friend?

 Chapter 12.1- Truth

    Morning arrives with the low glow of a fake sun, slowly filling the halls outside of the Safe Room, bringing a gentle orange to wooden walls and floors.


    The others slowly stir from their sleep, with Max being the first to wake. Years of working as adventurers have turned these people into early risers, a need to maximize daylight for getting work done becoming an integral part of their lives.


    Mumbling out a ¡®Good morning¡­¡¯ to Bug and Hannah, Max doesn¡¯t say anything else as he starts working on prepping some breakfast for everyone, stifling a yawn as he pulls stuff out from his pack. Hannah is quick to get up and help, saying that she will brew some tea for everyone.


    Slowly, Sam and Jakub wake up and after some stretches, get to work on getting their stuff packed and ready to go. Bug simply remains seated and watches as everyone goes about their business, not really sure how to help and honestly not having anything to do because all of her stuff is already packed away safely inside of her inventory.


    Kicking her legs and feeling a little bored, Bug waits patiently for the humans to do their thing. When she is handed a wooden cup full of hot liquid, she thanks Hannah, mostly out of reflex, and then looks down at the stuff.


    What is this? She said she was making tea, but I don¡¯t know what that is¡­ It smells alright¡­


    Carefully taking a sip, Bug blinks at the taste, a bit surprised by how nice it is. The flavor, although a bit bland, is still rather pleasant, and the hot temperature of the drink fills he body with warmth, which is also nice. Hurts a bit on the tongue though, but not enough to stop her from sipping it.


    ¡°Jeez, not even going to let it cool down some, huh? Even your tongue is stronger than ours.¡± Jakub jokes.


    Looking around, Bug does find everyone else blowing on their cups, pushing away the rising steam with their breaths. Bug chooses not to comment and just keeps sipping her drink.


    Definitely tastes better than water does. I should see if Hannah will teach me how to make this stu- Mmmm¡­. Never mind, she probably isn¡¯t going to want to later¡­


    Feeling a bit down, Bug focuses on her drink and ignores everyone else for now, just sipping at her hot drink as everyone chats.


    Once breakfast is ready, the food is divvied out, a plate of toast and beans being handed out to everyone. Bug gives a little thank you and accepts the food, eating it without much thought for the flavor, her mind still stuck on her conversation from last night.


    ¡°So, how was your night, you two? Anything fun happen?¡± Sam says with a big grin on her face. Bug just looks over to Hannah, figuring that she should just let the other girl answer for her right now, but for some reason, she finds Hannah just looking at Sam, clearly embarrassed for some reason and unable to properly respond.


    Deciding that Hannah is out, Bug just gives a quick answer before getting back to eating her beans. ¡°We talked about stuff.¡±


    That seems to get Hannah out of whatever weird mood she is in, so she is able to pick up the conversation from there.


    ¡°Yes, we didn¡¯t do anything else. We just talked; it was nice.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by anything else? What else would you be doing?¡± Sam asks with a big grin on her face like she knows something.


    Hannah just quickly says, ¡°It¡¯s a private matter.¡±


    Sam goes to try and say something else, but Max reaches over and stops her. ¡°No Sam. No starting Side Quests, not right now.¡±


    Sam looks like she wants to argue, but quickly changes her mind and shrugs. ¡°Oh fine, sorry Hannah.¡±


    The nervous girl lets out a sigh of relief and then goes back to her food. But hearing all this, Bug has to ask, ¡°What¡¯s a Side Quest?¡±


    Max gives her a look, but then remembers, again, that Bug doesn¡¯t know much common knowledge, not being a member of normal society.


    ¡°It¡¯s adventurer lingo." He tells her. "Basically, if we learn too much about Hannah¡¯s life, especially stuff she wants to keep secret, then the more likely it is that we are bound to end up on a quest or whatever to help her with her problems, distracting us from our primary goals.¡±


    Jakub finishes for him. ¡°Yeah, so if an adventurer tells you, ¡®It¡¯s a private matter.¡¯ They really mean, ¡®You are better off not knowing and you don¡¯t want to get involved.¡¯ Most adventurers are smart enough to know to back off and leave it alone at that. Especially after some of the horror stories they have heard of other adventurers that didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Bug asks curiously.


    Jakub nods as he scoops the rest of his beans into his mouth, chewing and swallowing as he sets his plate aside. ¡°Well, a popular one is about a party that recruited a mage girl. She was clearly a runaway Noble''s kid, and right there most people would have immediately known to stay far away from her history, but this party in particular wasn¡¯t very bright in the head. Their leader, a guy that apparently fancied himself a Hero, quickly fell in love with the girl. Initially, she didn¡¯t want to tell him anything about her life, but he kept pushing and she eventually gave in, having apparently fallen for him as well. Long story short, the girl was actually a runaway Princess! Which is even worse than if she was just some Noble¡¯s brat. Well, apparently, she had run away because her uncle had overthrown the King, her dad, and wanted to marry her to further legitimize his rule.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Sam spits. ¡°Damn royals wanting to keep their blood Pure¡­ Fucking disgusting¡­¡±


    Jakub just points to her and nods before continuing his story.


    ¡°Exactly. Anyways. Mr. Hero gets the brilliant idea that he is going to help his Princess reclaim her throne, seeing as she was the King¡¯s successor, because her uncle had killed all her brothers, leaving her as the sole heir. Some people say he did it for love, but personal, and quite frankly anyone with half a brain, believes that Mr. Hero just wanted to help her so he could marry her and become King himself, but that¡¯s beside the point. Him and his party? They were officially on a Side Quest, a big one yes, but still technically a Side Quest. They traveled with the Princess, helped her to gather those who would help, and they fought on battle fields under her banner for YEARS.¡±


    Jakub takes a sip of tea before finishing. ¡°By the time everything finished up, they had been on this Side Quest for nearly eight years, fighting to help this girl become Queen.¡±


    Bug has to ask, her curiosity pushing her forward. ¡°So, did Mr. Hero marry her? Did she become Queen?¡±


    Hannah, Sam, and Max just grimace at the question, looking to Jakub to finish the story because they all already know how it ends.


    ¡°Ehh, no and yes¡­¡± He says with a disgusted face.


    ¡°Not every story ends happily with the good guys winning, I¡¯m afraid¡­ In the end, they fell for an ambush set up by some traitorous Nobles they had recruited to their side. They had been paid off by her uncle and lead them into a trap. Most of Mr. Hero¡¯s party died instantly in the ambush with only some of them making it out alive. When they were dragged before the new King, he threatened their lives in exchange for her hand in marriage. Some of them tried to fight back and resist, but were killed on the spot¡­ By the end, only Mr. Hero was left and she begged for him to be spared. And he was. The King was many things, but he was at least a man of his word. Mr. Hero was thrown out of the castle, dirty and beaten, but alive.¡±


    ¡°And the Princess?¡±


    ¡°She married the King¡­ her own uncle¡­ The story I know doesn¡¯t go into any details about her life after that, but it does end with both her and King suspiciously dying together some time later. Probably killed the bastard and then herself if you ask me.¡± He says with his disgust clearly showing.


    ¡°What kingdom was this?¡±


    Jakub just shrugs and looks to Hannah for an answer. Which she promptly gives.


    ¡°The Kingdom of Aby¡¯folcia. It¡¯s long gone by now, having been conquered, later destroyed and then abandoned, and then having two new Kingdoms spit the lands in half some years later when it was eventually recolonized. You can still find some ruins, but they have mostly been cleared out of anything valuable by now. And¡­ well, their Royal lineage is believed to have gone extinct a few decades ago. Too much inbreeding had poisoned their bloodline¡­¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­¡± Bug says with a grimace. She already has issues with the idea of breeding, but to do it with your own family, against their will no less? Some part of her is filled with disgust at the thought of it and she can¡¯t help but show it.


    Jakub just points to Bug and give a nod in understanding. ¡°Yup. Well, the point is most people refer to this story, and many others like it, when it comes to picking up Side Quests. They don¡¯t want to risk becoming like Mr. Hero and his friends, dying after nearly a decade of hard work, just to end up failing in the end. So, when one of your fellow adventurers tells you, ¡®It¡¯s a private matter.¡¯ You fucking listen to them and you drop it. Most of the time, it simply isn¡¯t worth learning the reason why it is so Private.


    Hmm, does this mean that I am on a Side Quest now? Hannah did tell me her story¡­ Maybe, after I leave the Dungeon, I could go and destroy that village that killed her lover? Get her revenge for her since she is too weak to do it herself, maybe? I would have to learn what the name of that village is from her first, but considering that it is near Sarataga, it shouldn¡¯t be too far of a detour for me¡­ I¡¯ll have to ask her later¡­


    While Bug is thinking to herself, Max asks Hannah a question.


    ¡°Hannah, I know you don¡¯t want to talk about your life, and we don¡¯t want to know either if it is private, but just for safety¡¯s sake¡­ You aren¡¯t a Princess or a Noble right? I¡¯m pretty sure you can¡¯t use magic, but people can hide that easily enough¡­¡±


    Hannah quickly shakes her head and waves her hands. ¡°Oh, no, no, no. Far from it. I¡¯m just the runaway daughter of a merchant, and not even a particularly rich one at that.¡±


    Everyone but Bug lets out a breath full of relief at hearing that, as if a bomb sitting in their midst had just been successfully diffused.


    Max says, ¡°Oh, thank goodness. We¡¯re not going to ask why, that¡¯s your business, but this means we are much less likely to get taken out by assassins, or to die at sea with no idea why it is happening.¡±


    Hannah has to laugh at that and waves her hand dismissively. ¡°No, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not the daughter of a mob boss running from a rival family, or a girl that fled after being chosen to be sacrificed to some evil god, hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Bug just looks to her with a curious look.


    ¡°More stories like the last one.¡± Hannah explains with a smile.


    ¡°Oh, ok.¡± Bug says with a nod before returning to sipping her tea.


    As she focusses on her breakfast, the others continue to chat about different stories they have heard, each one further cementing why you should generally avoid Side Quests when you can. Some of the stories actually do have happy endings, but they are in the minority and usually are so outlandish that they are almost unbelievable.


    One story in particular catches Bug¡¯s attention, about how the Demon Queen had apparently worked together with a human Hero once to slay a dragon a long time ago, and then afterwards, she had kidnapped the hero and brought him back to her lands; he was never seen or heard from again... While Bug wanted to ask for more details, she decided against it, as she doesn¡¯t want to risk giving away the game yet.


    Give away the fact that she isn¡¯t just some weird little human or a Dwarf that had changed them self with Body Magic, but is instead a little Gremlin¡­ A little monster with plans that will probably bring a lot of suffering to humanity if she isn¡¯t stopped.


    And she won¡¯t stop¡­ Even if the thought of hurting Hannah fills her with unease¡­


    So, Bug simply sits and listens to the stories told by these silly, foolish humans, drinking her tea as the light outside slowly rises and brings day to the second layer of the Dungeon.

 Chapter 12.2- Truth

    Exiting from the base of the giant tree, Bug and the adventurers climb down from of its many massive roots and finally, after a couple of days of quickly descending from its massive heights, place their feet on solid ground again. With dirt and grass beneath her feet, Bug lets out a sigh of relief as she plops down on her butt and looks up into the sky.


    Far, far above her head, so far that even her enhanced eyes are having trouble perceiving it, is the sixth floor of branches where her little adventure on this layer had begun. And now she is all the way down here, her journey finally reaching its next big milestone within the Dungeon.


    Bug had even managed to learn a lot of stuff, and even made a friend along the way. Even if that friendship will probably be painfully short, Bug can¡¯t help but think that she enjoyed this portion of her journey.


    It will certainly be something that she will look back on fondly.


    As Bug is gazing up at the sky and the distant canape of the massive trees, watching drifting clouds of mist, and birds and bees fluttering around up above, Bug is pulled out of her thoughts as someone sits next to her on the grass.


    Looking over, she finds a sweaty Hannah, breathing heavily as she collapses next to her.


    ¡°Ahhh, finally! We made it! No more stairs, bleeeh¡­¡± and then she was the dead.


    Bug looks past the exhausted girl to where the others are retrieving their rope from the top of the massive root, Jakub climbing down from the top after dropping the rope to Sam and Max down below, because he doesn¡¯t need the assistance to get down from up there. The man is surprising skilled with delicate work, and Bug is certain that if he had System access, his Dexterity would be quite high.


    ¡°You really need to work on getting stronger, Hannah. The others aren¡¯t even tired yet.¡±


    ¡°Bleeeh¡­ I try to work out when I can, but I just don¡¯t have the endurance for it¡­ Ah, I feel like I¡¯m dying¡­¡±


    Bug reaches over and pulls the canteen from the exhausted girls pack, popping the cork before tilting the thing over her head and splashing her with cool water.


    ¡°Ahhhh~~~¡±


    Letting Hannah cool down for a bit, Bug hands the canteen back to her and then lays down on her back beside her only friend, just enjoying her presence in the moment.


    ¡­


    As the two are lying there, the others eventually make their way over, Sam jokingly asking, ¡°You two enjoying a nap together?¡±


    Hannah responds, ¡°I¡¯m not napping, I¡¯m dead.¡±


    ¡°And Bug?¡±


    ¡°~MmMm~ grass is soft, and the light is nice~¡± Bug responds though half-lidded eyes.


    ¡°What are you, a pair of cats?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a cat?¡±


    Sam just lets out a laugh at Bug¡¯s question, quickly getting used to how little this weird little person knows about the world. ¡°They are small and fluffy, lazy things that think they own the world, and they spend their days laying around waiting for food to be brought to them by their human servants.¡±


    ¡°Humans serve them?¡± Bug asks with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Yup, and we give them massages and clean up after them.¡±


    Hannah adds in, ¡°And all they have to do is look cute, and people love them, despite the fact that most of them are probably evil.¡±


    Bug flops her head back down in the grass and stretches. ¡°Oh, well in that case, yes, I am now a cat. Serve me humans and I will reward you, but if you touch me, I will claw you.¡±


    ¡°Huh, are you sure you don¡¯t know what a cat is, because that was pretty accurate.¡± Sam says in a joking tone as she looks down at the two lazy creatures at her feet.


    Max and Jakub join them, with Jakub wrapping up and tying the rope into a bundle. Max asks, ¡°Is everyone ready to get going? I would like to finally get out of the Dungeon soon.¡±


    As Bug is getting back onto her feet, she finds herself asking, ¡°How are you guys planning on getting out of the Dungeon anyways? You know that getting rid of the Necromancer won¡¯t get rid of all the Undead and the Mushrooms, right?¡±


    ¡°Wow, you really don¡¯t know anything about Dungeon delving, huh?¡± Max asks, looking astonished.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Hm, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Every ten floors, after the boss, is a teleporter that will send you back to the surface.¡± Max tells her simply, as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.


    Bug''s brain freezes up at that, and it takes her a second to catch up. In a hurry, she asks, ¡°There is!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What, did you think that we we¡¯re going to just stay in the Dungeon and wait for rescue, or try breaking our way back out through several floors of the Undead? Once we¡¯re done here, we are teleporting out to safety.¡±


    Jakub pipes in, ¡°And I am planning on getting stinking drunk after we turn in that bounty. I can already taste the fried food and ale waiting for me. Maybe I¡¯ll manage to get a cute bar wench to have some fun with me~¡±


    Bug can¡¯t help but let out a breath full of relief, the feeling overcoming her as she finally realizes that things won¡¯t have to end like she thought.


    Haaaaah¡­ I won¡¯t have to kill them; I don¡¯t have to kill Hannah! Be it by my hands, or just leaving them to die after I fill this place with mushrooms and the Undead, I was so worried that they were doomed. That I would have to kill my first friend. Oh, thank goodness! I can just tell them the truth after we kill the boss and then scare them off into the teleporter. Even better, they can return to the surface and tell everyone that the second layer has fallen. That should dissuade the bounty hunters from wanting to chase me any further. Then, I can take my time clearing the Dungeon and getting stronger, destroying everything without having to worry about her. Oh, such a relief¡­ Weird¡­ this is the first time I have ever felt like this? Weird¡­


    Max gives Bug a weird look when he sees her looking so relieved and has to ask.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You actually worried about us?¡±


    ¡°No, not you guys. Hannah.¡± Bug says as she points to the girl that is trying to stand back up on shaky limbs. ¡°I don¡¯t think she would survive the climb back up¡­¡±


    The others all just look at Hannah, nodding in understanding.


    Sam tells her in a reassuring voice, ¡°Hannah, sweetie, when we get out of here, I¡¯m taking you to the gym to do some training. We really need to get some muscle on your bones.¡±


    ¡°Mhhrmm¡­ Don¡¯t wanna¡­¡±


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m taking you, even if I have to drag you there. Even if you¡¯re just a guide, you are still an adventurer, you need to take care of your body.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, fine¡­¡± Hannah says in resignation as she sees how serious Sam is. And she doesn¡¯t even doubt for a moment that the much bigger woman really could drag her anywhere. Hell, if she wanted to, Sam could just pick Hannah up and carry her like a sack of potatoes. She has already, just last floor after all...


    Bug just gives her friend a little smile and says, ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    Max looks down to Bug and asks her, ¡°So, if you didn¡¯t know about the teleporters, how did you plan to get back out of the Dungeon to claim the bounty? Were you just going to climb all the way back up again?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? No. I don¡¯t actually care about the bounty. I¡¯m here to get stronger, so I¡¯m staying in the Dungeon until I reach the bottom.¡±


    The others go goggled eyed at her statement.


    Sam asks her, ¡°You are seriously planning on going all the way!? The farthest anyone has ever gotten in this Dungeon is the thirtieth floor, and most don¡¯t return from there.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Bug answers simply with a nod.


    ¡°Wow¡­ and you¡¯re seriously planning on doing it by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Jakub quickly cuts in, his voice a sounding worried. ¡°Wait, what about the bounty!?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What about it?¡±


    ¡°Well, we were going to split it evenly, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ yeah, I don¡¯t care. Just give my share to Hannah, I guess¡­ Can we get moving? I would like to fight the boss soon.¡±


    Jakub looks like he wants to say something, but Max stops him, ¡°No, she¡¯s right, we should get going. We still have a while to go, don¡¯t we Hannah?¡±


    Hannah blinks in surprise as her attention is pulled away from Bug, still a bit shocked by Bug¡¯s words. ¡°Hm? Oh, uhm, yes. Let me double check real fast¡­ Uhm, we uh, it looks like we have about half a day¡¯s walk to get there, not accounting for fights along the way.¡±


    Jakub curses, ¡°That long!?¡±


    ¡°This layer is rather large, and the boss is in the center of this floor. There is a lot of different routes to get there, and we have been traveling on the shortest one. Some of the other routes would have had us traveling for up to three days on just this floor alone to reach the boss.¡±


    ¡°Geez¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± She nods.


    ¡°Hannah, what kind of fights can we expect?¡± Max asks.


    ¡°Large lizard and spider type monsters. We might even find saber tooth tigers here, but they are rare. There pelts are worth a lot of money though, so keep an eye out for them. Besides those and a few of the other species found on the higher branches, we can find tribes of mushroom men.¡±


    Bug has to ask, ¡°Mushroom men?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, little mushroom people that wear tribal masks and wield little spears. They would go up to your knees in height, so they are very small, but they have a reputation of being little menaces among adventurers. When you aren¡¯t looking, they will try to steal your stuff, and if you piss them off enough, they can attack in little armies of hundreds of them. They use poison darts, and their spears are made from the needles of giant bee stingers, so they really hurt to get stabbed with.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Wait! Giant bees?¡± Bug asks in a hurry as she is suddenly reminded of something very important.


    ¡°Yeah, what about them?¡±


    ¡°I almost forgot; bees make honey, right!?¡±


    ¡°Yes? What the matter? What has you so excited?¡±


    ¡°I want some! You can mix honey with Jelly skins, right? To make sweets? Right!?¡± Bug asks the girl as she is looking very excited.


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes. Yeah, you can. Where did you learn that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a private matter¡­ and not important. We can find their honey here, right? Before we fight the boss, I need to get some!¡±


    ¡°But what about the Necromancer?¡± Hannah tries.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, we need honey!¡± Bug says in a hurry, the prospect of making her very own sweets filling her mind like a happy dream. Her excitement coursing through her so much that her tail, which has been tucked away in her shorts to be kept hidden all this times, is practically fighting to free itself so it can wag and shake in excitement.


    Max just looks at the overly excited horned girl, and eventually decides that it would be easier to just work with her, rather than trying to tell her no.


    ¡°Uhm, Hannah, are there any known bee hives on the way to the Boss Room? We could make a slight detour. The honey does sell for quite a bit, and we do have some jars we could fill¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, uhmmm¡­ Yes, there is, right here.¡± She says as she points to an area on the map. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be much of a detour, maybe an hour or so¡­¡±


    Bug, hearing this, clenches all four of her fists and gives a victory cheer. ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go! I want to make some sweets!¡±

 Chapter 12.3- Truth

    ¡°Give me your honey, bees! It shall be mine!¡± Bug screams as her bladed limbs cut down giant fuzzy bumble bees, cutting through one after another as they fly at her with stinger poised to try and run her through.


    Pollen, bee fluff, and bug guts (Not Bug''s) go flying in every direction as she wades her way through the swarm of buzzing bumblers. Cutting her way through dozens of bees, each one big enough for her to ride, their small wings somehow carrying their massive bodies despite logic saying it shouldn''t bee possible, Bug finally sets foot on the entrance to the hive, a war cry on her lips as she dives into its depths like a raider breaching a castle¡¯s defenses and seeking to empty it vaults of all its valuables.


    ¡­


    Off to the side, Hannah and the others watch dumbstruck as they watch Bug breech the hive of honey combed walls constructed on the side of one of the many colossal trees. The hive is easily large enough to be considered a fort and could house hundreds of human soldiers within its yellow walls.


    ¡°She does realize that we could just sneak in and get the honey, right?¡± A befuddled Max asks, his common sense forged by years of adventurer work being blown away by what he is witnessing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she does¡­ Or she just doesn¡¯t care and really wants that honey¡­¡± Jakub responds, looking equally perplexed.


    ¡­


    ¡°Come at me!!!¡± Bug screams as she slices through another fluffy bee, her little feet splashing through honey and bee guts, kicking aside parts of broken bee with every step.


    As she delves deeper into the hive, the concentration of bees increases as they fight to keep her from getting any deeper, pilling up their bodies to physically block her passage, vibrating their bodies threateningly.


    Bug doesn¡¯t stop as she throws herself into the horde, ducking under a pair of gnashing mandibles before slicing upwards, bisecting a bee before slashing to both sides and removing the legs from two more. Spinning like a bladed ball of death, Bug cuts her way through with reckless abandon, trusting her reflexes and small size to keep her safe as she dodges stingers and vicious bites by a hair¡¯s breadth, her heightened Dexterity stat putting in the work as her body moves with precision and grace.


    Slaughtering the last of the guards, Bug breaks through into the deepest chamber where she finds a giant bee. The thing surprisingly has a crown of horns growing from its head, and an extra pair of bladed limbs growing from its front like a pair of arms.


    Buzzing violently at Bug, the monstrous bee clacks it mandibles angrily and charges at the intruder.


    ¡°Rahhhhh!¡± Bug roars back as she moves to meet it in the center of the chamber, their bladed limbs clashing with clangs of sharpened bone and scale against hardened chitin.


    Slashing out to try and remove a limb, Bug is surprised as the thing is smart enough to dodge back, avoiding the slash when the other smaller bees would have just taken it without a thought.


    Pushing the assault, Bug charges forward and locks blades, getting pushed back as the bee hits her with a mighty blow. Dodging out of the way of a downward swing, Bug goes in for the kill as the bee¡¯s blade is stuck in the floor of the hive.


    ¡°Your honey is mine!¡± Bug screams.


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    Bug aborts the attack as the bee turns it head towards her, mouth wide open and gurgling. A moment later, just as Bug jumps aside, a stream of sticky orange liquid sprays out of the bee¡¯s mouth, splashing on the floor before quickly hardening in place.


    Bug can¡¯t help but to smile, her adrenalin pumping as she jumps back in to clash with the giant bee, a laugh on her lips as blade meets blade. As she fights an opponent that isn¡¯t instantly taken out by a single attack or a dagger to the back. As she gets to face an enemy head on, rather than hiding behind a wall of minions or relying on tricks and traps. For once, she gets to have a real fight.


    ¡°Come at me, bee! Hahahahaha!¡±


    <hr>


    Hannah and the others have entered the hive through the front entrance, grimacing as they step over scattered parts of bee carcasses and scattered guts. Off to one side, some of the walls have been wrecked, debris scattered everywhere, a pair of bees desperately trying to free another from under the rubble. When they manage to finally pull it free, the injured bee lets out a last couple weak buzzes, before falling to its side, going still as it falls into its final sleep¡­


    Hannah watches the mourning bees with interest, but is pulled away by Sam as they head deeper into the hive. Further in, they can here as blades clash, and as the little Bug laughs like a berserker let loose.


    ¡°Hannah, you weren¡¯t lying about those Body Mages. Are they all battle maniacs like this?¡±


    ¡°All that I have read about. Which honestly isn¡¯t very many.¡±


    Sam comments, ¡°I would like to see her on a battlefield, maybe she would be willing to join us in the next war?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not seriously planning on doing mercenary work again, are you?¡± Max asks as he is shaking his head.


    ¡°Hey, the pay is good, and you get to keep the loot of whoever you kill. Monsters or humans, they all die the same under my axe¡± Sam says with a shrug.


    As Jakub is fishing some bottles out of his pack, he says, ¡°Well you can count me out. I still regret signing up last time. That scar on my chest still hurts just thinking about that damn siege battle.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Sam receives some bottles from him and laughs, ¡°Hahaha, yeah, that fight was shit. But I don¡¯t see you complaining when you show that scar off to catch yourself some cuties. How was it you got that scar again? From fighting against the enemy¡¯s captain? Or no wait, was it that eight-foot-tall knight?¡±


    Max cuts in, ¡°Last I heard, it was from an ambush where he fought off five men single handedly! His daggers flashing faster than the eye can see, reaping a life with every strike! Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hah, hah, hah, so I like to exaggerate a little. Ladies love a good story; they don¡¯t care if it is actually true or not.¡±


    ¡°How did you actually get it?¡± Hannah asks curiously as she is filling jars with honey.


    ¡°Oh, well, I uh¡­.¡± He stutters as he tries to answer.


    Sam cuts in and answers for him. ¡°Dumbass tripped during the battle and got cut on a rake that someone left laying out. Looks like a scar from a sword strike though, so he likes to pretend he¡¯s hot shit.¡±


    Jakub just blushes as he refuses to comment, holding a jar in the honey under, long after it has been filled to the brim.


    Hannah tries to reassure him by pulling up her sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s ok, I got this scar from tripping and cutting my arm on a loose nail when I was a kid.¡±


    He just looks over at the tiny little scar and say, ¡°Thanks¡­ but it¡¯s not quite the same¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it used to be a lot bigger, but as I got older, the scar got smaller.¡± Hannah tries to reassure him.


    Sam and Max are just giggling as they fill their jars, glad to be filling their packs with more stuff that can be sold for some good money. Hell, even without the bounty, just from the loot in their packs, they are already guaranteed a good payday.


    As they go to keep making fun of Jakub, the noise of battle starts to get louder and louder, the hive shaking a bit as crashing noises fill the halls.


    Sam quickly pulls Hannah closer to her just as one of the back walls of the room they are in collapses, a part of the floor exploding in a shower of honeycomb as a truly massive queen bee comes thrashing through like a rampaging bull.


    The queen bee looks to be heavily injured and is missing a leg, a great gash on the side of its head where half of its eyes used to be.


    Riding on its back is a cackling Bug, holding on tight to the rampaging thing as it crashes through another wall in a desperate bid to rid itself of its passenger. Slicing off a buzzing wing, Bug screams out, ¡°Hahahahaha, it will take more than that! Fight harder! Hahahahaha!!!¡±


    The two of them go crashing away from the gawking adventurers, tearing through a wall of the hive and breaking out into the outside world, the artificial light of the Dungeon streaming through the brand-new window into the hive.


    Watching the two of them, they see as the queen bee tries to take flight, but can¡¯t as she is missing half her wings. Instead, the two of them go crashing down to the forest floor below, disappearing from view. The last thing they can hear is Bug cackling like a mad woman riding a bull, laughing her ass off as she rides the poor queen away.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Let¡¯s hurry up here so we can catch up with her.¡± Max says.


    Jakub comments, ¡°I hope she doesn¡¯t break it too badly, queen bee parts are worth a lot, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Crashing down to the forest floor, Bug is flung from the back of the bee, hitting the ground hard and rolling to her feet. Looking down at her top right arm, she finds it to be broken, but she can¡¯t help but to smile.


    ¡®Lvl 18 Giant Queen Bee. Queen of the hive. A mini boss of the Dungeon.


    ¡°Become Weapon!¡± Bug yells out through a smile full of sharp teeth.


    With spikes and claws growing in length, her broken arm audibly snaps back into place, returning to its pristine state. With her Pain Tolerance skill and all the adrenaline pumping through her system, Bug hardly feels it as her arm is mended and her body becomes a bed of spikes, her horns growing out to become a demonic looking crown of spiky thorns, her teeth becoming sharpened and serrated, ready to carve into flesh.


    With her top two arms transforming into bladed whips and her lower set being adorned with foot long claws, Bug gets down low and laughs at her enemy, her Death core singing in her gut as her magic starts to spill out into the world around her, darkening the air, withering nearby plants, and leaving everything with a light layer of biting frost.


    Finally! Real proof that I am getting stronger!!! Those things on the first floor would NEVER be able to face this. Even the humans would have trouble facing this thing''s blades! I¡¯m getting stronger. I¡¯m going to keep getting stronger! I¡¯m going to make sweets with honey!!!


    ¡°Hahahahahahahaaaaa!!!¡± Laughing her heart out and a smile breaking across her face, Bug sprints forward, keeping so low to the ground that she is practically running on four limbs like a rat, her wings bellowing behind her, still disguised as a cloak in case she is being watched, as her topmost arms are poised to strike like the stinger of a scorpion.


    The queen bee charges to meets her, stumbling forward with her damaged limbs and buzzing with her remaining wings.


    Bug dodges to the side, avoiding a spray of sticky fluids, not stopping in her advance as she draws closer and closer.


    The queen swipes low and Bug jumps over it, twisting in the air to avoid a biting pair of mandibles as she moves towards the queen¡¯s blind side. Situated under the queen¡¯s body, Bug moves to attack her legs, but is forced back as a meter long stinger flies her way, stabbing repeatedly to try and chase her out from under the queen legs as it scutters and moves about.


    Bobbing and weaving, Bug dances as she avoids getting crushed by giant limbs or ran through by the stinger, parrying aside the poison-soaked thing with the flat of her blade as she spins to the side and further in.


    Lashing out with her claws, Bug slashes through the queen¡¯s thorax, causing it to hiss in pain as thick ichor spills out from the jagged wounds.


    Sensing her chance to strike as the queen bee reels back in pain, Bug jumps straight up and swings her bladed top limbs, her sword like limbs slicing through the body of the queen in two lines before spinning in the air and cutting two more of its legs, separating them at the joint.


    The queen falls to the side as Bug lands, diving to the side to get out from under the giant body as it falls.


    With a loud crash, the queen bee falls to the ground, sending up plums of dirt into the air in a cloud of dust.


    Watching as the dust settles, Bug looks on as the queen twitches and kicks its legs.


    Bug smiles a cruel smile full of sharp teeth as she stalks forward, a bladed limb raised and ready to finish the job.


    ¡°I win, your honey is mine!¡±


    Avoiding one last desperate bite, Bug stabs forward and buries her blade into the head of the queen bee, twisting and turning it before violently pulling it out.


    The queen finally collapses, a last few kicks left in its legs before it finally goes still.


    //Killed Lvl 18 Giant Queen Bee ¨C 210 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You leveled-up a Skill!


    //Claw Fighting Lvl 1 is now Lvl 2!


    //Congratulations! You leveled-up a Skill!


    //Sword Fighting Lvl 1 is now Lvl 2!


    //Congratulation! You leveled-up a Skill!


    //Fist Fighting Lvl 2 is now Lvl 3!


    ¡­


    Yessssssss! Three skills leveled-up! I wasn¡¯t using a sword though, so I guess my blade arms count as swords and claws at the same time then? Amazing, so that means I am taking advantage of three skills when I fight like this.


    Looking at the dead bee, Bug can¡¯t help but be thankful. Part of her wants to turn it into an Undead, or to sell it for points, but the humans would ask questions if it disappeared. Plus, it would feel a bit, disrespectful¡­


    Looking back towards the hive, Bug catches sight of the others as they are climbing out, Hannah is waving to her, a jar of honey held up in the air for Bug to see.


    Reverting from her combat form, Bug stretches and moves her body as her spikes and weaponized limbs shift back to normal.


    That was fun, now to try making my own very own sweets!

 Chapter 12.4- Truth

    Walking along flowing streams of crystal-clear water, Bug happily uses two of her hands to mash and mix together a squishy ball of Jelly skin mixed with freshly gathered, giant bee honey.


    ¡°Like this?¡± She asks as she shows the fist-sized ball to Hannah.


    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s pretty good. Now you just tear off little chunks and then roll those into balls with your palms. You want them all to be about this size, so they will harden properly and be a good size for sucking on.¡± Hannah says as she shows one of the finished candies to Bug.


    ¡°Once they are made, just fill a jar and let them finish hardening. Best to leave them in the light while they are hardening, to get the best results. You¡¯ll know their done when they look like little golden crystals.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, thanks, Hannah. Mmh, hhm, mhm~¡±


    Humming happily to herself, Bug keeps making the little spheres with her hands and then dropping them into a jar hanging from her neck. Once she has her first jar filled with candies, she takes a thin white cloth that she bought from the Points Store and uses it to seal the top of the jar without stopping air from being able to get in.


    ¡°Once the candies are done, you will need to use the cap to close your jar and keep your candies fresh for longer, ok?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    Setting aside the first finished jar to do its thing, Bug starts to work on her second batch. Looking over, Hannah is already halfway through finishing her second batch and is quickly shaping one candy after another, even though she only has two hands, and her Dexterity is definitely lower than Bugs.


    ¡°You¡¯re so fast at doing that.¡± Bug comments as she watches.


    ¡°Hmhm, thanks. I used to make these for my parent¡¯s store. Jelly skins are cheap, and a nearby farm used to raise bees to sell honey at the market. So, my parents would have me make these to sell in the store to kids and the old folk that like hard candies. I used to fill giant jars with these things, and they would sit on the counter near the window for everyone to see¡­¡± Hannah says as she looks at one of the little golden balls before dropping it into her jar, her voice full of nostalgia.


    Bug can¡¯t help but look up at her as she rolls some in her hands.


    ¡°Hannah¡­ Uhm, well¡­ If you could go back to your family¡­ would you?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡­ I would like it if I could¡­ Part of me doesn¡¯t want to forgive them for what happened. But¡­ they¡¯re my parents¡­ They raised me with love, and I would like to think that maybe, someday¡­¡± She stops as she is on the verge of tears, not saying any more than that. Forcing them back down, she looks to Bug and gives her little friend a smile.


    ¡°For now, I¡¯m fine with how things currently are. Despite how weak I am, I¡¯m actually having a lot of fun with this job of mine. Plus, I¡¯ve been able to travel around and visit different libraries and museums, learning about so many things and actually getting to see the world. Something I would have never gotten to do if I had just spent my whole life at home.¡±


    Bug doesn¡¯t say anything and just gives her a nod, dropping a couple more candies in her jar.


    Ok, so Sarataga is spared then. I¡¯ll destroy that village that killed her lover, but her parents are safe, for now. If she had said that she didn¡¯t want to go back to them, or that she hated them, I would have added them to the list. Still though¡­ I could see about giving them a visit maybe, make sure that they won¡¯t try and hurt her again¡­


    But for now, candy. I can¡¯t wait to eat these; they already look really tasty~


    Up ahead, the others get into a fight with a small group of giant centipedes that come jumping out of the bushes. As their weapons clash against the hard shells of their multilegged foes, Max looks back towards Bug and Hannah.


    ¡°Hey, Bug, you mind help out a bit!?¡±


    Bug looks down at her jars hanging from her neck and the raw candy balls filling her hands. Giving a quick look towards Hannah, she calls back to him. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good! I¡¯m guarding Hannah!¡±


    She drops a couple more candies in her jar and smiles at how full it is getting. She still has several more jars to fill before she will be satisfied.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Shit!¡± He curses as he dodges a bite and gives a return strike to the creature. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that! Come and help us!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Bug looks down at her jars again, not wanting to break them. ¡°No, you guys got this! My hands are full!¡±


    ¡°Gaaa! Fuckin¡¯ hell!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, hmm, hmm~¡± Bug hums as she finishes filling her second jar and sealing it up.


    Candies, candies, sweets just for me~


    <hr>


    ¡°Would have really appreciated some help back there¡­¡±


    ¡°I said you guys had it handled. You didn¡¯t even get hurt in that fight.¡± Bug tells Max as she clinks along, a bunch of jars hanging from her like ornaments from a tree, shining gold with honey in the midday light of the forest.


    ¡°Haaaah¡­ Glad to know that you value your candy more than us¡­¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I was guarding Hannah.¡±


    ¡°You know, just because something is technically true, it doesn¡¯t make it the truth, right?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, as long as I¡¯m not speaking a lie, I¡¯m not lying.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and how often do you speak in ¡®not lies¡¯?¡±


    ¡°All the time, since I am always telling the truth.¡± Bug answers with a smug grin and the clanking of jars.


    Max just lets out an exasperated sigh, giving up on the conversation. Turning to Hannah, he asks, ¡°How much longer until we get there? I¡¯m looking forward to sleeping in an actual bed again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, seriously.¡± Jakub adds.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be much longer; we should be able to see it soon.¡±


    And soon it was. Traversing around the trunk of a tree and under its roots that arch up into the air before going back down and into the ground again, they eventually catch sight of their destination up ahead.


    At the end of a winding trail set between two distant trees, their path leads them to a massive rotting stump that is wide enough to build a small village on top of. Along one side of the stump is a massive opening where the wood appears to have cracked and rotted open after centuries of being exposed to the elements. Even from this far back, Bug can see the many strands of spider silk that covers the stump in places, the rays of light from the fake sun shining off their gossamer threads with a silver glow.


    Hannah points. ¡°There we are. The inside of that stump is the Boss Room. We don¡¯t have a Safe Room to use this time, and when we enter the Boss Room, the webs will seal the entrance behind us. So, we need to make sure that we have everything ready before we go inside.¡±


    Everyone nods, their expressions serious as they mentally prep for a boss battle.


    Continuing down the path, Max says. ¡°Ok, Hannah, what can expect for this fight? Any recommendations? I¡¯ve heard some other parties talk about fighting this boss, but I want to hear what you know.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. As I have told you before, it is called the Brood Mother Black Widow. It can use spider webs to restrain targets, spit poison, and all ten of its legs are bladed. Besides that, is also its bite and the paralytic stinger on its abdomen. It is well armored, but its eyes are a weak spot, and heavy enough blows can break through its armor. As for the fight itself, once you deal enough damage, the boss will call out and summon its minions. People call them the Brood Mother¡¯s Children and they are pretty nasty. Through the rest of the fight after that, more of the children will keep coming into the room, so if you don¡¯t kill them fast enough, you can quickly get overwhelmed.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yes, when the boss gets closer to dying, if it isn¡¯t disabled enough, it will climb to the ceiling of the Boss Room and try to flood the room with poisons. If you don¡¯t have a way to stop it after that, then we are good as dead.¡±


    ¡°Bug?¡± Max asks the little berserker.


    ¡°I can handle the boss. Just focus on killing the minions and protecting Hannah.¡±


    ¡°We will.¡± Max says seriously.


    Bug just looks him dead in the eyes, barely an emotion on her face as she speaks with a flat voice. ¡°Mhm, you will. Because if she gets hurt or dies, I will kill the three of you.¡±


    Her words aren¡¯t a threat or even a warning. They are a promise, a truth. With those simple words spoken, the others freeze up as fear runs through their spines, the feeling of Death wiping some dust off their shoulders fills them with a chill that runs down their backs and into their very souls.


    Max breaks the silence with a loud gulp, the first to break out of the spell. ¡°Right, yes, yes¡­ We won¡¯t let anything happen to her. We won¡¯t leave her behind again, I promise you.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, good.¡± Bug says simply, and like that, the feeling of promised death disappears like a fart in the wind. Bug immediately goes back to being happy and continues to walk towards the distant stump with a skip in her step, her jars of golden honey candies clinking with her every motion.


    ¡­


    Max finally manages to take his eyes off of Bug¡¯s back and turns to look back at Hannah, only to find her blushing furiously. Clearing his throat, he asks, ¡°How the hell did you tame her?¡±


    ¡°Heh!? Eh, uh, uhm¡­ Well, we just talked and became friends¡­ I guess?¡± Hannah tries.


    Sam gives a face full of understanding and says, ¡°Oh, she¡¯s one of those types.¡±


    ¡°Types? What type?¡± Hannah asks curiously.


    ¡°The type that has a hard time making friends, but is fiercely loyal to the few they do make. Hannah, I would be careful if I was you.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Well, people like that, they won¡¯t hesitate to do some horrible things for those they care about¡­ I really hope you don¡¯t have any enemies, because if you do, I can guarantee that they are already on her shit list.¡±


    ¡°Uh, wouldn¡¯t that be a good thing?¡±


    ¡°When it comes to powerful people like her? Usually no. They have a tendency of blowing up a simple problem into a much bigger one¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Hannah whispers as she watches the happy-go-lucky Bug and her clanking jars, looking like nothing more than an- all be it physically different - normal girl having a good day.


    Still, it¡¯s nice having a friend that would kill for me¡­ If only she had been there, back then. Things might have been different¡­


    As she is watching, Bug peeks back at Hannah and their eyes lock, a little smile on Bug¡¯s face before she turns away again to head towards their destination.


    Aahhh, such beautiful eyes¡­ I miss you, Jesica.

 Chapter 12.5- Truth

    ¡°That¡¯s a big stump¡­¡± Bug comments as she looks straight up.


    Max nods. ¡°Yeah¡­ you know, looking at everything like this, with just how big everything is, it almost feels like we have been shrunk down to the size of bugs.¡±


    ¡°That better not be a joke about me being short.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, it¡¯s not! It¡¯s just¡­ there used to be this big oak tree where we grew up, the three of us¡­ Now that was a big tree¡­ We¡¯d used to have sword fights with sticks and play with bugs under it, and I couldn¡¯t help but to think what it would be like to be their size. To have these massive trees towering over us¡­ It¡¯s really something¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh, I never thought about that.¡± Comments Jakub.


    Sam asks, ¡°Were you thinking about that back then? I know you always liked to catch beetles, but I didn¡¯t know you were thinking about weird stuff like that, Max.¡±


    ¡°What, it ain¡¯t weird!? I would just imagine that I was little, running through the grass and fighting monster sized bugs. I mean, try to imagine fighting a prey mantis if it was the same size as you, or hell, BIGGER! That would be fucking scary, but would be a cool fight, no?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ You¡¯re right, that would be pretty cool¡­. Hey, Hannah, any giant mantises in this Dungeon? Those exist, right?¡± Sam asks as she turns and looks her way.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I don¡¯t think there are any in this one. I¡¯m pretty sure that a Dungeon to the north of here has those, I think? I wouldn¡¯t recommend fighting one though, they are about as strong as a floor twenty monster¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh, one day then. Should make for a fun fight!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just uh¡­ don¡¯t let it grab you. They eat their prey alive, starting with the head¡­¡± Hannah tells her with a grimace.


    Storing away her jars full of golden candies under her wings while no one is looking, Bug clears her throat and gets everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Hey! Are we going to go in, or are we just going to chat out here?¡±


    Max looks a bit embarrassed for getting distracted by childhood memories and quickly gets himself back on task.


    ¡°Right, we need to hurry. We managed to get here before the Necromancer, which is good. We haven¡¯t even seen any Undead since reaching the tenth floor, so things are going well. Let¡¯s take a short break before going in. Everyone, check over your gear, drink and eat, and rest up. Fifteen minutes and then we go in. Hannah, you know the drill for boss fights, just like with the boar, right?¡±


    Hannah nods, her face looking serious. ¡°Yes, stay by the walls of the room and move to keep close in case you need to protect me.¡±


    Max adds, ¡°And scream if you need us. Don¡¯t hesitate to call for our help.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    <hr>


    Fifteen minutes fly by as Bug works on her stretches, limbering up her body as it is the only weapon she plans on using for this fight. Yes, she could pull out any number of the many weapons that she has stored in her inventory, but that would sort of ruin the fun of her game.


    While Bug is quite certain that the others have already figured out by now that she is using some kind of magic to store her items, most likely mistaking her wings as a magical cloak or something, she would still rather keep playing pretend and have them believe that she only fights using her Body magic. After all, a real Body Mage would certainly believe their own body to be better than any weapon made of something as weak as steel.


    She hasn¡¯t even resorted to using Inflict Pain or Create Poison; even when she is certain that she isn¡¯t being watched and could probably get away with it. Because there is still that risk. The risk that they might notice and start asking questions. After all, if a Body Mage can use Soul and Nature magics, then what¡¯s to say that they can¡¯t use Death magic as well, that she might have actually been the Necromancer all along!?


    No, if the game is to be fun, then Bug must play by the rules she has set for herself. And that is exactly what she has been doing for the past couple of days.


    Even as the temptation to sell bodies, or turn them into more Undead has filled her, she has resisted. Even as her wings have itched and ached to be used in combat, she had held back to keep up the disguise, because how else is she storing her items if the cloak is actually a pair of wings? Can she use Space magic as well? No, couldn¡¯t risk it. Not before the game is up.


    And it has been lots of fun, so much fun in fact, that Bug is seriously considering this layer of the Dungeon to be her favorite so far. Not that it has much competition considering how utterly shit the first layer was, but she will just have to wait and see with the third.


    Bug even managed to make her very first friend, and even learned so much about the outside world¡­


    It was fun¡­


    But soon, it will have to come to an end.


    Most of Bug¡¯s guilt has faded after she learned that Hannah¡¯s fate is no longer sealed, doomed to have to fight for survival as she tries to escape from the Dungeon and Bug¡¯s plot. Nope, instead, she will be able to use the teleporter and return to the surface where it is safer, able to quickly flee the city before Bug¡¯s brewing plagues have a chance to spill out of the Dungeon.


    Yes, Hannah will probably be very upset with Bug once she learns the truth. But, when compared to basically killing her first and only friend, making her upset is hardly a thing to be considered! And besides, Bug fully intends to try and make it up to her after she is finally free from this damnable Dungeon.


    But first, she has a boss to kill.


    Adorning the nearby wall is a switch, just like the first boss¡¯s entrance. And further still, above the mighty crack that acts as the entrance to this place, there is a big shiny rock, glowing with a gentle emerald light.


    I swear, one day, someday! I will steal that thing! I just have to break the Dungeon first, then it won¡¯t matter if it is part of the walls. One day, all of the Dungeon¡¯s treasures will be mine!


    Clenching her fist with much resolve in her heart, Bug watches as Jakub presses the switch. It flashes green in confirmation, and then the threads that block the entrance begin to retract like a pair of curtains opening up the stage before an audience.


    Within the massive stump is a space that could host a colosseum¡¯s many events with room to spare. The walls are dressed in white spider silk, many different kinds of creatures wrapped up tight and adorning the walls like lumps or hanging from the ceiling on threads like morbid fruits. Many of them still wiggle and move, their occupants barely holding onto life within.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Looking around, none of the cocoons look to contain humans, but Bug doesn¡¯t doubt that there has probably been a fair share of humans to adorn these webs over the years. After all, the Dungeon¡¯s favorite food is humans.


    Before entering, Bug looks around, observing the Boss Room further, but fails to catch sight of the owner of this room.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the boss at?¡± Bug asks.


    Hannah answers her by pointing up. ¡°After the entrance is sealed, the boss enters through that hole in the ceiling.¡±


    Looking up, Bug does find the hole in question. It is currently the only source of light filling the room aside from the open entrance, allowing the light from outside to stream in and gently fill the massive room with a low light while keeping the little crevasses in the rotting walls partially hidden by shadow.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Max calls out with his sword drawn and at the ready, ¡°Is everyone ready to go?¡±


    Everyone gives a nod in return. With a deep calming breath, he says, ¡°Ok.¡± And then steps into the room, leading the way.


    The party makes their way inside and Hannah sticks back, watching as the curtains of white silk close behind them automatically, further darkening the room as the only source of light becomes the single hole in the ceiling. And then it flickers, shadows moving across the floors and walls as long spindly limbs move searchingly across the light. With the clicking of chitinous limbs and the thuds of a great weight moving, a large black figure begins to slowly immerge from the hole, meter long mandibles clicking and chittering as toxic looking liquids oozes out and drips the floor down below like drool spilling from a hungry mouth.


    For a moment, the room is cast in complete darkness as the spider climbs through the hole, the light only returning once its large rear end finally passes through. The light illuminating its body of pitch-black carapace, everyone can see the bloody-red skull painting its back with an image of promised death.


    The massive beast lets go of the ceiling, descending slowly by a thick strand of spider¡¯s silk as it rotates in the air once, showing off the entirety of its majestic body to its captivated audience.


    Now, hanging before her opponents, the red mark of death showing for all to see, the Brood Mother Black Widow, final boss of the second layer and responsible for the deaths of many parties, lets out a chittering roar from her poison dripping mouth, calling for the start of the battle as the very air around her shakes with her might.


    ¡­


    She is then promptly slammed into by a tiny cannon ball of blades and spikes, Bug having charged the moment the boss was close enough to the ground for her to be able to jump up and reach¡­


    The boss, who had been about to disconnect from her line and alight to the stage, to properly start the first part of the battle, had not been expecting to get hit so violently while she was still several meters up in the air. A distance that most humans shouldn¡¯t be able to normally jump. Even further still, because most human are usually stunned for a few moments after that first roar, giving her plenty of time to get down to the floor.


    Instead, the Brood Mother is now swinging through the air, chittering in anger as her ten bladed limbs try to scratch off the little thing that is currently tearing into her massive body with little blades, skittering across her body as it dodges her blows.


    ¡­


    Bug climbs across the massive spider¡¯s body like a parasite trying to find a safe spot to feed, dodging the flailing bladed limbs as she jumps from spot to spot, slashing at the hard armor of the boss monster every chance she can get. And the armor is indeed hard. Where with the super major ants, she had been able to break through with ease and tear through their bodies, the boss¡¯s armor is much more difficult to break through. Instead, all she can do is leave scrapping marks and jagged cracks wherever she strikes. If she had the time to continuously attack the same spot, she would be able to eventually break through, but the boss doesn¡¯t seem so inclined as to allow her that chance.


    Clicking her tongue and just wanting this damn thing to hold still, Bug looks for a way to make it stop flailing around.


    Need some way to incapacitate it¡­ Could use Inflict Pain, but no, that is against the rules¡­ Oh, I know!


    Quickly climbing up its hanging body, Bug bobs and weaves as she avoids the spider¡¯s attacks, working her way up to the end of her massive butt.


    Dodging one last hit, Bug jumps for the line that the boss hangs from, slashing out with two blades like a pair of scissors and severing it with an audible snap.


    Holding onto the rear of the spider, Bug holds on tight as gravity suddenly asserts its dominance, the spider soaring though the air for some distance after getting let loose from its previous swinging motions.


    Chittering like it is screaming, the massive spider crashes to the ground with enough force to shake the arena like an earthquake.


    Hannah and the others trip and try to keep their balance as they witness the giant collapse, throwing massive plums of dust into the air and dirtying the white spider silk that adorns the nearest walls in dirt.


    Bug gets thrown from the beast, tumbling through the air before hitting the ground and rolling hard. With a manic laugh, she scrambles back up to her feet, sprinting, practically on all fours like an animal, as she races to attack the downed and stunned spider.


    Racing forward, Assassination singing in the back of Bug¡¯s mind as it guides her blades, the spider having lost track of her and now open for a sneak attack. Bug jumps and plunges her bladed limbs into the rear of the spider, her skill telling her that the thing¡¯s important organs are all stored here, rather than in its midsection like most creatures would be.


    Her blades break through, sliding in between where two armored plates meet. Bug is rewarded with a spray of blood and a scream from the boss as her meter long blades sink in up to her elbows.


    Become Weapon!


    Pushing her magic into her bladed limbs, they begin to rapidly grow and expand in size within the body of the spider, ripping and cutting apart everything in their paths until they are like Zweih?nder great swords in length and then further still, the wound being forced to expand, and tear open as the blades thicken and push apart the armored plates from within, spilling more of the spider¡¯s ichor.


    As the boss begins to thrash about in pain, trying to right itself back onto its bladed feet, Bug laughs like a maniac and then braces herself, crouched horizontally against the body of the spider as she starts to push against it, pulling on her bladed limbs that are now far larger than her own body.


    With a squelching, ripping noise of wet fluids sucking in air, her blades start to slide out, tearing their way out and cracking the surrounding carapace as the blades are forcefully pulled from its body.


    The spider screams, its chittering call ringing out through the arena as Bug''s blades finally break free, sliding out with one last sickening wet squelch of ripping meat.


    Bug goes flying back, propelled away as her bladed limbs slide free from the spider, covered in layers of sticky fluids and shredded bits of organs on her serrated blade¡¯s teeth. The massive wound on the boss¡¯s side, no longer corked up by the pair of blades, begins to pour with fluids and bits of loose organ like a waterfall broken free from a dam, splashing down to the floor below and forming a growing puddle of horrid smelling material as the giant spider thrashes in pain.


    Standing there as her arms shrink back down to a more wieldy size, Bug watches as the boss bleeds out a river of gore as it slowly gets back onto its feet, its movements already starting to look slower and slower as more time passes.


    ¡°HAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! You call this a BOSS?! Dungeon, how do you hope to stop me if this is all you have!? This thing can''t even begin to compare to the queen bee! Is this all you¡¯ve got!!!???¡±


    As if to answer her, the boss of the second layer reels back its head and gives out a call.


    Hannah yells out, ¡°That¡¯s the cue, it¡¯s calling for its minions!¡±


    All around the arena, the walls start to move as many legged things begin to stir. Crawling out of the crevasses in the walls, many spiders, each one looking like a tiny version of the boss, though still nearly big enough to reach the hips of a grown man, begin to crawl their way down, completely blanketing the walls with their black and red bodies.


    Hannah runs to get away from the wall, quickly getting surrounded on all sides by the adventurers as they put her between them.


    ¡°Uhm, Hannah? Is there supposed to be this many already!?¡±


    Hannah looks around in fright at the still increasing number of spiders, turning around as she takes in every side of the room. ¡°No! No there is not! It¡¯s not supposed to be like this! It, it¡¯s only supposed to be about a half a dozen or so at a time! Not, not this!¡±


    ¡°What do we do, Max!?¡± Jakup shouts as he takes a step back, tightening the formation, daggers held at the ready.


    ¡°The entrance, can we get back out that way?¡± Max tries to ask calmly.


    Hannah just shakes her head. ¡°No, the curtains are like any Dungeon door. They are virtually indestructible! They won¡¯t open until the fight is over!¡±


    ¡°Ok, we regroup with Bug. Stick close and don¡¯t let them reach Hannah! Bug! We need to- ¡° Max tries to call out, but is interrupted as the lights suddenly dim, a shadow of a large figure filling the room with more shadows, the silhouette of spindly limbs climbing down the sides of the wall like pine trees growing from the dead earth.


    The adventurers look up, the blood draining from their faces as they see a set of eight massive blood-red eyes staring back down at them.


    ¡°This¡­ this isn¡¯t supposed to happen¡­¡± Hannah stutters out as she looks up in complete and utter fear, her legs shaking as she stares up at a second boss monster.

 Chapter 12.6- Truth

    I know I asked for it, but I didn¡¯t expect it to actually try something like this. Damn¡­ the Dungeon really wants me dead¡­


    Bug looks away from the dying boss and towards the second.


    ¡®Lvl 30 Bloody Queen of the Forgotten Stone Jungle. A secret boss reserved for protecting the Dungeon''s secrets. All will be cleansed.¡¯


    Compared to the Level eighteen Brood Mother that Bug had been murdering, this thing feels like an actual threat. Bug can feel her spine go cold as the thing looks away from the adventurers and towards her, clearly marking her as a target. In the corner of her vision, Bug catches movement. Ripping her eyes away from the thing on the ceiling, she looks down towards her feed.


    //Warning! All sapient class entities on Floor [10], a cleaner has been activated!


    //Advisory! Remain far away from the cleaner at all times. The cleaner is not programed to avoid friendly fire!


    //Advisory! Avoid staying near any Intruders until the Cleaner has emptied Floors [6 ¨C 10] of all Intruders!


    //Advisory! You are advised to make way to the Back-Stage Access Tunnels!


    //Error! User is lacking permissions for Back-Stage Access!


    //Error! User is currently in main/Boss-Battle [2]!


    //Initiating User Safety Overrides¡­


    //¡­


    //Error! Overrides Canceled by Dungeon Manager Clearance!


    //Issuing Admin request for overview¡­


    //¡­


    //Request overridden. KOS Order is in effect.


    //Warning! Boss Room [2] has entered lockdown mode. Good luck¡­


    ¡­


    ¡°Well, shit¡­¡± Bug curses as she looks up from her feed that is streaming with more warnings and errors. When she looks up, all she sees is the Bloody Queen, or the Cleaner as the System was calling it. It had finished crawling its way out of the hole and is now standing upside down from the ceiling, eight blood-red eyes staring down at Bug with no emotion to be found behind its gaze.


    Where the boss seemed to have some personality behind it, this Cleaner thing has nothing. It is simply like a machine as it stands stock still on the ceiling.


    Until suddenly it isn¡¯t.


    Bug only gets a slight warning before the thing moves, its spike covered limbs tensing ever so slightly before it is suddenly rocketing through the air towards Bug, growing larger and larger by the second.


    Fighting down her bodies instincts to scream and freeze-up like a cornered rat, Bug forces herself to move, exploding off the spot as she makes for the underside of the first boss who is still somehow standing despite having nearly finished bleeding out.


    The moment the Cleaner hits the ground is like an explosion going off, its limbs blasting apart the stone floor of the Dungeon and throwing up rubble in every direction.


    Just as the first boss is turning to try and fight Bug again, its limbs shaking as it tries to carry its massive weight, the Cleaner moves and slams into the boss, smashing it against the nearest wall and breaking two of its limbs.


    The kill notification comes a moment later, confirming that the boss had just died instantly.


    ¡°Fucking hell!!!¡± Bug curses as she dodges a massive, spiked limb that tries to crush her underfoot, just barely managing to move out of the way in time. The shockwave of the blast carries her light body up into the air and sends Bug flying back.


    Sticking the landing after a couple of rolls, a scream draws Bug¡¯s attention to the side. The adventurers are already surrounded on all sides, swarms of giant spiders constantly spilling out of the crevasses in the wall as if they are being generated out of thin air by the hundreds.


    The scream had been Hannah¡¯s, frightened as a spider had nearly gotten her, only just barely held back by the blade of an axe taking the thing¡¯s head off.


    No more time for games! Damn Dungeon had to cheat, so I have too as well!


    ¡°RAISE UNDEAD!!!¡±


    With her scream the air in the room starts to grow cold, Death laughing as their gift is being put to good use.


    The Death mana smashes into the corpse of the dead Brood Mother, filling it with un-life as the chitin covered limbs start to click and clack.


    ¡°Enhance Undead! Distract the Cleaner!¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The Undead Brood Mother begins to radiate with a chilling mist from every wound on its body, its dead eyes locking onto the larger spider as it lets out a gurgling hiss of a challenge, bone-chillingly cold poison dripping from its mouth along with whatever blood was still left inside the thing.


    Spitting out a stream of frosting fluids, the Undead Brood Mother attacks the Cleaner, spraying chilling fluids all over its opponent¡¯s body.


    Bug takes her chance in the split moment that the Cleaner is distracted and bolts, running as fast as her legs can carry her as she makes for the adventurers.


    Jumping over the hordes of spiders, she screams out, ¡°Hurry the hell up and get in here already!¡±


    Hannah lets out a call, temporarily grabbing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°The light! The ceiling is closing up!¡±


    Max orders, ¡°Hannah, quickly light a torch! Now!¡±


    Up above, just as the hole in the ceiling, the one source of light in this room, is about to be closed, a flock of Undead birds comes poring through, dirty feathers raining from the sky as the zombie avians stream in by the tens of dozens.


    The hole finishes closing, blocking out the last few of the zombies from entering and crushing some into paste as they get caught. But all that matters is that Bug has some of her forces now.


    Jumping over the heads of the spiders and cutting down any that refuse to move out of her way, Bug finally manages to reach the adventurers, the swarming flock of Undead birds crashing into the spiders on the walls with sheers force of numbers, with no regard for their own wellbeing. Pulling out a still lit and burning torch from her inventory, Bug hurls it to the adventurer''s feet for Hannah to quickly snatch up and grab, using it to light more torches.


    ¡°Bug! What the hell is happening!? We need to get out of¡­ here¡­¡± Max trails off as he witnesses what Bug does upon arriving before them, happy cheers of relief dying on the humans¡¯ lips before they can even be uttered.


    ¡­


    Hannah watches the moment as it happens, freezing up as she is in the middle of lighting a third torch. As Bug reaches out her hand and seemingly pulls something out of thin air, a wave of light being the only indication that space is being bypassed and that something is being drawn out from a space unseen.


    It takes but a second for the thing to appear, simply materializing out of thin air as if it had always been there.


    In the blink of an eye, a new figure is standing before Hannah and the adventurers. It is humanoid, but inhumanly tall. With far too many arms and a body adorned in spikes and frost coated plates of bone-white, the figure towers over the humans at almost eight feet, its horned head giving it an extra foot of height on top of that.


    Standing there with empty eye sockets and chilling mist radiating from its body, an inhuman skeleton wielding many shields stands before the humans.


    And then there was another, and another, and another. Each one more horrendous than the last. Arms like axes, clawed hands like some creature of nightmares, sharpened and twisting bodies of mixed together in an unholy fusion of bone. Each one looking as if someone had ripped them straight from the Holy Tomes of the Goddess and its depictions of the Demon Queen¡¯s most horrible creations.


    Each one is armed to the literal teeth in every way imaginable. From spikes dripping in poison or coated in frost, to the weapons permanently fused into the very limbs of these hellish creatures. One of them is truly a thing of nightmares, looking to be two people mixed together in death to create some insectile abomination with far too many legs and a pair of tails like a scorpion.


    Hannah doesn¡¯t even have the chance to think or even scream at the sight of these things before Bug yells out her orders over the chaos of the battle, knocking everyone back into their senses.


    ¡°Protect the humans! Use yourselves as shields if you must! Kill the enemies!¡±


    The walking horrors of bones move with deadly precision, instantly going on the attack as they dive into the hordes of spiders and begin to tear them apart with violence. The skeletons move to surround the adventurers, cutting through the spiders and giving them some much needed breathing room as their large bodies become bastions against the flood of chittering spiders. Notably is one that seems to be the skeleton of a giant boar, its large frame becoming practically a wall as it crushes spiders underfoot and gores them with its massive, bladed tusks.


    Jakub curses. ¡°What the hell is going on!? What should we-¡°


    ¡°No thinking! Just focus on staying alive! Focus!!!¡± Max interrupts as he moves to join the skeletons in pushing back against the tide.


    Sam doesn¡¯t even complain, having already been in enough life-or-death battles to know when to shut the hell up and just focus on swinging her axe. She can ask question later if they get out of this mess alive. All that matters is that the Undead are clearly on their side right now.


    Around the battlefield, the birds continue to dive into the hordes, crashing beak first into spiders in kamikaze runs, destroying themselves as they also break the bodies of the spiders. Each time the flock makes a pass, they fly away with even less members than before until they are slowly reduced to a spare few birds.


    Through all of the chaos, Hannah watches as Bug turns away from them, turning back towards the two fighting behemoths on the other side of the arena.


    Letting out a breath of frosty air, the space around Bug begins to feel cold and lonely, like an empty grave in an abandoned cemetery. She spreads all four of her arms wide, her cloak parting as it to raises in the air as a massive pair of bat wings, a third set of hands adorning the wings at their midway point.


    With a flap of her wings to stretch out their scale covered membranes; she lets out a breath full of relief at finally getting to move an underused limb. The membranes slowly close after stretching to their full length and tuck back into the limb as they fold at the third pair of hands, turning her wings into a third set of arms on her back.


    Bug¡¯s mouth moves, uttering words that are barely heard over the din of battle, but are felt as the air around her radiates with the cold embrace of Death¡¯s touch.


    ¡°Become Weapon.¡±


    Bug¡¯s body starts to violently crack and shift as her arms and legs move at disturbing angels. Her posture shifts as she grits her teeth and holds back a scream full of pain. The bones in her lowest set of arms and in her legs being forcefully changes as she is made to switch from biped to quadruped posture, the limbs growing to become longer and feline like in form until she is standing at nearly the height of a full-grown man on her extended limbs.


    A rat like tail worms its way out from her shorts, waving in the air in relish of its freedom, as her two upper limbs also change, shifting to become blade-tipped tendrils that are already lashing out in every direction to mow though the surrounding spiders, her wings having changed so the final, folding length of her wings are now a pair of great sword esc things, the hands on her wings changing to become clawed with large grasping fingers.


    Finally, as her body seems to grow in size despite her torso remaining unchanged, her body becomes covered in sharp spikes that run down her spine and grow from shoulders and elbows, her crown like horns of thorns growing to become ram-like things that are perfect for smashing into targets. To further add to her monstrous appearance, tentacles grow from her body in a haphazard mess of searching limbs, the slimy things reach down and snatching up spiders to twist and rip them apart before tossing aside their broken bodies.


    With a blood-soaked scream full of pain and anger, Bug reels back like some disformed monstrosity, her mouth full of long, serrated teeth and blood running from her eyes like tears. Her voice carrying out across the battlefield in a Death filled war cry that leaves everyone¡¯s soul feeling cold.


    She moves.


    She simply disappears from sight as her powerful limbs send her rocketing across the arena, bladed wings spread wide as she hurtles toward the two fighting giants.


    ¡­


    ¡°Bug?¡±

 Chapter 12.7- Truth

    This fucking hurts!


    Bug¡¯s body screams at her as her changes finally finishes and everything heals, blood coating her limbs and her face where the changes had been too much to be contained within her body.


    Regretfully, she doesn¡¯t get another Level of Pain Tolerance for this, but Bug has hardly any time to worry about this, nor her pain.


    Her Undead Brood Mother is currently getting thrown around like a rag doll by the much larger Cleaner. If it wasn¡¯t for the Undead¡¯s ability to continue moving, even after their body is torn and broken, then the fight over there would have ended almost instantly.


    As Bug is hurtling across a sea of spiders, she gives one last look around before she has to engage the enemy.


    Her birds had been successful in their mission, and despite having thrown their un-lives away, they had managed to take down quite the number of spiders with them. All around the arena, the corpses of spiders begin to rise from the dead, brought back into un-life by the Undead curse. They immediately turn on their own kind, biting their fellow spider by the legs and dragging them down to the ground to tear them apart, further adding to their numbers.


    It doesn¡¯t take long until the arena is filled with the chaos of spiders fighting spiders, helping to drag some of the attention away from the pocket of humans and Bug¡¯s own forces.


    And then she is in the thick of it, kicking off of the ground with her monstrous rear legs as she aims for the spiked back of the Cleaner.


    As Bug slams into its back, the Cleaner manages to rip a leg off of the Undead Brood Mother, tossing aside the twitching limb before going in for another bite. Uncaring about the damage or the lost limb, the Brood Mother doesn¡¯t stop fighting as it tries to grapple with the cleaner, biting against its hard shell and trying to sting it with the large paralytic stinger on its rear end.


    Bug runs across the back of the cleaner, moving to avoid the thrashing of her own giant zombie as it fights desperately against a stronger and larger foe.


    Where the heck should I hit this thing? Assassination isn¡¯t even telling me where to aim! Ah, fuck it, let¡¯s just try the eyes!


    Bug sprints, her clawed limbs scraping against the black shell of the Cleaner as she runs on all fours, her weaponized limbs trying to hack into the back of the thing as she moves, but simply bouncing off without leaving so much as a mark.


    The Cleaner manages to wrestle the Undead Brood Mother on to its back just as Bug is reaching its head. Dodging a flailing limb from her zombie as it scrapes over the back of Cleaner, Bug goes for the first eye that she can reach, striking out with everything that she has.


    Striking the blood-red cover of the eye, her blades clatter off of its crystalline surface in a rain of sparks, only managing to leave some light scratches on the ruby like surface.


    The Cleaner pauses for a second just as it is about to sink its fangs into the Undead Brood Mother, the full weight of its attention shifting to Bug as something inside of the eye moves to look at her.


    Bug involuntarily freezes up in fright, her instincts screaming at her as she is locking eyes with a much larger predator.


    That one second is enough of a mistake for the Cleaner to strike, one of its front limbs moving at frightening speeds to scrape her off of its face.


    Bug curses as she regains control over herself, but it is already too late by the time she starts to move, the massive limb of the Cleaner, filling her vision like a wall.


    The ground beneath her shakes as the Brood Mother strikes up and bites onto the head of the Cleaner, grabbing onto and grappling onto the Cleaner with its remaining legs.


    The sudden movement from bellow manages to knock Bug off balance, the scraping leg passing a bit higher than it was. When it hits her, Bug just barely manages to wrap her limbs up in front of her to take the blow.


    With the crack of breaking bones, Bug goes flying through the air, tumbling end over end before crashing to the ground, exploding a couple of spiders that get in her path as she plows through them like a cannon ball.


    ¡°NNNNnnnnnnnnAAAAAaaaaahhhhhh!!! ¡°Become Weapon!¡±


    Laying on the ground with four broken arms, a snapped in half wing, and a missing leg, Bug curses in pain as her magic does its work and forces her limbs to rapidly regenerate and heal.


    I just have to protect my body and my head! Nothing else matters!


    With a series of loud cracks and snaps, her limbs move back into place, her leg finishing regrowing as she forces herself back to all fours.


    Smacking aside some spiders that were trying to take advantage of her being down, tentacles working to keep her body safe from searching fangs, Bug looks around the battlefield and lets herself smile a bit as blood trickles down from her mouth. Her freshly enhanced vision allowing her to see in the dark and watch all of the fighting spiders.


    A quick check of her mana shows that it is quickly regenerating. Death is filling this place to the brim. It is to the point that she can practically feel as it is laughing in all of this carnage, the mana in the air practically singing as spiders rip spiders apart and more Undead are raised from the constantly spreading curse.


    ¡°Turn Undead!¡± Bug screams as she points out across the battlefield with a clawer finger.


    With this place being full of Death, the System happily acts upon her will and slams her mana into the bodies of every Undead that her gaze passes over, instantly claiming large chunks of the Undead forces under her command as her mana drops like a rock before instantly starting to refill again towards her new lowered cap.


    ¡°Kill that thing!!!¡± She orders, a clawed finger aimed towards the Cleaner as it is fighting to dislodge the Brood Mother from its body.


    All of the Undead, besides those protecting the humans, immediately turn and charge for the Cleaner, running over any still living spider that gets in their way and biting them as they pass.


    As the Cleaner rampages and drags around the zombie wrapped around its neck, the little zombie spiders get trampled and crushed by the dozens as they stream towards the much larger spider and try to jump onto its legs.


    Bug continues to turn any Undead she can grab to her side or raising more from the hundreds of corpses laying around, sending them streaming towards the Cleaner as her own endless tide, her mana in her core draining and refilling over and over again as Death laughs in her ear, a splitting headache tearing through her head as she continues to push more and more.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Bug pushes through the pain and moves, charging at the giant spider as her minions start to gain ground and cover its massive body.


    The Undead try to bite into the shell of the Cleaner, but their fangs break uselessly against it, their poisons spilling down the sides of its armor without purchase. Even the hoarfrost from the Brood Mother is doing little to slow down the Dungeon¡¯s monstrous creation.


    Climbing up the body of the thing, Bug sees as it continues to bite into the Brood Mother, tearing out chunks of Undead flesh with every bite.


    ¡°Go for the mouth and be eaten! Force yourselves down its throat if you can!!! Grow Death Fungous! Make Deadly Poison!¡±


    Pushing her Death core further and draining it yet again, Bug covered her zombies in a rainbow of colorful mushrooms that smell of apples and cinnamon, and deathly green poison that reeks of the ting of death, black swirls flowing across its surface.


    Quickly moving to jump away from the infected zombies, Bug pulls a towel out of her inventory and wraps it tightly around her face, growing her horns down to pin the towel to her head and keep it from falling away.


    Almost immediately, caused by the shaking of two wrestling behemoths, the spores of the mushrooms start to get shaken and sent flying, floating in the air as they glow with their own internal light in all the colors of the rainbow. If it wasn¡¯t for how deadly Bug knows these things to be, she might have even thought them to be beautiful.


    More mushrooms begin to sprout as they land on more Undead, their bodies welcoming the spores like fresh soil under a tree, the poison that coats their bodies hardly being a deterrent to the spreading mushrooms.


    As Bug continues to make more room, her instincts screaming at her to stay the hell away from those mushrooms, she watches as all of the spiders, regardless of being infected or not, charge for the mouth of the Cleaner.


    The unthinking thing doesn¡¯t stop biting the Brood Mother even as the little spiders dive into its mouth, everything getting crushed within by mashing mandibles and a mouth full of rows of sharp teeth.


    The zombies don¡¯t stop moving as they cram their way in, pushing each other forward as they fight to fill the thing¡¯s mouth with more and more of their bodies, clawing and dragging themselves forward as they try to reach its throat.


    The Cleaner finally start to slow as it chokes, too many bodies starting to get crammed in one after the other until it is starting to struggle even to close its mouth.


    And then the mushrooms start to sprout¡­


    They begin by growing from the increasing ball of dead flesh in its mouth, happily taking root in the mashed-up meat and growing rapidly as Bug points towards its mouth and continues funneling more of the surrounding Death mana into fueling its rapid growth.


    Shaking violently, one of the eyes on the left side of the Cleaner¡¯s face begins to dim and darken, turning a muddy green as black swirling lines start to form just under the protective crystalline layer of its eyes. The nearest eyes begin to turn as well as the poison slowly spreads, being further feed by every spider that manages to force their way in and down the throat of the giant thing.


    Bleeding from ever hole on her head, Bug laughs with insanity in her voice as she watches the Cleaner suffer as she continues to push more and more Death mana into its body, adding on a good dose of Inflict Pain for good measure. As she keeps up the attack, its hard carapace that she couldn¡¯t even scratch with her bladed limbs, begins to bulge and crack from the inside.


    ¡°HaahahahhhhaaaaahahahahahahaHAHHHAAAAAA!!! Die!!!!!!!!!¡±


    The shell erupts from the inside, the large, glorious, and twisted stock of a mushroom sprouting out of its back like a mighty oak tree atop a hill. Flesh like a rainbow, glistening with the gore of destroyed organs and a layer of sickeningly sweet poison like oil, hanging frills and glowing spores just waiting to be released in the wind. The king of all mushrooms is the first to truly sprout from the poor creature¡¯s back and is quickly followed by more and more. More of the mushrooms force their way out of the spider, breaking through its shell or further widening the first hole that the original had sprouted from in cracking fissures that spread across the surface of the Cleaner.


    Still pinned to the Cleaner, the Undead Brood Mother doesn¡¯t stop in its assault, renewed in its fight as the Cleaner becomes more and more incapacitated with every failing organ in its body, rivers or poison tainted blood pouring down its back as its body is utterly ravaged by the constant stream of Death flooding into and out of its body. In some places, the zombie spiders had even managed to dig through its body from its mouth, and are now escaping from the openings made by the mushrooms or biting at it from the inside.


    Bug doesn¡¯t let up as she keeps funneling the Death mana through her body, her core hungrily grabbing all it can from the ever-increasing Death mana that is filling the room faster than she can use it.


    Still laughing like she is losing her mind, her hands pressed against the body of the Cleaner, Bug vomits up a mouth full of blood into her towel, her vision going red as blood fills her vision and her hearing begin to grow weak, her ears flowing with the red liquid as her core continues to use her living body as a medium for something that is actively killing her.


    Watching her hands, they quickly begin to blacken and rot, the meat falling away from her bones as she watches.


    ¡°Hahahahaha, I¡¯m dying! I¡¯m fucking dying, hahaha!!! My body, it feels so cold!¡±


    Even through the bloody towel covering her face, her breaths come out as a cold mist, ice growing along the blackening skin of her arms, her green and black striped scales falling away as they chip and crack.


    I¡­ I¡¯m killing myself! If I don¡¯t stop, I¡¯m going to die! But I can¡¯t stop, it isn¡¯t dead yet!


    Through the hysteria and her blood-soaked vision, Bug watches as her health continues to slowly drop, her mana fluctuating wildly as it empties and refills repeatedly.


    Bug can hear it; she can feel it! The presence of Death wrapped around her body like a hug that is so cold that it feels scolding hot. Death¡¯s words whispered in her ears with promises of more.


    Just keep pushing. Let the mana flow through you. Embrace Death and I shall embrace you in turn. Accept me and I will accept you. Let me in. Let me in. Let me love you, my adorable little Bug. Accept my love, I will make you more.


    Bug shakes her head as she fights to ignore the whispers, the voice filling her ears like a mother¡¯s love for her daughter.


    Her vision narrowing and becoming nothing but a dark tunnel, Bug breathing heavily as ice cold sweat soaks her clothes and drips from her face.


    Almost! It is almost dead! I can feel it, just a little bit more!!!


    The cleaner buckles under her. Its legs finally giving out as the half-destroyed Brood Mother pulls it to the ground.


    Bug can¡¯t maintain her grip and slips off the side as the behemoth of a spider buckles and falls to its side. Her limbs weakly trailing through the air, Bug stairs up at the ceiling of the Boss Room as she hits the floor, her elongated limbs spread out around her where they land.


    All Bug can hear is the whispers of Death in her ears and the slow beating of her own heart, her body growing colder and colder with every breath. Her mind slipping away with every slow beat of her stilling heart. But Bug doesn¡¯t stop watching her feed.


    It¡¯s not dead yet.


    It¡¯s not dead yet.


    It¡¯s not dead yet.


    It¡¯s not dead yet.


    ¡­


    It¡¯s not dead yet.


    Just die already! Why won¡¯t you die!?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    //Killed lvl 30 Bloody Queen of the Forgotten Stone Jungle ¨C 10¡¯000 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 27! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 4 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 2 Skill point


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 28! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 4 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 2 Skill point


    //Congratulations! You leveled-up a Skill!


    //Pain Tolerance Lvl 3 is now Lvl 4!


    //Congratulations! You earned a Skill!


    //Mana Control lvl1 unlocked!


    //Congratulations! You earned a Skill!


    //Soul Sight lvl1 unlocked!


    //Congratulations! You earned a Skill!


    //Death Resistance lvl1 unlocked!


    //Congratulations! You earned a Spell!


    //Winter¡¯s Death Aura unlocked!


    //Congratulations! You have upgraded a Spell!


    //Turn Undead has become, Command Undead!


    ¡­


    //Warning! All Dungeon [117] System Users: A Cleaner has been eliminated!


    //Advisory! Users are advised to avoid Floors [6-10]!


    //Issuing Admin request for overview¡­


    //¡­


    //¡­


    ¡­


    Yes¡­ I did it¡­ tired¡­ But I can¡¯t sleep yet¡­


    Turning her head to look at the dead Cleaner, Bug weakly raises a skeletal hand and points at it.


    Raise¡­ Undead¡­ Don¡¯t move¡­


    Her hand hits the floor as her strength leaves her body, the strength for one last thought being all she has left in her.


    ¡­ Become¡­ Weapon¡­

 Chapter 13.1- Error

    Standing with two torches in hand, held as high as she can to help give as much light as possible, Hannah watches as her companions fight a near endless tide of spiders.


    Max slashes one apart as he wields his long sword with two hands, kicking aside another spider that tried to get him in his opening. The offending spider gets grabbed from behind before it can try to go for him again, lifted into the air by giant, clawed, skeletal hands before being ripped in half and tossed aside.


    Sam lets out a war cry as her axe crushes a spider, her next swing smashing into the side of the next and sending it flying into the hordes. Beside her, two of the skeletal horrors are using their multiple arms to cut through and reduce the spiders to ribbons by the pairs, some of their arms being used to wield and swing around captured spiders like living bludgeons, smashing them into targets until they are reduced to pulpy messes.


    Jakub is fighting behind a line of the skeletons, moving and darting about as he attacks anything that tries to sneak through the line and attack the others in the back, his daggers flashing out to bury themselves in eyes and foreheads before quickly moving to stab another target, his blades moving like a flash of silver in the orange glow of the torch light.


    Outside the circle of defenders, there is only the noise of chaos and the occasional flicker of a shadow in the distance. The Boss Room has become cast in a deep darkness with the closure of the ceiling, the only light being the several torches that Hannah had tossed around the area, and the two held in her hands.


    She can¡¯t see where the endless tides of spiders begins or where it ends. All she knows is that it is chaos out there. She can hear the sounds of combat, creatures hissing, and chitin breaking. The distant rumbling of two behemoths trampling one side of the arena and creating an egregious uproar. All Hannah can do is hope that the boss monsters and Bug won¡¯t end up dragging their fight over toward them. Because in this current situation, it would be impossible for them to get out of the way in time before they are crushed underfoot.


    And Bug¡­


    Hannah doesn¡¯t know what to think about Bug right now. Had she been lying to them this entire time? Is she the Necromancer? Has she been tricking them this entire time?


    But then why is she helping them?


    ¡­


    Before Bug transformed herself into that long limbed creature, she had gone out of her way to help them. She had ordered these Undead to protect them¡­


    Hannah doesn¡¯t know what to think right now. She can¡¯t think right now. She if far too busy with being afraid for her life as skittering dog sized spiders attack from every direction, jumping out of the dark as they try to eat the humans within their midst. And if it wasn¡¯t for Bug¡¯s skeletons, they would have died a long while ago, quickly getting overrun as they are attacked from every angle.


    Hannah can see it, how her companions are slowing down. How they are gradually getting worn down and covered in little wounds, sweat drenching their clothes as they continue to fight even beyond the point of exhaustion. Even Sam, with all of her strength and body full of muscle, is slowing down, her breaths coming out heavy and ragged as she continues to swing her axe with a battle cry.


    As they continue to tire, the adventurers back up, tightening their formation as the inexhaustible skeletons take on more and more of the burden, their own circle around the humans tightening further as well in order to fulfill their master¡¯s order, refusing to let even a single foe squeeze past their inhumanly large bodies.


    ¡°We can¡¯t keep this up, this is hopeless!¡± Jakub shouts as he rips his dagger out a spider¡¯s head, pulling back as another tries to bite his hand off.


    ¡°Just keep fighting! It will end when the boss is dead! Don¡¯t stop!¡±


    ¡°Rahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡­


    They continue to fight, their weapons becoming slick with sweat and gore, the circle closing further and further until the adventurers are fighting back-to-back with Hannah sandwiched in between them, her torches raised desperately above her head to try and keep the light alive just a little bit long, to provide what little help she can in this desperate situation.


    And then Max makes a mistake. His grip slips for just a moment and his sword fails to cut straight. The wounded spider manages to get through and bites his leg before being ripped away by a skeleton. With a single step, the skeletons tighten the circle again and close the gap.


    ¡°Shit, Max is down!¡± Sam yells.


    Jakub shouts over the fighting towards Hannah, ¡°Antidote, now! Quickly!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Hannah says in a hurry as she throws aside one of the torches. Quickly digging into their stuff with one hand, Hannah fishes out one of their few expensive antidotes. With shaking hands, she uncorks it and brings it to Max¡¯s lips, forcing him to drink it as he pants for breath.


    ¡°Drink, come on drink it! There you go, good! Max, are you alright?¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Agghhhh! No, it got my leg pretty bad, fuck! Help me up, I can keep fighting.¡±


    ¡°No, not with a hole in your leg. I need to wrap you up before you bleed too much!¡±


    Hannah drops the last torch to the floor and grabs him by the shoulders, dragging him back into the center of the formation. Digging into their medical supplies, she takes out the roll of gauze and wraps it as tightly as she can around his leg, tying it hard enough that he is gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move! You will just make it worse. When we get out of here, we will get you to a doctor! Just hold on!¡±


    ¡°I can still fight!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    He tries to get back up onto his feet, but Hannah forces him to stay down, putting what weight she can on his shoulders to keep him seated.


    Sam shouts down at him. ¡°Stay down, you dumbass, or I will break your leg to keep you down! We have this, just hold on a little longer!¡±


    ¡°No, if I am going to die, then I am doing it on my feet!¡± He yells back as he fights to get up but is forced to stop as the sound of battle suddenly comes to a grinding halt, a stilling silence filling the arena.


    The spiders suddenly stop attacking and for a short while, they simply stand stock still. No more of their chittering or the clicking of their limbs, no more threatening movements. They just stand stark still where they stand.


    The seconds pass as everyone stares at the spiders, waiting with bated breaths for them to do something until they all just turn around and leave.


    The spiders disappear into the darkness, moving unnaturally as if they are puppets being pulled along by their strings.


    And then they were gone, the arena drawn into a deafening quiet, where the only sound is that of four exhausted humans breathing, and the crackling of a couple burning torches on the floor.


    ¡°What¡­ just happened?¡± Jakub asks slowly.


    ¡°Did we win?¡± Sam asks as she runs a blood covered hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t fucking jinx it now¡­¡± Max says as he finally lets himself collapse back against Hannah, letting her slowly lower him to the floor.


    Grabbing a torch and standing up, Hannah looks around and tries to see though the darkness, but even with eyes having been enhanced by Bug, they aren¡¯t built for seeing in pitch-black darkness. But now that she is really listening, she notices something.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hear the bosses anymore? She- Bug, must have killed them both, right?¡±


    As if to seemingly answer her question, light slowly begins to return to the room as the hole in the ceiling begins to open, a stream of midday sunlight cutting through the darkness and pushing back shadows.


    As the light grows stronger, more and more of the room is illuminated, piles of corpses being drawn into the light all over the room and absolutely blanketing the floor in gore and viscera, showing that the combat hadn¡¯t been solely localized around the adventurers. More and more of the battlefield¡¯s remains being exposed as the light travels over the room, until, the shadows are lifted, and on one side of the room two massive figures are shown to be standing there.


    The Adventure pale at the sight of the two massive spiders, the bosses of this room standing side by side.


    For a moment, they believe that all is for not, that the bosses had won. But then they get a good look at them and realize that they are not moving, and they are certainly not looking all that alive anymore¡­


    The Brood Mother is missing a couple of its legs, and a couple more are quite clearly broken, but yet it still remains standing. It is even missing large chunks of its body where it looks like it has been eaten. Frost radiates off of its giant body now, and poisons and other fluids are dripping from every wound on its body like leaking frothy puss.


    The other¡­ the second, yet to me named boss monster of a spider, is another story on its own. The thing is almost entirely whole for the most part with none of its limbs missing, but where the damage becomes obvious is the holes¡­


    Its body has become riddled with holes and tunnels where smaller spiders can be seen moving around inside, skittering about like bugs in their hive. Large sections of the thing¡¯s exoskeleton have broken away in large segments, making way for a veritable forest of colorful mushrooms to grow all over its back, the centerpiece of which is a single, massive mushroom that would put even the oldest and mightiest of oaks to shame.


    And if it wasn¡¯t for how utterly horrific it is, it might have been considered beautiful in some morbid way¡­


    ¡°The Deathly Walking Fungus¡­ No¡­¡± Hannah whispers to herself as she walks forward only to be stopped as Sam grabs her shoulder.


    ¡°Stay by us.¡±


    ¡°Rig- right, yes¡­ Can you see where Bug is? Where is she?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, let''s look around, but we need to take it slow, and be careful. Jakub, help Max get up.¡±


    ¡°Sure, uhm¡­ What should we do about these guys?¡± Jakub asks as he points towards the skeletons that are standing around them. When he points towards the axe wielding one, it turns its head and looks at him without making a noise.


    ¡°Ehh¡­¡±


    Sam looks around at the things and after a bit decides to say, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. Just, don¡¯t touch them, or give them a reason to attack us¡­¡±


    ¡°As if they need a reason, they¡¯re Undead. Attacking people is what they do.¡±


    Hannah blurts out without thinking, ¡°No they won¡¯t. Bug ordered them to protect us.¡±


    Jakub tries to say something in response but is cut off as Max calls out. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! Right now, we just need to figure out if we are safe. Jakub, help me up already. Our first priority is finding Bug. If we get attacked again, we are going to need her. Then we figure out what to do from there.¡±


    ¡°Unless she ends up being the one to attack us?¡± Jakub counters.


    ¡°She won¡¯t do that!¡± Hannah screams before she can stop herself, startling Jakub.


    The skeletons all turn to look at her, but don¡¯t move any more than that.


    Max says calmly from the floor, ¡°Jakub, help me up. Even if Bug where to decide to attack us, do you think we could win right now?¡± He asks seriously.


    Jakub looks around at the state of the room, the two bosses where they remain standing stock still, and then finally at the monstrous skeletons. They return his gaze, causing him to take a step back in fright.


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t¡­ We could run. The entrance is right over there!¡±


    ¡°Where would we run? Are you going to carry me when I¡¯m like this? Jakub, I need a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Th- the teleporter! We go for it!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Hannah, where is the teleporter?¡± Max asks carefully.


    Hannah slowly raises her hand and points in the direction of where the bosses now wait, their massive frames standing menacingly in overwatch of the entire room. ¡°Over there¡­¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell¡­¡± Jakub curses as he pales further.


    ¡°Jakub, help me up. We will get through this.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Right¡­ We¡¯ve survived worse, right?¡± He asks with a tense voice as he moves over to help Max get to his feet again, lending him a shoulder.


    Sam leans down and whispers to Hannah, ¡°Don¡¯t leave my side unless I tell you to run. If I tell you to run, you run like your life is on the line.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t hurt us¡­ Sam, she won¡¯t hurt me. Bug wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what we are going to find out. Come on, let¡¯s go meet the Necromancer.¡±

 Chapter 13.2- Error

    //¡­


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //Error. User race currently undefined.


    //Please wait. Admin assistance has been requested.


    //Please wait.


    //Please wait.


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //Admin Override detected.


    //User System Data is being complied.


    //Please Wait.


    //¡­


    //Package received. Files downloading¡­


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //Complete. All errors resolved.


    //Admin Override has been lifted.


    //User race redefined. Evolution complete.


    ¡­


    //Congratulation! You have upgraded your Race!


    //Race: Gremlin, has been upgraded to Half-Undead Gremlin!


    //Notice: All Undead Users [If applicable] receive a 1 Point discount on all Death infused magics in the Skill Store.


    //Notice: Your Racial Resistances have been adjusted.


    //Slashing Resistance has been adjusted to Base 60% from 10%


    //Stabbing Resistance has been adjusted to Base 60% from 10%


    //Impact Resistance has been adjusted to Base -40% from 0%


    //Fire Resistance has been adjusted to Base -30% from 10%


    //Water Resistance has been adjusted to Base 60% from 10%


    //Ice Resistance has been adjusted to Base 60% from 10%


    //Darkness Resistance has been adjusted to Base 70% from 20%


    //Time Resistance has been adjusted to Base 30% from 0%


    //Light Resistance has been adjusted to Base -60% from 0%


    //Death Resistance has been adjusted to Base 80% from 0%


    //Life Resistance has been adjusted to Base -60% from 0%


    ¡­


    //Congratulations! A Skill has been ungraded due to Race Evolution!


    //Deadly Poison Resistance Lvl1, has become Ailment Immunity!


    //Congratulations! A Skill has been ungraded due to Race Evolution!


    //Pain Resistance Lvl4, has become Pain Immunity!


    //Congratulations! A Skill has been earned due to Race Evolution!


    //Unaging unlocked!


    ¡­


    //Warning! You have been inflicted with the Curse of Undeath! Any being that you kill will now have an 81.2% [Before factoring personal resistances.] chance of being raised as more Undead.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    <hr>


    ¡­


    ¡°Uhhh~¡­¡±


    Bug slowly raises her head and looks around from where she lays on the ground, her body¡­ surprisingly not hurting?


    Some part of her is telling her that three of her rips are broken, the back of her head has a nasty welt on it, back is covered in bruises, a few organs are bruised, she is bleeding internally, and her tail is broken about halfway down, but¡­ none of it hurts¡­ at all? The knowledge about what is damaged is there, but just none of the pain that should be associated with her nerves screaming at her brain for attention. Rather, it is sort of like she just has a silent reminder floating in the back of her skull, patiently waiting to be noticed when needed.


    Sitting up with no issues despite her wounds, Bug hears a startled scream off to the side.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Blinking like she had just woken from a nap, Bug looks over and finds Hannah and the others standing not too far away, staring at her in fright.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Not getting an immediate answer, Bug looks over at her custom-made skeletons and then over at the giant Undead Spiders, coming to some conclusions of her own.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t hurt you. Not unless I tell them to.¡± Bug says as she works herself to her feet, something that takes some effort because her limbs are still all overgrown and dressed in blades and spikes.


    Finally getting onto all fours again, Bug activates her spell and commands her body to return to normal. Switching to a bipedal stance finally, and feeling much more comfortable now- her neck and spine not really being designed for walking like a quadruped for extended periods ¨C Bug gets the special pleasure of suddenly being the tallest person in the room for short while, not counting her skeletons, as she stands on her elongated legs.


    Walking towards the humans as her limbs break and mend, shrinking and shifting back to normal, her wings flapping behind her to shake out some kinks, and blessedly, her limbs not radiating with any pain at all as they change. Bug notices as the humans slowly back away from her, stopping as they find the skeletons at their back.


    Tilting her head as her horn return to normal and a bloody towel falls away from her face, tentacles being absorbed back into her body and elongated spikes shrinking back down into little nubs. Bug asks, ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Hannah wets her lips and carefully raises her voice, an obvious shake in her voice as she watches Bug shrink back down into her normal size and asks. ¡°Bu- Bug? Are you¡­ are you the Necromancer?¡±


    Some part of Bug wants to be crule and play with these humans a little further, to try and toy with their emotions until she can wring all the enjoyment out of them. But that is the monster part of Bug, and it isn¡¯t in charge. Bug is. The game is over now, and the cat, or she guesses, the Gremlin, is officially out of the bag.


    ¡°Yes, I am the Necromancer.¡± Bug says as she reaches back and grabs her tail, giving it a pull to force the broken bone back in place, her tail letting out a sickening pop that has Hannah cringing. Bug hardly even feels it.


    Hannah looks like she is about to cry as she hears those words, and Bug wants to say something to try and reassure her only friend, anything at all to try and make her feel better, but Bug knows that she deserves the truth.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hannah.¡±


    ¡°So, all this time¡­ you were lying to us, to me? Why?¡± Hannah asks as her eyes grow wet.


    ¡°I never lied.¡±


    ¡°But you said-!¡±


    ¡°What did I say? Have I ever actually spoken a lie?¡±


    ¡°Wha?¡±


    ¡°When they asked me if I was a human, did I ever say I was?¡± Bug asks as she points at the adventurers.


    ¡°Yes¡­ no, wait¡­¡± Hannah tries to remember.


    Max answers for her from where he is leaning against Jakub. ¡°You told us you are a person.¡±


    ¡°And that wasn¡¯t a lie.¡± Bug agrees, holding down the urge to smile and laugh. After all, her friend is sad right now and that wouldn''t be appropriate.


    ¡°I told you I was a person, and you all came to the assumption that I must be a human or whatever else after you learned about Body magic from Hannah. You assumed that I had turned myself into what you see before you. I simply never corrected you.¡±


    Jakub asks nervously. ¡°What about the bounty?¡±


    ¡°Very much real. The amount that I told you was what I learned the bounty to be when I had learned of it myself. It is probably higher by now¡­ Jakub, would you like to try and claim that bounty?¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    He pales as he looks at Bug and then at the surrounding Undead. Shutting his mouth, he quickly shakes his head no.


    Sam asks a question as Hannah is getting worse, teardrops forming at the edges of her eyes. ¡°If you aren¡¯t human, then what are you? A Demon?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not a Demon. I would be considered a Demi-human. I¡¯m a Gremlin, born of the first floor of this very Dungeon a little over a week ago.¡± To accentuate this point, Bug moves her broken rat tail behind her and wiggles her long fluffy ears.


    Sam looks at her with a bit of shock and after a while says, ¡°Holy shit, I can actually see it. Make the face uglier and more rat like, get rid of the hair and the fur on her ears, make the eyes red¡­ change the legs to be less human¡­ You really are a Gremlin, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Bug nods.


    Max asks. ¡°How could you possibly be born from the Dungeon? Those things up there, those creatures¡­ That¡¯s not possible.¡±


    Bug opens her mouth to try and tell them about the System and how it is the cause, but finds that nothing will come out, no matter how much she tries.


    Huh¡­ well that is interesting. I¡¯m being censored.


    Shrugging, Bug changes up her answer. ¡°I was born different. Just a little mistake of the Dungeon. One that it will suffer dearly for.¡± Bug has to say with a smile on her face.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t know so many things¡­ What do you mean by making the Dungeon suffer?¡±


    Bug goes to answer, but is interrupted by a crying Hannah, the tears finally falling. ¡°Why? Why Bug? Why did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Why did I do what?¡±


    ¡°Us. Traveling with us. The lies. The -¡±


    ¡°I never lied.¡±


    ¡°Then what was it!?¡± Hannah cries.


    ¡­


    Bug looks to her crying friend, the urge to cry building up in her as well as she sees how much she is hurting her. But she holds it all down and tells her the truth. Because Bug never lies.


    ¡°It was fun.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Hannah asks with surprise in her voice.


    ¡°I was having fun, Hannah. At first, I was just tricking some humans so I could have them guide me to the second boss faster. I wasn¡¯t lying when I said that the Necromancer wants to make distance between her and her pursuers. But I was also having fun learning what I could about your people and the outside world, trying to see how well I could blend in with humans without getting caught. It was fun.¡±


    ¡°So all of this was a game to you?¡±


    ¡°Not all of it, Hannah. Not all of it¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mea-" Hannah tries to ask but is interrupted as Max repeats his question, this time being more demanding.


    ¡°What do mean when you say that you will make it suffer? What are you planning to do to the Dungeon!?¡±


    Bug keeps watching her friend for a long moment before finally turning to address Max.


    ¡°I plan to destroy the Dungeon. I will fill it with Death, one floor at a time, layer by layer, until I finally reach its core. First, the Dungeon will be unable to eat. I have already made it to where most humans can¡¯t risk entering the Dungeon. It¡¯s primary food source has effectively been cut off. Next, is to deny it even the energy of its own creations. I will flood every floor with the Undead, and as a result, the Dungeon won¡¯t be able to reabsorb its own creatures when they die. Next is to defeat the Dungeon at its own game. I will clear it floor by floor, just like you adventurers would. I will prove to it that I am not some trash mob that can be thrown away as a training target for novice adventurers! That I am not some mindless creature, born to die after a single day! And when I reach the core, having beaten the Dungeon and starved it? I will have my revenge and kill the Dungeon! And then I will be free to escape this place! To finally walk on the surface and live like a PERSON! To not have to spend every day of my life since my birth, fighting for survival! I will be free! Free!!! I¡¯ll be able to make friends! I could buy cookies! Hell, I¡¯ll learn to bake my own cookies, and then share them with my friends. I could go on adventures and see the oceans, the deserts, the mountains. I could ride on an airship! I could have a life out there! Something that I can never have if I am living as a SLAVE!!!¡± Bug screams at the humans, her body shaking as tears start to fall from her eyes as well. Her emotions running wild at finally, finally, getting to tell another person about her life. About WHY it is that she is doing this. To tell them her dream.


    The humans all look at her in shock, Hannah¡¯s expression an unreadable mess of emotions as she is trying to wipe away her tears.


    Bug is breathing hard as she wipes her own tears away, her four arms working to clean her face as she sniffs her nose.


    Max speaks slowly, his hand raised before him warily. ¡°Bug¡­ if you destroy the Dungeon¡­¡±


    Bug sniffs back some snot from crying. ¡°I know, the city will be destroyed, and the plague that is growing within the Dungeon will be released out to the surface.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea how many people will die if that happens?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. But I also don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t care!? Silest has over eighty thousand people living in it! Woman and children, the elderly, whole generations of families living there! And you don¡¯t care!¡±


    ¡°I will do anything to be free.¡± Bug says resolutely.


    ¡°Then you are nothing more than a monster!¡± Max yells.


    Bug answers back calmly, not raising her voice in the slightest. ¡°How can I be a person if I am not free? You may call my actions that of a monster, I will not deny that. But I choose to be a person. I choose to be free, no matter the price.¡±


    ¡°A real person wouldn¡¯t-¡°


    Bug speaks over Max, asking a simple question. ¡°How many humans died in that last war you were a part of? You guys told me about when you worked as mercenaries, you''ve killed people too. What was it for?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know, do you? What was the war fought over?¡±


    ¡°What, it was¡­¡± He looks to Sam and she just shrugs.


    Sam answers for him, ¡°No idea. Different Kingdoms go to war all the time. We¡¯re just peasants. Nobles pay us coin, and we go out to kill the other side¡¯s people to take their stuff and be able to feed ourselves.¡±


    Bug asks her, ¡°And does that make you a monster? Because you killed other people for their stuff and your own benefit? If your Kingdom were to attack another Kingdom¡¯s city and destroy it, would that make you monsters then?¡±


    Sam just shrugs again and lets out a breath. ¡°No. It would make us bad people. Maybe even evil depending on how we treat the other side. But at the end of the day, we are still doing it so we can make a living. So we can put food on the table and ale in our mugs. We¡¯re still people.¡±


    Bug looks over the humans, looking each one in the eye before asking, ¡°Then how am I am any different? I am fighting for my freedom. I Am A Person. Regardless of if I am a good one or an evil one, and Hannah, I am sorry, but I told you that I am not a good person. One day, I might be, but not now, not while I have to do what I must to get what I want; to get what I need. Not when I have done horrible things to other people already.¡± Bug says as her eyes go to the abominations and horrors of human bone that are standing around the humans.


    The others turn and look at them as well, slowly realizing just how many bodies it probably took to make a single one of these horrible skeletons. Each one, being a person who most likely died at Bug¡¯s hands.


    Max wets his lips before opening his mouth, his words coming out with some apprehension. ¡°Humanity won¡¯t let you do this. They won¡¯t stand idly by as you erase a city from the map. As you release a plague of Death upon the world. We won¡¯t let you get away with this.¡±


    ¡°I know, and I will kill anyone who tries to stop me. It is as simple as that.¡±


    Max tenses as he expects Bug to attack him then and there, but she doesn¡¯t move. She just watches the humans to see what they will do.


    As the tension starts to increase, Hannah nervously asks, ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just tell people to evacuate? Can she even be stopped at this point?¡±


    Sam gives a sigh. ¡°Honestly, Hannah¡­ I don¡¯t see it going well either way. You try telling a city full of people that they need to pack up their lives and move. Some might, but most of them will refuse right up until the day the ground is falling out from under their feet¡­ And Max¡­ I don¡¯t see anyone beating her anytime soon. Maybe if the Church could hire an Immortal, but then the Immortal is just as likely to end up destroying the Dungeon and even the city by accident in the process. And what about an extermination team from the Guild? They are going to have to fight through hell and back to reach her now, no?¡± Sam finishes by shifting her question to Bug.


    ¡°Yes. I already told you what I plan to do to this layer, and eventually the next. The longer it takes for you humans to stop me, the harder it will become. Your only hope is if the Dungeon manages to stop me, and you already saw how that went, even with the Dungeon cheating.¡± Bug says as she points to the mushroom covered Cleaner.


    Max looks around at all the destruction that was wrought by this little Gremlin and then shifts his weight a bit as his wounded leg stings. With resignation, he lowers his head and gives up. Even if he and his friends where fresh and at their best condition, they would never be able to defeat her. Especially not now that she has the two boss monsters under her control.


    ¡°What do you plan to do with us? Now that your fun is over, are we going to end up like them to?¡±


    Hannah looks in shock at his question, her eyes turning to Bug in fright. That look, the fact that she could even consider the thought of Bug hurting her, wounds Bug in a fresh way that really hurts her heart, but Bug doesn¡¯t let it show.


    ¡°No. You are free to go. Use the teleporter and leave the Dungeon. I will not stop you.¡±


    Max says, ¡°We are going to tell them everything. You know that right? Hell, even if we didn¡¯t want to, there is no way that the Church and the Guild won¡¯t be demanding everything we know.¡±


    Jakub hits Max, trying to tell him to shut up. But Bug doesn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Go ahead. I won¡¯t stop you. Tell them everything you have learned about me. Try and evacuate the city if you can, help with their efforts to slay me, or take whatever chance you get and run far away. Your choice is yours to make. Just know that if we meet again as enemies, I will not hesitate to kill you.¡±


    Max nods, watching Bug intently. ¡°Right¡­ Then we are leaving, now. Let¡¯s go before she changes her mind.¡±


    They turn to go, but Bug raises a hand and stops them. ¡°Wait.¡±


    They all freeze up and watch nervously as Bug casually walks up to them.


    ¡°Max, hold still.¡± Placing her hand on his leg before he can try and back away, Bug uses Become Weapon on his wounded leg, compelling his injury to rapidly heal, not even leaving a scar behind.


    Taking a step back from him, Bug looks up to him and says, ¡°Thank you for protecting Hannah.¡±


    Looking towards Sam, Bug tells her, ¡°Thank you for teaching me how to light a torch.¡±


    And Jakub. ¡°Thank you for the stories and the food, it was good.¡±


    Turning towards Hannah, Bug hesitates... Eventually, she just moves a distance away from the group and then wave for Hannah to come over to her. The other girl hesitates for a moment, looking to the others before eventually deciding that she should probably do as Bug says. The others initially try to stop her, but when the skeletons take a step towards them, they faulter.


    Bug yells over, ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt her. This is¡­ a private matter!¡±


    Hannah share one last look with them before coming over. Quietly and nervously, she asks, ¡°Bug?¡±


    ¡°Hannah, I¡¯m sorry. I know you probably hate me now, but I really do consider you to be my friend. That night when you shared your story with me¡­ I won¡¯t ever forget it.¡±


    Hannah looks like she is about to start crying again as she says, ¡°Bug, we aren¡¯t¡­ we¡­¡± But she can¡¯t finish the sentence as she sees Bug¡¯s face, her little friend being so close to tears again as well.


    ¡°Bug, thank you for listening to my story, and for the cookie¡­ It was delicious. It was short, but thanks for being my friend.¡±


    Bug smiles as she looks up to her very first friend. Slowly reaching up, Bug cups Hannah¡¯s cheeks and gently pulls her down to her level. Moving forward, Bug wraps her up in a hug. The very first that she has ever willingly given.


    The hug is short lived and Hannah is too stunned to be able to reciprocate before Bug releases her, and Bug¡¯s body was unnaturally cold against hers, but it was probably one of the best hugs that Hannah has had in a long time.


    ¡°Uh, ah, Bug?¡±


    Bug just gives her a little laugh. ¡°Hugs feel weird. I still can¡¯t get used to it. But if it makes you happy, then I don¡¯t mind doing it.¡±


    ¡°Ehh!? Eh, wait, so can I hug you then?¡±


    Bug looks up and thinks for a moment. ¡°Hmmm¡­ No.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°But. If we meet again, on the surface. I will let you give me a hug.¡± Bug says with a smug and teasing smile, her beautiful emerald eyes shining with mischievousness.


    Hannah can¡¯t help but blush. Quickly standing back up as she straightens her clothes, Hannah quickly looks away and clears her throat. ¡°Mrrh¡­ You¡¯ll never tell a lie, right?¡±


    ¡°I never have, and I never will.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ It¡¯s a promise¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it is. Bye Hannah, I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Bye Bug. I-I¡¯ll miss you¡­¡±


    Hannah turns to head back to others, her heart feeling fluttery at finally getting a hug from Bug. Even if Bug is a bad person, she still honestly believes that she is nice.


    Before she can get too far, she is stopped as Bug quickly calls out to her. ¡°Ah, wait!¡±


    ¡°Mh? What is it?¡±


    ¡°I almost forgot! What was the name of that village, the one that killed Jesica?¡±


    ¡°Ehh? It¡¯s Galvorn. More of a small city or a town than a village though, why?¡± Hannah answers honestly on reflex, the pain of remembering that horrid place hitting her a moment later.


    Bug just give her a big innocent smile. ¡°You are better off if I don¡¯t tell you. Bye Hannah, the Dungeon will be a lonely place without you.¡±


    Hannah looks surprised for a moment until understanding hits her, she returns Bug¡¯s smile, feeling a little better already. ¡°Thank you, Bug. And you¡¯re right, it is better if I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The two part, Hannah heading to the teleporter with her companions as they give a wide birth to the mushrooms that are already starting to slowly spread through the Boss Room, an evil thought sprouting in her mind as she prepares to finally leave the Dungeon.


    Perhaps I should head home sooner, rather than later. After all, I wouldn¡¯t want to miss it when Bug decides to give that place a visit.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Half-Undead Gremlin


    Class ¨C Little Bodily Horror


    Level ¨C 28


    EXP ¨C 42/8000


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 273/318 [Health loss from internal damage greatly reduced by 70%]


    Stamina ¨C 105/105 [Stamina consumption reduced by 50%] [Stamina drain: Sunlight]


    Mana ¨C 157/157 [Total = 470] [-313 From Control Upkeep]


    Vitality ¨C 53 [+1 From Equipment]


    Endurance ¨C 35


    Strength - 35


    Dexterity - 50


    Magic - 50


    Intelligence - 50


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>

 Chapter 13.3- Error

    The sun slowly begins to set as Catherine Raingarden sits in the office of the Master of Silest¡¯s Adventurers Guild, a report held in hand as she shakes with anger, her fist crumpling the papers as she finishes reading it.


    ¡°Guild Master Alaxander¡­ is all of this true?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She slams the report to the table, shouting, ¡°This can¡¯t be true! That little monster, that creature! You¡¯re telling me that¡­ You expect me to believe any of this!?¡±


    The Guild Master looks up at the fuming girl from where he sits behind his desk, keeping his composure as he responds, ¡°Miss Raingarden, I must ask that you compose yourself. Your anger is wasted here.¡±


    ¡°I¡­!¡± She crinkles the papers further, as if she could wring the neck of its subject. Taking a calming breath, she gently sets the report down and returns to her seat.


    ¡°I apologize for my outburst. That was inappropriate of me.¡±


    ¡°Not at all milady, your anger is understandable, and I commend you for holding back as long as you have.¡±


    Catherine holds her head as she tries to work down her raging emotions, taking a sip of tea, she collapses back into her chair with an exhausted breath.


    ¡°To think that that thing¡­ that it managed to do this¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it shames me that our own were fooled into assisting its further escape. For a monster to be able to act like a human, to plan and use trickery to get what it wants, this situation simply continues to worsen by the day.¡±


    Catherine looks over to the Guild Master and asks, ¡°Are we certain that this is everything they know? Should we not turn them over to the inquisitors? What if they are assisting it by withholding information?¡±


    ¡°Milady, are you suggesting that one of our own would collaborate with monsters? To willingly assist in the destruction of Silest?¡± He asks the girl with a measured look.


    ¡°No, but they may have been manipulated into doing so. Tricked by that evil little thing.¡± She tries.


    ¡°Miss Raingarden, they have already been interrogated by our people and representatives of the Church. The Church was even so kind as to loan us one of their Truth Divinators. They spoke only truthfully and answered every question that was asked of them. I will not be sending my people to the Inquisition to be tortured for nothing, not after surviving what they did and managing to bring us back this information. They should be rewarded for their efforts, not punished.¡± He answers sternly.


    Catherine holds back her words before she can say something that she might regret. Lowering her head, she apologizes, ¡°Forgive me, I overstepped.¡±


    The Guild Master slowly takes a breath and apologizes in turn. ¡°My apologies as well, I shouldn¡¯t grow so heated. I ask that we move on from this subject, my people have earned their rest, and we have more important things to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are quite right, let¡¯s move on.¡±


    The Guild Master sips his tea, before continuing, giving Catherine a moment to collect herself.


    ¡°With this newest information, the Church has been debating whether they should call for the aid of an Immortal. Obviously, there is currently much push back at the idea. The collateral damage alone would most likely be just as bad as if we had just left the situation alone. On top of this, the King and most of the Nobles are against the idea of allowing an Immortal within our borders at this time.¡±


    ¡°A sentiment that I agree with. Immortals can¡¯t be trusted. It would be the same as turning to the Demons for aid.¡±


    ¡°Ah, their point exactly. Suggestions of evacuation had been put forth, but they are dragging their feet.¡±


    Catherine comments. ¡°Yes, I could see that happening. To evacuate an entire city, a valuable port city like Silest no less, over a single Necromancer, a Gremlin at that¡­ It would make us look weak to the neighboring kingdoms and invite them to invade.¡±


    He nods. ¡°Exactly. Even worse yet, some argue that it is too early to entertain such discussions!¡± He says as he slaps the relevant report on his desk. ¡°They believe that because the Necromancer has only just reached the third layer, that there is still a chance to stop her. That surely the Dungeon will take care of it because no one has ever managed to get past the thirtieth floor.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, but, no one ever has, so there is a chance, right?¡±


    ¡°Milady, this logic only applies to us humans. Here, in our lands, we have only gotten so far, the only Dungeon of ours to ever be conquered being by a Hero. But the Adventurers Guild is spread far and wide and has roots in almost every nation, human or other. Out there, plenty of Dungeons have been concurred. Some have even been converted into farms or even outright destroyed because the owner of that land didn¡¯t like having it there. This Necromancer is not a human, we should not apply the same logic of human limitations to her.¡±


    Catherine bites her lip, distressed at how frail and weak they are. Even herself, a Noble with the gift of Water magic, though still a novice, can¡¯t even begin to be compared to something like a Demon. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the Demons seem to hold little desire to expand their territory, humanity probably would have fallen generations ago¡­


    ¡°Then how are we to stop her? The second layer has fallen, and every day people work around the clock to keep the Undead and those mushrooms from breaking out from the entrance. Every day I can see the smoke rising from the Fire Mages burning them away, and every day, more of the Undead attempt to escape.¡±


    ¡°The clearing force should be done gathering soon. Susan¡¯s clan mates from the Golden Mare are mostly ready to go, and we are gathering as many Fire mages and Priests as possible that are above the third tier. We also have alchemists working without rest to try and devise an antidote to the poison we extracted from the mushrooms and the one used to kill your bodyguard. Through¡­ I doubt that an antidote will be ready before the clearing force is set to depart.¡±


    ¡°When are they leaving?¡±


    ¡°Two days, as soon as the Dungeon opens in the morning a strike team will be going in. Their mission will be to cut through the infection and go straight for the Necromancer while more teams will begin work on trying to clean the Dungeon floor by floor¡­ Try to delay the inevitable for as long as we can, should the strike team fail¡­¡±


    ¡°Two days? In two days, she could be halfway through the third layer! This Gremlin has been alive for not even a month, and yet, she has already cleared the second layer! She even, and I don¡¯t know how this could possibly be true, managed to fight TWO bosses at the same time! In the dark no less¡­¡± Catherin holds her hand to her face, utterly exhausted. ¡°We haven¡¯t even talked about this nonsense of her being a Body Mage, or these skeletal abominations of hers. In two days'' time, it could be too late.¡±


    He slowly nods his head in understanding. ¡°Yes, but this isn¡¯t something that we can rush. If we send those people in there without them being as prepared as possible, we would merely be sending them in to die. We must make sure that they have as much of a chance to succeed as possible.¡±


    Catherine looks down in defeat, her heart sinking as fulfilling her promise to Lyose is starting to look even more distant by the hour.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    <hr>


    The Dungeon opens, as it does every day at the exact same time that it always does. This phenomenon has been observed and extensively studied by scholars the world over, leading to the universal time keeping system that almost everyone can agree on. Out of a roughly twenty-four-hour day, regardless of how the seasons might affect the duration of the day¡¯s light, it has been agreed upon that the Dungeons always close at exactly twenty-two hours after opening, and then, like clockwork, open their doors again at exactly midnight, two hours later, signaling the transition from one day to the next.


    This means that, if a city is affluent enough to have a clocktower in its central square, then it is most likely set to the proper time by using the nearest Dungeon as an indicator of chronomantic accuracy.


    It is here, within the heart of the port city of Silest, at exactly midnight, that the doors of the Dungeon once again open, the sound of a bell ringing in the background signaling everyone to the time.


    With the sound of stone sliding over stone, the doors open inward, slowly revealing a dark expanse of stone. Within the dark, the only source of light is the gentle glow of little floating spores, glowing with the different colors of the rainbow as they are lifted into the air by a fresh current of air from the outside world.


    As the doors finish opening, there is silence for a long few moments before the sound of moaning and grinding teeth can be heard, the scraping of claws on stone growing closer and closer until dozens of dull blood-red lights begin to appear in the darkness alongside the fairy like spores that float about in the air.


    The first of the figures emerges from the shadows, slowly and searchingly moving forward on all fours as its rotted flesh is exposed to the light of many shining lanterns.


    Yellowed and black marked skin falling away in patches and exposing bone, with blood and puss leaking from every orifice like some sickness granted physical form. Mushrooms of varying shapes and sizes, hanging with transparent curtains of membrane flesh and dangling polyps, cling to and grow from the creature¡¯s back and head, growing over its face and covering one eye. The creature, a female, made apparent by its withered and hanging breasts, opens its mouth and lets out a clicking hiss of a noise as it vibrates its jaw, a half rotted and swelling tongue filling its mouth of yellow teeth coated in green and black poison. If one dared to look deeper, into the throat of the thing, they would find layers and layers of overlapping mushrooms vibrating and clacking against each other to make a nerve wracking, clicking noise.


    As the Undead thing makes its call, colorful spores escaping its mouth with every breath, more and more of the horrid creatures begin to emerge from the darkness on jittery and stiff fungus laden limbs, each one clicking and gnashing their teeth as they curiously move towards the outside world.


    ¡°Fire!¡± A commanding voice calls out.


    Several voices answer out in unison, chanting as the mana in the air begins to move and gather at the will of man. When the incantations complete, they call out in unison, ¡°¡°Fire Spray!¡±¡±


    Streams of flowing flame light up the night and fill the entrance of the Dungeon, the Undead creatures within screaming as their rotting flesh boils and pops, turning black and cracked like charcoal under the intensely concentrated heat. The mushrooms that adorn their bodies, popping and exploding like popcorn as they release thousands of incandescent spores into the air.


    The Fire Mages adjust their flames, trying to burn away as many of the spores as they can before they have a chance to escape the Dungeon¡¯s entrance and be carried away on the wind. Those few that manage to escape are tracked and followed by teams of men running around with torches, burning the spores the second that they touch the ground.


    As hard as they may try, the occasional spore does get away. Flying away on an updraft and disappearing into the sky to eventually land in some faraway place¡­


    ¡°Team 2, ready spells! Team 1, ready for rotation!¡± The commander calls out, ordering the Mages as they take turns flooding the entrance of the Dungeon with a constant stream of flame, the Undead things within screaming and writhing as the fire burns their bodies away.


    Further back, away from the glow of the Dungeon¡¯s entrance and the screams of burning Undead, Guild Master Alaxander stands before a gathering of twenty adventurers, or a full raid party consisting of four groups of five.


    ¡°Members of the Golden Mare Adventurers Clan, I thank you for being here today.¡± Alaxander says loudly as he addresses them, speaking loudly enough to be heard by any onlookers that had stayed up late and gathered to witness this.


    ¡°The mission you are about to conduct will most likely be the most dangerous challenge of your lives and holds the safety of this entire city and all her people at stake! In this mission you can risk no mistakes. There will most likely be no Safe Rooms to rest in. If you are injured, it is safe to say that you are already dead. If your suit is damaged, then you are dead. If you fail to replace your filters and breathe in the spores, you are dead. And if any of your allies die, they will most likely become one of the Undead. You cannot afford a single mistake!¡± Alaxander yells as he addresses the gathered adventurers.


    ¡°Supposing that you manage to survive ten floors of poison and fungus filled death, you will be hunting for a high priority target. You are to kill this target on sight, live capture is no longer an option! Your target is a rare, sapient monster, a Gremlin. Despite how unlikely or ridiculous this may seem; this bounty is already responsible for the deaths of over a hundred people! Do not underestimate this enemy!


    ¡°The Gremlin¡¯s last appearance is described as have grey and black hair. Large portions of her body are covered in striped, green and black scales that are hard enough to stop most attacks. Her eyes are green, skin used to be a tan color but is now a pale white, she has larger than average breasts, and finally and most importantly, the target has four arms and a pair of wings that are capable of acting as a third set of arms.


    ¡°The target¡¯s capabilities are as follows! She can raise and control the dead. Notably, she has an escort of ten, potentially more, highly modified skeletons that are each estimated to be at least a Silver level threat. She was also seen to have raised two bosses from the second layer. Aside from Necromancy, the target is also a Body Mage and is capable of freely alter her body in any way she pleases, this includes the bodies of others if she can touch them for long enough. She possesses a spell that can be cast instantly to inflict debilitating pain at anyone she points at. The target has also displayed a set of highly developed senses and an awareness for danger. And finally, she is believed to be creating the poison and mushrooms through magic. This target is not to underestimated!¡±


    One of the adventurers, Susan the swordswoman, raises her hand and asks a question. ¡°Sir! If I cut her head off, will she die?¡±


    Guild Master Alexander grits his teeth and takes in a breath before answering, the smell of burnt flesh and cooking mushrooms filling his sinuses. ¡°Our current assumption is that is the ONLY way to kill her. The target has demonstrated the ability to nearly instantly regenerate lost limbs and heal broken bones. Anything short of the complete destruction of her body will probably not be enough to keep her down.¡±


    Everyone is quite at this, tension filling the air to such a palpable level that it can be felt on one¡¯s skin.


    Letting it all sink in for a moment, the Guild Master continues.


    ¡°With the dangers to yourself associated with this mission, and the risk that is carried with failure, the Adventurers Guild, the Kingdom of Sil, and the Church of the Goddess, have unanimously decided on the reward for this mission.¡±


    Looking of the twenty gathered members of the Golden Mare, he declares, ¡°Each member of this mission shall be rewarded with the following. A thousand gold coins, or one Platinum coin in value, in a personal account with the Bank of SilverScale. You will also be granted a title of Nobility, of the rank of Baron, recognized by the Kingdom of Sil and be granted all the rights that such a title holds. And finally, with the Church, each of you that manages to return alive shall be offered the chance to become Paladins of the Goddess, because there is no duty more sacred that the elimination of those who would desecrate the dead. For those who fail to return, your families shall be cared for and want for nothing, your name permanently etched into the Hall of Heros, joining those who have fought for the light of the Goddess.¡±


    People around the area, watching this moment go goggled eyed at the promise of a thousand gold coins. Even just a couple of gold coins would be enough for most peasants to retire on as long as they are frugal. More than that, and they could not just retire, but even invest and make more by becoming business owners. But a thousand gold? A person could easily spend the rest of their lives living in the lap of luxury with that kind of money. They could die old in their bed, having partied their whole life, and still be considerably rich. A thousand gold, or a Platinum, is the currency of Kings. When the value of a kingdom is measured, it isn¡¯t done is silver or gold, but in Platinum. And each of these adventurers had just been promised one.


    Guild Master Alaxander continues once the weight of the promised reward has had a chance to set in.


    ¡°Now then, knowing all of this. The risks, the rewards. Now is the time to decide. Will any of you leave, or will you stay?¡±


    No one moves to leave, their feet firmly rooted in place as they face forward, looking towards the Dungeon, different motivations shining in their eyes by the light of flames that continue to flow into the Dungeon¡¯s entrance. Greed, determination, justice, a simple desire for a challenge. They each have a reason to face this challenge head on, to do what humanity has done since they first discovered these holes in the ground full of monsters.


    Delve into the Dungeon and risk their lives.


    Alaxander nods, his hopes placed on the shoulders of the brave men and women standing before him.


    ¡°Good. Then put on your hazmat suits and grab your gear. I wish you all luck, and may the Goddess be with you.¡±

 Epilog- [Redacted]

    ¡°Uh, uhm, sir? Y- you wanted to see me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please come in Miss S.¡±


    S walks into her boss¡¯s office nervously, her anxiety of course having to choose this exact moment to start acting up. Dealing with her boss is always so stressful.


    ¡°Take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Ah, oh yes. Thank you¡­¡±


    Pulling the chair back, S somehow manages to sit down without tripping or spontaneously exploding, so she marks that up as a small win for herself.


    Her boss, Mr. R, clasps both hands in front of him as he sits comfortably behind his desk.


    ¡°Miss S, do you know why it is that I called you here today?¡±


    Oh, that is the worst possible question he could have asked! What did I do this time? I filed all my work on time, right? Did I miss a meeting again? I didn¡¯t receive any Emails about a meeting though? Or did I!? Did I mess up on my part of that program I submitted, for the server-side environmental damage and resistances modifier calculation checks? I could have sworn that I worked out all the bugs with that one though. Oh my Tree! What if I accidentally submitted an old version of the program!? Oh no, oh no, oh no!!!


    As S is working herself up towards a panic attack, her boss interrupts her racing thoughts.


    Picking up his mana tablet, a little image of a golden apple etched on the back of the device, Mr. R swipes across the holographic display until he finds the tab he is looking for.


    ¡°Miss S, I called you here because I have received notice that one of the Dungeons you supervise has, for some reason, activated one of their Cleaners without permission or even going through the proper procedures. I am looking at a list of violations here, one of which includes allowing four humans to escape after witnessing a Cleaner, and even worse, the destruction of a Cleaner. Do you mind telling me what is going on here?¡±


    S immediately deflates with relief. Out of everything it could have been, it was just this.


    ¡°Oh, you have nothing to worry about sir! I took care of it.¡± She says happily.


    ¡°You took care of it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. You see, Dungeon Manager 117 has been going against protocol and is unjustly targeting one of their System Users. I have formally reprimanded them for their behavior and given them a write-up.¡± S says with a bit of pride, believing that she has done a good job. Maybe she will even get praised!


    Unfortunately, Mr. R doesn¡¯t look to be in the praising kind of mood¡­


    ¡°And prey do tell, Miss S¡­ Why, is it that one of our Dungeon Managers, under your supervision, is targeting a User? And further, why have I not been informed of this until now?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, ahh¡­¡±


    S¡¯s eyes start to wander over her boss¡¯s desk as she tries to find the words she needs to not get in trouble again. #1 Dad mug with half drank black coffee, a picture of Mr. R and his family at a picnic, a bunch of company accolades lined up neatly, some #2 pencils and a bunch of pens in a cup. Ooh, a loose rubber band on the floor! Maybe if she can grab it with her toes without being noticed? She could add it to her rubber band ball! Wait, no, that¡¯s not important right now, uhmm¡­.


    ¡°Well, uhm¡­ sir, I meant to send you an Email about it, but¡­ I¡¯ve just been so busy helping with the¡­¡±


    He raises a hand to stop her, massages the bridge of his nose behind his glasses with his other hand as he lets out an exasperated breath.


    ¡°Miss S, please no excuses. We are all busy here, I understand that. But we have a duty to ensure that issues like this are being properly resolved and addressed with due diligence.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but I did resolve it¡­¡±


    ¡°Without, informing me, your superior. Miss S, the activation of a Cleaner, even a low level one, is a serious matter. Now please, what in the Twins¡¯ Names could possibly be enough of an issue for a Dungeon Manager to have to subvert fourteen levels of protocol and risk an information leak?¡±


    ¡°Ok, well¡­ Uhm, there was a sliiight glitch in the Dungeon¡¯s restock procedure the other day. Just a little rounding error is all, nothing big¡­ A little bit too much mana got sent to the first floor and¡­ well¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss S? Go on.¡±


    She swallows, nervous about telling him about her little pet project.


    ¡°Well, uhm¡­ the excess mana was put into a developing Gremlin pod, and instead of terminating it, like it should of normally, the pod for some reason accelerated the gestation process and¡­¡± She wets her lips and finally just says it. ¡°Well, a Gremlin was spawned with excess Stat Points¡­¡±


    Mr. R raises and eyebrow at this, his long ears twitching slighting in surprise.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ well you see. The System isn¡¯t set to display for the Gremlins, they were never intended to have access after all¡­ But, with unspent Stat Points, the Systems notification function activated and started flashing¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, the Gremlin spent the points, which caused a stat adjustment to happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and that can only work properly with full User access, so the automatic download started on its own¡­ without approval on our end¡­¡±


    Mr. R just leans forward and massages his face, his glasses resting on the end of his nose as he works out the stress in his forehead. ¡°Uhhhr, all of these glitches and bugs are going to be the death of me¡­ fix ten and another hundred pop up¡­¡±


    S watches her boss nervously, not wanting to say anything while he is clearly stressed.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He eventually asks, ¡°You put in a ticket for it, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes sir, as soon as I noticed it!¡±


    ¡°Good, at least you did that right¡­¡±


    S can¡¯t help but to cringe at that, but also can¡¯t really refute it. She does have a bit of a record after all. Hell, she is pretty sure that her coworkers are keeping a betting pool on how long it will take until Mr. R gets tired of her and finally fires her¡­


    Maybe I could try seducing him? Ah, no. Who am I kidding? I couldn¡¯t even seduce a raccoon if I was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!


    Pushing his glasses back up his nose, Mr. R reaches across the table, palm up, startling S for a second as she looks at his hand.


    ¡°The Gremlin¡¯s file, show it to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Ah, yes sir. One second please.¡±


    Quickly pulling out her mana tablet, S quickly displays Bug¡¯s file. It¡¯s one of her favorites, so she keeps it where she can quickly access it. Handing it over, Mr. R gives it a look.


    ¡°Well, everything is looking to be in order for System integration, she is a certified User, most of her permissions are there. She hasn¡¯t requested Back Stage access yet? Or¡­ no, she is locked out of that now. How in the world has she already gotten a KOS put on her!? Oh, the Dungeon Manager did it¡­ She left her designated floor without filling out the necessary forms. Well, that¡¯s a mistake that can be resolved easily enough, have you sent her the forms yet?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, well, no sir.¡±


    ¡°No, why not? Even if it was through a glitch, by all accounts, she is a System User now. It is part of our job to ensure that our Beta testers are actually able to do their jobs by-¡°


    S interrupts, her anxiety shooting through the roof from doing so. ¡°Well sir, she uhm¡­ just read the rest of the file, please?¡±


    He just gives her a look, but then decides that it would probably just be quicker to read the thing than to ask her more questions.


    ¡­


    ¡°Bug 1413, what kind of name is that?¡±


    ¡°It was auto filled by the System¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhh¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ...


    ¡°S¡­ am I reading this right?¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Because if am, then not only has this Gremlin¡­ how!? She hasn¡¯t even been alive for two weeks and she is! This can¡¯t be right? Fought both the second boss and a Cleaner at the same time!? Wait¡­ S, I¡¯m pulling up Dungeon 117¡¯s file on your tablet.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir¡­¡±


    Oh shit, I am definitely getting in trouble now¡­ Is this it? Is today the day that I finally get fired? Oh, my parents are going to be sooo pissed. And I was finally getting close to maybe being able to move out of their basement¡­ uuuh¡­


    Mr. R is leaning forward in his seat now, flipping through reports and floor assessments as he quickly reads through everything.


    ¡°What the hell is this!? The first layer is filled to the brim with Undead and Death Fungous and is already spilling out into the surface! The Cleaner is an Undead now! What is it¡­ Oh, by the Twins, she has it rampaging through the second Layer. Undead numbers are rapidly increasing, and she has already entered floor eleven. Why is she going deeper!? What does she want? Is she glitched or something, why is she doing this? S, do you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, well, sir¡­ Bug, she has sworn revenge against the Dungeon¡­ She plans to destroy it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± He asks as he looks at S like she just told him aliens are attacking or something. Which admittedly does sometimes happen, but it''s a rare enough occurrence to still be considered surprising non the less.


    ¡°That¡¯s what she is doing sir¡­ She¡¯s trying to destroy-¡°


    ¡°I heard you the first time. No, this¡­ This isn¡¯t possible, she should have been preprogramed with undying loyalty to the Dungeon, not the desire to kill it! How did this happen?¡±


    ¡°I looked into it, and¡­ well, the problem is with the Gremlin program¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Gremlins aren¡¯t programmed with Dungeon loyalty¡­ they aren¡¯t programmed with much of anything, actually. They just have the bare basics necessary for them to live for a day or two and how to attack things. They don¡¯t even have any systems in place to keep them from killing each other or even just, wandering off from their designated zone¡­ When I checked the foot notes, they said they left them out to save on system load and that it wouldn¡¯t matter anyways because the Gremlins never last more than a day¡­¡±


    ¡°Why am I not even surprised?¡±


    ¡°Sorry sir.¡±


    He waves away S¡¯s apology and then slides her tablet back over to her, thinking as he looks up at the ceiling tiles of his office. S just sits quietly and waits, ready for him to tell her to clean out her cubicle...


    When he finally does speak, S is tensed, her anxiety making her heart pump like a drum in her chest. She can feel it practically slamming against her ribcage like it wants to break out and run away from this place. Oh, if only her heart would bring her with it, because she definitely doesn¡¯t want to be here either! Has her suit always been this hot? She just had to wear a tie today! It¡¯s just so tight around her neck! Oh, joy¡­ and now she has a wedgie, great, just great!


    Ah, just hurry up and fire me already! I just want to go home and bake something with way too much sugar! Just get it over with!


    Still looking up at the ceiling, Mr. R asks, ¡°S, have we ever had anything like this happen before? Ever?¡±


    ¡°Eh, Uhhh¡­ No? I don¡¯t think so sir, nothing that I can recall. Sir?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, because we never intended for our testers to do so. They are just supposed to be there to so we can see how sapient species handle having the System, test out new features as we roll them out¡­ This Bug of ours could be a useful source of data¡­¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    He finally sits forward and returns his gaze to S.


    ¡°Your little Bug here could make for an interesting case study. I mean, how better of a way to find bugs in the System, than by letting a bug draw out more. And not to mention that, eventually, the System is going to be implemented worldwide, and in a way, she is doing exactly what some people are bound to do as well. Try to conquer a Dungeon through the power of the System. And if a weak little Gremlin can do it, they what does that say of¡­ the Dwarfs, humans, hell even the Goblins! Think of the advertising!¡±


    He moves his hands like he is reading a billboard, ¡°A Gremlin could do it, and so could you. With the System!¡±


    He smacks the table, startling the shit of S as she is very much confused right now.


    ¡°S!¡± He points at her.


    ¡°Yes!?!?¡±


    ¡°As of right now, forget all of your other duties. Your job is to monitor this case, you got it?¡±


    ¡°Uh!? Yes, yes sir! I will!¡±


    ¡°Good, record everything. I want data, numbers, footage, everything! Same for the Dungeon. I want to see where the Dungeon¡¯s systems fail when dealing with a threat like this.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir! But, uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°What if the Dungeon Manager tries to do something like using a Cleaner again?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ right, that could skew the data¡­ I¡¯ll shut down 117¡¯s Cleaner access entirely from my end. I want to see how the Dungeon manages to deal with this problem, without having to resort to outside resources.¡±


    ¡°Should I contact the Dungeon Manager and inform them about what we¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°¡­ No. We will get better data if they don¡¯t think that this is a test or something. I want them to put their best effort towards fixing it on their end. Only provide the bare minimum of assistance necessary to keep the experiment going, and that applies to Bug 1413 as well.¡±


    S panics a bit. ¡°What about cookies!? Am I still allowed to send her those? I sort of already promised¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm? Sure, I don¡¯t care. Go ahead and give your pet rat her treats.¡± He says with an uncaring wave of his hand.


    ¡°Thank your sir! She really loves them. I love watching her eat, she is just so cute when her fluffy ears wiggle with happiness.¡±


    He waves away S¡¯s joy like it is something hanging in the air. ¡°Yes, yes. You have your assignment now, good work, S.¡±


    She stands, genuinely feeling excited for work again, for the first time in eighty years. Practically skipping out of his office, a thought hits her, and she just has to ask.


    ¡°Sir!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Does this count as¡­ well, might I be getting a promotion, a raise maybe?¡±


    He looks off to the side and thinks for a second before letting out a breath and saying, ¡°Get me good data, and I¡¯ll bring it up with HR.¡±


    S lights up with a smile, her excitement filling her up so much that she can almost forget about the wedgie that is currently riding up her back side right now.


    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡±


    S quickly makes her escape before she can say anything that might potentially mess this up. Moving as fast as she can in her heels, she makes a b-line for the lady¡¯s room.


    Oh, my parents are going to be so happy! Maybe if I get that raise, I can finally move out and get that cute little apartment I¡¯ve been looking at? Oh, I am SO baking Bug a cake when I get home! Thank you, Bug!


    End of Book I

 B2. Prologue

    -The Dungeon''s Worst Little Mistake-


    -Book II-


    Destruction


    -Prologue-


    For Catherine Raingarden, third daughter of the Raingarden family and Noble by birthright, an unrestful sleep is generally an uncommon occurrence. How could someone of her status not rest well when she is wearing a silk nightgown and resting in a high-quality hotel, their beds being far superior to those found in common inns? Yes, they may not be the highest of quality, as Catherine is only just the third daughter and not even seventh in line to inherit her family¡¯s estate, but she is still a Noble. Even a fresh hot bath had not been enough to help her sleep restfully this night. Nor the last, or the one before that for the past week now for that matter.


    Lately, she hasn¡¯t even been able to fully stomach her meals, only eating the bare minimum before her upset stomach would protest and threaten to expel its contents.


    To put it simply, Catherine Raingarden is exhausted. What times she does manage to capture some sleep, her mind spends on torturing herself with nightmarish dreams and regrets. She dreams of her bodyguards, two of the most loved people in her life, dying again and again as she can do nothing to stop it from happening.


    Shane, a young man and practiced archer. He was the son of one her father¡¯s most trusted retainers and not but a year older than herself. Admittedly, Catherine had held a bit of a crush on the boy, and she had hoped that he felt the same way. She always suspected that her father intended to have them eventually become engaged, as a means of bringing his retainer¡¯s family further into the fold and tighten bonds. Catherine wasn¡¯t against the possibility. Shane was honestly rather cute, what with his curly hair and his easy personality. She rather enjoyed spending time with him and going shopping as he would escort her, playfully imagining that they are on a sort of date together like the common people get to do¡­


    Catherine hadn¡¯t even seen how he had died.


    One moment he was there, protecting her back and fulfilling his role as ranged support, and the next, he was gone. Catherine had only looked away for but a moment, having turned away from their conversation to see where she is going and to make sure she wouldn¡¯t trip on a rock and make a fool out of herself. When she turned to continue speaking with him, talking about unimportant things, he had already vanished and there was only that creature there in his place. Before she knew what was happening, the Gremlin was already on the attack, dodging under the panicked swing of her mace and stabbing a dagger into her stomach.


    If it weren¡¯t for the protection of her thick war-otter hide robes and her chainmail shirt, both respectfully gifts from her mother and eldest brother, then that dagger would have run her through and potentially killed her on the spot. Catherine can still remember the powerful blow from the little monster as it knocked the wind out of her, her lungs gasping for air as Lyose pulled her away and moved to protect her. The feeling of having a dagger rammed into her guts is one that her mind won¡¯t allow her to forget, and sometimes, in her dreams, the blade actually manages to reach her flesh and pierce her. Her dream self is then left to lie on the floor as she bleeds out and made to watch as that little monster kills Lyose all over again¡­


    Lyose, her most trusted bodyguard. The man who had been by her side ever since she could first walk. The man who she was more familiar with than she was her own father, whom she had met only a grand total of twenty-seven times, which does not even count the day of her birth.


    Lyose was the father that she never really had. The man practically raised her and taught her to be an upstanding person. He taught her how to wield her mace. He was there when she learned to ride a horse. He held her hand as she went on her first excursion outside the family estate, keeping her safe and feeling like the world¡¯s bravest little girl when she first met people living outside of her own family and their servants. How could she not feel safe and brave when he was right by her side? As far back as she can remember, Lyose had always been there for her. He was her guardian, her knight in shining armor, and someone that she loved very deeply¡­


    And now he is gone, and every night, Catherine reexperiences his death over and over and over again as he is cruelly taken away from her all over again. Sometimes, the dreams run their course exactly as it had happened before, with her desperately trying to carry him to safety, only for him to succumb to the poison as she cries on his chest, feeling as his heart slowly stops beating in his large chest. Other times, the dream changes and he dies within the Dungeon, the monster hounding them the entire way to the exit as they fight to flee. Sometimes, her mind tortures herself by making her believe that they had made it out and that he will survive. The dream would have them fight back the hellish little creature and successfully escape the Dungeon, only for it all to suddenly twist and for Lyose to be killed right before her eyes.


    This night in particular is one of the bad ones. Much like the others, they had managed to escape, Lyose isn¡¯t poisoned, the monster is dead and bleeding somewhere in the Dungeon, and just as she is about to hug him, to celebrate their escape, Lyose turns to say something to her, his voice lost in the weird foggy logic of dreams.


    She can¡¯t understand a single word, and she doesn¡¯t care. She just wants to hug him one last time before the dream ends and she is forced to wake. But before she can, a little hand shows itself from Lyose¡¯s back, creeping up and over his shoulder like a spider climbing out from hiding. More hands show themselves. Little clawed things like that of a child, their backs covered in matted fur and scale and dried blood, their claws dripping with poisons that smell of death and sends a shiver down one¡¯s spine. More and more hands appear until they are covering him by the dozen, long thin arms leading back to whatever hellish abomination is on his back.


    Catherine wants to scream and move forward to help him, but her body is frozen and unresponsive. Lyose himself doesn¡¯t even move as well, his kind eyes never leaving her face as his skin becomes pale like a corpse, his veins pushing up to the surface and angrily pulsing with a sickening green of poison. With rot and death growing up his face, his flesh turning black and necrotic, skin peeling away and his eyes turning yellow and shrunken, his head is suddenly grabbed by one of the searching hands, a little figure clambering up his back to reveal the half skeletal face of the monster. Massive, bat-like wings with hands growing from the center extend from her back as she wraps up Lyose in her embrace, tentacles and other misshapen limbs moving to wrap him up until he is nearly fully captured in her embrace like an insect in a spider¡¯s web.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Unable to move, unable to scream, unable to even so much as cry, Catherine watches on in horror as the little monster pushes Lyose¡¯s head to the side and unhinges her jaw, lines of needle-like teeth filling her mouth and dripping with drool. She can¡¯t do anything as the thing sinks her teeth into his neck and drains him of all his blood, his tall and muscular body withering away even further as he collapses to his knees and then to his side, the monster feeding on him all the way down until he is left as nothing more than a desiccated corpse of dried and shriveled skin over bone.


    Catherine wants for nothing more than for the dream to end already. She knows that she is in a dream. She knows that all of this isn¡¯t real. But no matter what she tries or how desperately she wills herself to wake, the dream continues to run its course as her mind continues to torture her.


    The monster finally dislodges itself from his corpse, its long teeth sliding and ripping out of dead flesh and leaving behind lines of bloody drool as the thing stands up, and up, and up, until it is nearly a whole head taller than her.


    With a face of half that of a beautiful woman and half that of a skeleton, the thing smiles a smile so full of teeth that it seems impossible to even properly close its own mouth. Its body is a horrifying thing of too many limbs and far too many tentacles. Emeralds, green eyes like gems seem to sprout into existence all around them as eyelids open where the dreamscape used to be, brick walls and cobblestone walkways turning into open eyes and wrinkled flesh, each of varying size and scale, each more monstrous than the last, until the very floor and every wall and even the sky of the dream itself is being filled with the things. Each and every single eye is looking towards Catherine, unblinking as the monster looks down at her and its searching limbs and tendrils move to touch her body.


    She wants to cringe and run away, to scream and cry for help, but her body still won¡¯t move no matter how much she begs her mind to literally do anything! Hands grab her clothes and arms, ripping and pulling at her protective garments until it is tearing and falling from her body, leaving her exposed and defenseless. Tentacles move to wrap her up, their slimy, leathery surfaces, sliding over her exposed flesh and up her legs as the little suckers and teeth that grow along their lengths play over her sweat drenched skin and leave her dotted with little bloody wounds and hickeys.


    The thing steps forward, its legs impossibly long by the logic of the dream and it is suddenly right before her, their two bodies nearly pressed against each other as Catherine is forced to look up and into its eyes and it looks down into hers.


    With clawed hands and searching tentacles covering her body and wrapping her up more and more until she is impossibly covered, all she can do is look up and watch in horror as the thing ever so slowly uses one hand to gently move her head to the side. In a cruel twist, the action is almost done like that of a lover, one of the thing¡¯s fingers gliding over the skin of her neck to carefully brush aside some misplaced hair, to gently pull down the collar of what remains of her torn clothes. It tickles, and is for the briefest and most sickening of moments, pleasurable. A shiver runs down her spine unbidden by her fear, but the moment is quick to pass as the thing slowly moves its head so as to speak into her ear like a friend sharing a secret.


    With a voice like nails on a blackboard, but yet also somehow like that of a songstress, the monster whispers.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t save them. You won¡¯t be able to save anyone. I¡¯ll take everything and destroy everything until there is nothing left. Your words will fall on deaf ears and all those you tell to flee will disregard you. You are nothing more than a failure that couldn¡¯t even kill a single little Gremlin. And now, because of you, because you couldn¡¯t stop one, little, monster, now, this city will die. You will watch on as the very earth collapses inward and swallows up everything, as death and plague are both set free and allowed to spread into the world. All of this will be your fault because you weren¡¯t good enough! You were never good enough~¡± The thing whispers into her ear, trailing off as it leaves a gentle kiss on her cheek. By some twist of dream logic, it is not those long needle-like teeth that touch her skin, but instead a pair of soft lips like roses, hot and wet with blood and leaving a clear mark behind like lipstick.


    Tears are finally able to fall from Catherine¡¯s eyes as she is made to look past the monster¡¯s shoulder and past the landscape of eyes that are still watching the two unblinkingly from every direction. Off in the distance, she can see the proud port city of Silest. Smoke rises from its walls and its structures tumble and fall into the earth as a massive sinkhole spreads from its center, consuming everything as if the earth itself had opened its mouth wide. She can see as Silest¡¯s grand bell tower topples and falls, letting out one last ''dong'' as its bell hits the streets where countless people are screaming and running for their lives. Spores and poisonous gases leak out from ever crack in the ground, people choking on their own vomit as they claw at their throats and cry tears of blood. The Undead, hellish things of bone and rot and covered in mushrooms, they pull themselves out of the ground and chase fleeing people like rabid animals, pulling them to the ground and tearing them apart as they scream out pleas for anyone to save them.


    No one is saved.


    The city dies as she is forced to watch. Forced to watch until every living soul within those walls is mercilessly snuffed out by the cruel hands of Death itself.


    Her eyes return to the monster, and it merely gives her a blood-filled smile, the red sticky liquids running between its teeth and over its lips like drool.


    Catherine, finally able to speak, can only manage a single word.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The thing gives her a cute little giggle that has no business coming from its hellish form, and then respond simply.


    ¡°You should have just given me a cookie.¡±


    ¡°Wha-?¡±


    Before Catherine can even process that absurd response, the thing moves forward and bites into her neck, teeth piercing though and leaving her choking on her own blood as she screams for no one to hear.


    <hr>


    ¡°AhhhhhhhHHHHhhhhhAAAhhhhhA!!!!¡±


    Screaming, soaked in sweat and tears running down her face, Catherine violently awakes in the middle of the night, her hands desperately grabbing at her neck and wholly expecting her fingers to come away wet with her own blood.


    Her fingers are dry of blood, only wet from the tears which are running down her cheeks and wetting her neck along with her sweat-soaked hair that sticks to her skin.


    Breathing heavily, she sits up and just holds herself, eyes wide and frightened as her mind frantically repeats the contents of the slowly fading dream before her.


    What, what was that? The dreams never ended like that before. What¡­?


    Shortly, not even a few seconds after waking, her maid calls and comes rushing into the room.


    ¡°Milady, is everything alright!? I heard a scream!¡±


    Catherine can hardly pay her any attention as she keeps going over the dream again and again, the sight of the city collapsing becoming seared into her mind until it is almost impossible to not recall. Unbidden, her mind goes back to those adventures that had entered the Dungeon not but a couple days ago, right as the Dungeon had opened. The ones sent to hunt down and kill the Necromancer, her monster. Each and every one of them is far more skilled than most of the people in this city, but before she can stop herself, the thought is already coming to her mind. It escapes her trembling lips and is spoken as the maid frets over her shaken mistress.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to fail¡­¡±


    ¡°What was that, Milady?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going to fail, and it¡¯s all my fault¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Catherine doesn¡¯t manage to return to sleep that night, she can¡¯t. Instead, she chooses to get dressed and moves down to the hotel¡¯s parlor for some hot tea and to wait for the sun to rise. Her maid tries to keep her company, but the young woman, a short notice replacement for her guards, sent by her family, is hardly a replacement for Shane and Lyose''s presence.

 B2. Chapter 1.1- Surface Tension

    The Boar¡¯s Head Tavern, one of the most popular and widespread of establishments on the continent, with even some people claiming that the franchise can even be found all over the world. Though, naturally, most people can¡¯t confirm this, as most people have never even set foot outside of their city¡¯s territory or even that of their respective kingdom or empire. The only people who can confirm the widespread nature of the business is traveling merchants and adventurers, who would normally see at least one Boar¡¯s Head Tavern in any major settlement, and even some larger than average towns and farming villages. For most people, they honestly wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if they were to find the franchise to be also operating in Demon territory. They are just, quite simply, everywhere.


    Here in the city of Silest, Boar¡¯s Head owns a couple of locations, but the most popular one is by far the one next door to the Adventurers Guild. Open 24/7 and always available to serve cheap fried food and booze, the place is nearly constantly busy with hungry adventurers coming to fill their bellies or to drown their sufferings at the bar. Others can be seen actively looking for a group to join. A merchant can be found enlisting people to help escort his cargo. On a board by the wall, posters have been put up, advertising different Adventurers Clans that are looking for members to join. And as with almost any good tavern, there is always that shady looking fellow sitting in the corner booth. His name is Danny and is actually a regular at this particular establishment. He has a crush on one of the waitresses, so he always spends his free time here, trying to work up the courage to ask her out.


    But Danny isn¡¯t what everyone is focusing on right now. Instead, most people''s attention is currently focused on the loud adventurer that is leaning back in his chair with a tall tankard of frothing ale in hand. The thin and agile man, dressed in leather armor, plenty of knives and daggers, and a green scarf wrapped around his neck, is loudly telling the tale of how he and his friends had just barely escaped the Dungeon with their lives.


    For the regulars at the tavern, those that do more drinking than working, this a story they have been hearing nonstop for the past couple of days. But for the rest of the customers? They are enthralled as they listen a tale of bravery and desperation, of survival and wit. They hear about how the party of brave adventurers had delved into danger, fighting off hordes of not just monsters but even the Undead. How they had been chased through the giant forest of the second layer and avoided ambushes set by a pursuing Necromancer, hot on their trail. A race to see who would be the first to reach the bottom.


    A couple of tables away, off to the side and out of the way, Hannah sighs as she listens to Jakub tell his embellished tale to a crowd of midday drunks and parents feeding their kids cheap hamburgers and deep-fried potato sticks for lunch.


    Naturally, not a single part of the story has Bug in it as their companion. Instead, it has been altered to where in, Bug is instead pursuing them as the Necromancer. As the villain of the story. Which isn¡¯t too far from the truth.


    For obvious reasons, the adventurers don¡¯t want to tell people that they inadvertently helped her get away. Regardless of whether they were being tricked and manipulated or not, it doesn¡¯t help to be known as the people that assisted in the biggest Bounty in the land getting further away from justice. To know that they, all be it inadvertently, helped in potentially furthering the destruction of this very city.


    That¡¯s the sort of stuff that gets people stoned in the street or with a shiv in their back.


    On top of this, the Adventurers Guild itself is of the opinion that what exactly happened in the Dungeon needs to stay on a need-to-know basis. And random drunks in a tavern don¡¯t need to know. Even if it does hurt Hannah to hear her friend being talked about like she is a villain in a children¡¯s story book.


    She swears that every time he tells it, Bug becomes more clich¨¦ly evil and over-the-top. This particular instance of the story even has Hannah playing the role of damsel in destress as Bug attempts to kidnap her.


    Blushing, Hannah takes one of her fries ¨C One of the hard ones that she wasn¡¯t going to eat. ¨C and chucks it at Jakub, somehow managing to hit him a satisfying little ''thwack'' as fry meets the back of his head.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t happen!¡± She calls out in a desperate bid to defend her honor.


    People laugh and Jakub looks back with a wave and a halfhearted apology.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, hahaha. Just trying to keep it interesting for the crowd.¡± He says with a winning smile before taking a swig from his drink.


    As he continues to tell their tale, the crowd not caring in the slightest if the story is altered at all, Hannah returns to grumpily nibbling on her cheeseburger beside Sam and Max.


    For the audience, even those regulars who have already heard the story told a dozen different ways, the validity of the story isn¡¯t really all that important. They might ask, ¡°Did that really happen?¡± But honestly, they don¡¯t care. All they care about is getting the story for themselves, so they can then claim to know about what is happening inside of the Dungeon. So that gossiping housewives can tell their neighbors the big story about what everyone wants to know.


    There isn¡¯t a single person in Silest that doesn¡¯t know about the One Platinum Bounty. The Necromancer of the Silest Dungeon. The Midget Wanted by the Church. The Gremlin who made an enemy of the Raingarden¡¯s youngest daughter. And on and on and on, the titles varying and changing with each passing day. And by extension, people know that a single party has managed to escape the Dungeon alive. The only one to escape since the Dungeon''s being sealed by the Guild. Even if most people don¡¯t even know who The Green Scarves are¡­


    Everyone knows about the Necromancer, and even people coming into the city from neighboring regions already know. Even further, despite knowing that the Dungeon is and has been closed, there has actually been an influx of Adventurers coming into the city, lured in by that one platinum bounty that is on Bug''s head. Each one of them is probably hoping that they will get a chance to delve into the Dungeon and try to hunt her, just waiting for the Guild to swing the gates open and let them through¡­


    Regardless, people just don¡¯t care about what version of the story they have. They just want to know what is happening in there and to be able to tell it to others themself. People are eating it up left and right, and naturally, rumors and stories are spreading like wildfire across the city as they are spread from mouth to mouth and undoubtedly changed and altered again and again with each retelling.


    Hannah doesn¡¯t doubt for even a moment that there are probably dozens of versions of the story now floating around out there that don¡¯t even have their proper names in it anymore or even the fact that their adventurers party is called The Green Scarves or that Hannah is a hired-on guide.


    All of this, regardless of how much Jakub is absolutely eating up the attention and enjoy the free booze, is being done for one purpose. To warn people that the Necromancer plans to destroy the Dungeon and all of Silest, spreading plague and hordes of the Undead in the process to bring countless death to the surface.


    Jakub nears the end of his tale, speaking of how they were trapped and fighting for their lives against hordes of endless spiders, trapped in the same room as the Necromancer who had been tailing them the entire time. And while the brave party fought desperately, scraping by the skin of their teeth, how the Necromancer had fought not one, but two bosses at the same time. How even the Dungeon itself -Something that most people generally agree are alive and aware on some level - even seemed to want to stop the Necromancer and her devilish plans from reaching fruition.


    The story ends with Bug gloating and revealing her evil plans as she graciously spares the poor adventurer¡¯s lives. Telling them, ¡°Go, go and tell your bounty hunters that they will never be able to stop me! Be grateful that you are too weak to be worth killing!¡± Jakub says with an exaggerated look of pain on his face, as if he can still feel the humiliation of not even being worth killing. He is obviously acting it up for everyone and is clearly very happy to be alive and whole, accentuating this point by downing the rest of his cold drink and letting out a satisfied belch.


    People laugh, feeling in on the joke. After all, regular people aren¡¯t going to complain about getting to keep their lives because they were too weak. Only stupidly powerful people and battle maniacs care about stuff like that. For regular people, they just want to be left alone by the powerful individuals that are able to ruin their lives with one hand behind their back.


    Still, with this, another dozen or so people have learned of what is coming. Even if they don¡¯t fully believe the story or even the idea of the whole city being destroyed, something that would seem unimaginable or even outlandish for most people, Jakub did his job.


    They will spread the story, and more will spread it again and again. Slowly, more and more people will hopefully start to realize that their lives are in danger. Slowly, people will start to question whether they should pack up their families and lives and get the hell out of here. Slowly, too slowly, they might be able to save a few more lives before Bug inevitably manages to obtain her goal.


    Because for Max, Sam, Jakub, and Hannah, they have no doubt in their minds that she will and that no one will be able to stop her. Not anymore. Not after what they witnessed down there¡­

 B2. Chapter 1.2- Surface Tension

    ¡°Milady, we found them.¡± Zenith says respectfully with a short bow.


    ¡°Finally! Where are they?¡± Catherine asks in a hurry, turning to her maid after leaving the fourth bar so far today. A hired runner is standing not too far away, having just delivered a message to her maid.


    ¡°They are at the Boar¡¯s Head, next to the Adventu-¡±


    ¡°Wait. Why didn¡¯t they just start by searching there first? We could have saved so much time!¡±


    ¡°Apologies, milady. The men we hired went to investigate any rumors they heard about the party that survived the Dungeon, but there is word of it all over the city, with several others now also claiming to be said party. To make matters worse, The Green Scarves was not a renowned party before this all happened, so many people do not even know their faces, nor even that it was them to begin with. There are so many versions of the story going around that don¡¯t even have a proper count of the party¡¯s numbers anymore. We''re in luck that we knew to look for four people, or this might have taken much longer.¡±


    ¡°That fails to explain why we didn¡¯t think to check the place that is right next to the Guild.¡± Catherine states, choosing to ignore the fact that she didn¡¯t think of it either. Though, admittedly, her mind hasn¡¯t been as sharp since those nightmares have been ruining her sleep, last night¡¯s in particular is still weighing heavily on her mind and leaving her feeling sluggish¡­


    Zenith herself, suppresses a blush of embarrassment and tries to keep herself looking professional and stoic, only letting her eyes wander a bit off to the side. Though this is mostly just for show and isn¡¯t because she had failed to think that they might be there. Quite the contrary, she figured they would be there. Zenith simply wanted her master to get out of the hotel and spend some time walking around and getting some fresh air.


    ¡°Apologies, milady.¡±


    Catherine turns slightly and looks to the bar that she had just left. The establishment is a place of higher quality than most people would normally frequent, but she had figured that it wasn¡¯t too expensive of a place to go. Though, this is by her standards as a Noble, and she must admit that she had only seen a handful of the more well off and successful adventurers there.


    This is why I needed Shane; he knew how to think like an adventurer. Of course they would be at a cheaper place. They like to save money after all¡­


    Cursing the fog in her brain and her lack of sleep, Catherine pushes aside her complaints and thanks her maid, ordering her to call off the search.


    The messenger is quickly paid, a handful of coppers changing hands, and then her maid is beside her again.


    Letting out a tired breath despite her training telling her to always remain composed and dignified, Catherine sets off back towards the center of the city.


    The walk is a long one, what with the port city being so large and heavily populated, and she finds herself wishing that she could splurge a little on a carriage. Regretfully, paying for one to ferry her around town in comfort is currently a luxury that is outside of her budget. She already had limited funds as is, and a large portion of her personal war chest has already gone into funding her efforts here, another portion being promised as bonuses on the bounty, and then some being set aside to pay for lodgings and food expenses.


    Poor Caterine doesn¡¯t even have the spare coin for buying that nice dress she saw the other day. She¡¯ll just have to be patient and wait for her allowance, even if it is smaller than all her other siblings receive. One of the many downsides of being the youngest¡­


    Still, Catherine¡¯s boots are of a high quality, her family always having been ones for prioritizing utility over fashion. So, while most daughters of Nobility would have been walking around in high heels, showing off a scandalous amount of ankle no less, and complaining about sore feet, Catherine is rather comfortable in her tall boots as she walks down the sidewalk.


    Along the way, she happens to smell something sweet and looks to find a bakery that caters to a higher class of clientele, delicate looking pastries and cakes decorating their displays like gems in a treasury. But one display by the window catches her attention as she is about to walk past, desperately resisting the urge to buy a tasty snack.


    Cookies.


    She stops in her tracks, her mind freezing up as she looks at the delicious looking things of varying flavors and decoration, her eyes stopping on the chocolate chips.


    ¡°You should have just given me a cookie¡­¡±


    The words escape her lips without prompt, nothing but a whisper heard by no one but herself. Not even her maid hears it.


    With a shake, Catherine fights off the memories of that dream, pushing away the half dead face of that monster in her mind as she pulls herself back into focus.


    What was that dream? And what could cookies possibly have anything to do with it? Auhhh, I just need more sleep. I¡¯m driving myself insane¡­ Thinking that a monster like that could possibly be stopped with cookies of all things, uh, this is just ridiculous¡­


    Catherine had been looking at the cookies for a bit too long now and her maid politely asks, ¡°Milady, would you like for us to buy some? They have a special going on for buying a dozen.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, no, no, I¡¯m quite alright. They would just go straight to my thighs anyways¡­¡± Catherine says as she looks down at her figure, pinching some of the fat on her rear through her robes while feeling a little uneasy.


    Maybe it¡¯s a good thing that I don¡¯t have too much spending money. If my butt gets any bigger, I¡¯ll have to buy new undergarments again. I just wish that some of this fat would go to my chest instead¡­ That little monster had big ones¡­


    Her maid is looking a little remorseful at not getting to buy the cookies, most likely having thought that she would have gotten one or two of the tasty treats for herself as well, but quickly returns to being professional and asks if everything is alright with her dejected master.


    Catherine simply responds, ¡°Everything is fine, I¡¯m just ruminating on the unfairness of life¡­ come along, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Zenith allows herself one last longing look at the cookies before turning to follow her master, remaining professionally by her side and three steps behind, matching her pace, footstep for footstep like she is her master¡¯s own shadow.


    The rest of the trip to the center of the city is one with little fanfare or excitement. Any would be pickpockets are quickly warded off with just a look by Zenith, each given a silent warning that they should mind their hands and fingers, lest they end up losing them. Catherine herself doesn¡¯t even realize that she has been marked as a potential target by over a dozen individuals just within the past two hours, and if Zenith does her job properly, she never will know.


    For a past street-rat, retired adventurer, and now, trained maid of the Raingarden family, Zenith will see to it that her new master is well taken care of and protected. She just hopes that there will be plenty of treats in the future for her efforts.


    ¡­


    When they finally arrive at the Boar¡¯s Head Tavern, it is already nearing the end of the lunch rush. Regardless, the place is still packed, and the voices of noisy patrons can be heard clearly from the street, the songs of a singing bard being nearly drowned out by the sheer din of people talking over each other.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Catherine hesitates to even step into the place, having never been to such a low-quality establishment before.


    Still, her personal quest is leading her here, and as someone who has chosen to become an adventurer herself, it is important that she grow used to these types of establishments. After all, she doesn¡¯t expect her family to continue taking care of her forever¡­ It also helps that something smells really good inside this place. Whatever it is they are eating, it already has her empty stomach rumbling in a rather unladylike manner. Her stomach, which has been horribly upset by stress for the past week is seemingly craving whatever is inside this place.


    She hasn¡¯t had lunch yet, so she might as well investigate¡­


    Walking inside, the noise level only becomes louder, the music being only a little bit more legible as it seems that the bard is using an enchanted mic to better project their singing. It isn¡¯t helping. Catherine thinks she recognizes the song. It might be a cover from a popular artist, but the bard apparently isn¡¯t the best at his job.


    Trying to ignore the pounding in her ears from all the noise and the tasty smell of food in the air, Catherine and her maid wade through the crowd and try to find their targets. It doesn¡¯t help that Catherine was never able to get a proper description of what The Green Scarves and their guide looked like, only learning that they are two men and two women. Luckily, she doesn¡¯t need to look for too long as Zenith quickly gets her attention and points to a table by the wall, singling out the party that her messenger had described to her earlier.


    Just like the name of the party implies, they are indeed all wearing green scarves, though the color is faded with age, and were most likely colored with cheap dyes. At least two of them are wearing them, no wait, there''s the third member, sitting at a nearby table and talking loudly with some other patrons with a fresh drink in his hands, easily spotted due to his matching green scarf that marks him as a member of the party. The girl with them must be the guide.


    As Catherine walks over, she quickly looks each of them over and dedicates their faces to memory. All of them are dressed in simple leather armor, like most adventurers, and don¡¯t appear to be too particularly talented or outstanding in any ways that would make them especially stand out from the crowd.


    Their rogue, with his short cut hair, goatee, and narrow face, looks like your typical rouge, equipped with a plethora of throwing knives and daggers. The swordsman, whom Catherine is assuming is the leader by how he is presenting himself, sitting at the center of the party, looks like your typical example of a swordsman with his slightly thicker leather armor, gloves with metal plates riveted on the back sides, and a single longsword hanging from his hip. His face, while average looking, is at least more on the attractive side than most and he clearly works to keep himself looking clean and presentable, what with his freshly shaved face, his hair tied back into a neat ponytail, and his smile that shows that he apparently knows how to brush his teeth, unlike some people¡­


    Aside from the men, the female member of the party is something of an outlier. She is massive, muscular, and if someone had told Catherine that the woman had Giant¡¯s blood in her veins, she would not have doubted them for a second. Her leather armor only covers so much of her body, leaving her arms and a good portion of her chest and cleavage shamelessly on display for anyone to see. And she has plenty of it to show¡­ Yet again, Catherine is finding herself to be a little jealous.


    With short dusty brown, almost red hair, the woman¡¯s presence just screams warrior, and her big battleaxe certainly helps the image. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she has a very friendly looking face, Catherine would probably be rather intimidated by her, but honestly, she looks like a good person from how she laughs while talking with the shorter girl sitting beside her.


    Long, brown, curly hair that hangs a good way down her back, nothing but a chest guard over her short robes to protect her vitals, and a face that screams book worm, this is probably the Guide that Catherine had read about in the reports. She has cute brown eyes and a nose to match, her mouth seemingly always stuck in an awkward attempt at smiling naturally like she isn¡¯t used to social events but is still trying to fit in. With the sprinkling of freckles on her face and a modest body, she is leaning more towards a cute academic type of look than anything else and even further, just from where Catherine is standing, she can tell that the girl is in some serious need of physical training. She looks like she can hardly lift the very books that she most likely reads throughout the night by candlelight. Again, a bookworm, but an admittedly cute one¡­ Catherine could easily see her getting bullied at school and then getting saved by some handsome boy. That could make for a fun romance story~


    It takes Catherine only three seconds to look the four of them over and to form her opinions of their character, committing each of their faces to memory and noting different ways that she could potentially get them to lower their guards around her. Her training as a Noble shining through even with her mind being heavy from a lack of good sleep.


    The party notices her quickly as she gets nearer, their leader and the giant woman being the first to notice her. No, wait, the rouge most likely did. Even though his eyes aren¡¯t currently scanning over her clothes and assessing her like the others, he has noticeably stopped interacting as fervently in his conversation at the other table, his demeanor shifting slighting as if he is ready to turn and leave his chair at a moment''s notice, one hand now resting casually on his thigh, a bit too close to one of his throwing knives.


    Zenith subtly shifts to Catherine¡¯s other side without a word or even a glance in his direction, infixing herself between them with the grace that only a maid can have without making it overtly obvious that it is a defensive action.


    It takes a few of seconds for the guide to realize that everyone''s attention has shifted, seeming surprised when she looks up and finds someone who is clearly a young Noble woman standing before their table.


    Even if Catherine is currently wearing robes intended for combat, her appearance and the way she is holding herself is impossible to misinterpret. Her gear, even if it isn¡¯t of the highest quality, is still expensive enough to suggest that she has no business being in a cheap place like this. Not to mention the maid of course, but that is just icing on the cake at this point. Anyone who looks at Catherine is clearly seeing a Noble.


    Catherine introduces herself first, the adventurers knowing better than to speak first to a Noble and remaining silent despite most likely having questions.


    ¡°Good day to you all, I assume that you are The Green Scarves, correct?¡±


    Eyes move to the swordsman, quickly confirming her suspicion that he is the party¡¯s leader. With a slight look to his party mates that Catherine doesn¡¯t miss, he quickly shifts his demeaner and gives a professional smile to her, having clearly some experience working with Nobles, and then places a hand over his heart, bowing his head slightly.


    ¡°Yes, milady, that would be us. Might I assume that you have heard of us somewhere? The stories perhaps?¡±


    Catherine nods politely, a smile held on her face despite the fact that she wants nothing more than to scowl. Years of Noble training yet again coming in use.


    ¡°I have heard of your party, yes. Though, not by the stories spreading through town like a wildfire¡­ I had the privilege of reading the reports from your debriefings.¡± Catherine states without dropping her cheerful fa?ade for even a second, even though she personally wants to strangle these people. Not only had they wasted half her day on trying to track them down ¨C Ignoring the fact that Catherine herself had failed to think to check the most obvious place that they might be. ¨C but they had also helped that little monster escape further into the Dungeon.


    Yes, the report clearly states that they were just being used and tricked by the creature, but to Catherine, this doesn¡¯t excuse the fact that it is because of these people that that thing might manage to escape justice! That her revenge might go unfulfilled!


    Catherine takes a quick breath and forces down her anger, her well trained face not showing an ounce of her raging emotions.


    The adventurers are quiet now, sharing looks with each other as they silently communicate in a way that only people who have known each other their entire lives can. The guide seems to look panicked and is desperately fighting to keep it from showing, but Catherine easily catches it.


    Eventually, the leader of their group nods and then without a word raises his hand to flag down a passing waitress. Catherine remains silent as she waits.


    ¡°How can I help ya folks? Need a top-off on your drinks?¡±


    ¡°We would like a private room, please.¡± The leader asks, his eyes not leaving Catherine and her maid for more than a glance towards the pretty waitress that is showing off way too much cleavage and thigh.


    How can she walk around in an outfit like that? Just the thought of showing off my ankles would leave me blushing¡­ And that skirt, if she bends over too far, wouldn¡¯t people be able to see-? No, no, let¡¯s not worry about that! Shameful¡­ Focus Catherine, focus. What are these people eating anyways? It smells so good and- Ah! No, no, no, focus!


    ¡°That will be fifty coppers to reserve a room, hun. Moneys paid up front and your privacy is guaranteed by enchantments in the walls.¡±


    He nods, reaching for a purse inside his shirt, but Catherine quickly interrupts, pulling her eyes away from the tasty looking food on the guide¡¯s plate, and says, ¡°I¡¯ll cover the cost, please don¡¯t concern yourself with it.¡±


    Without a word, Zenith steps forward and presents a silver coin to the waitress, who takes it with a smile and tucks the coin into her cleavage.


    ¡°Thank you~ Would you like for me to get your change now, or after ordering some food and drink?¡±


    Zenith responds for Catherine, ¡°Bring some menus, please. Milady hasn¡¯t eaten lunch yet.¡±


    Catherine fights down a little blush and forces herself to continue looking composed and noble as her stomach rumbles. She probably should have eaten before coming here, curse her currently sleep deprived state¡­

 B2. Chapter 1.3- Surface Tension

    Hannah is panicking, and not for the first time since escaping the Dungeon. The only reason she had been able to make it through the interrogations with the Guild and the Church, or ''Debriefings'' as they called them, among other harmless names, was because she told the truth as well as she could while hiding one important fact.


    She still considers Bug to be her friend.


    Yes, she was and is still, rightfully upset with the little Necromancer for tricking her. And of course, the knowledge that Bug is still planning on destroying this city isn¡¯t helping any, not in the slightest¡­ But for some reason, Hannah can¡¯t truly force herself to want to betray the girl or to fully sever their freshly born friendship.


    For years now after leaving home, Hannah has had no one that she could turn to. No one that she trusted to not betray her at the slightest inconvenience. No one that she could be open around, and not have to worry about pushing them away.


    Bug had been, despite being weird, an easy person to get along with. She didn¡¯t care about Hannah¡¯s sinful attraction to the same sex. Bug just doesn¡¯t care so long as it doesn¡¯t affect her. She set her boundaries and made it clear that so long as Hannah didn¡¯t cross them, that Bug wouldn¡¯t be bothered. And Hannah respects that. Yes, she would have been rather happy if Bug had been open to a more intimate relationship, she certainly wouldn¡¯t have said no to spending a night with her, but honestly, Hannah is just happy to have her as a friend.


    An actual friend.


    Because Hannah knows, deep down, despite the fact that they had only known each other for a short couple of days. She knows that Bug would be willing to do almost anything for her if she were to just ask, and Hannah would do the same.


    It¡¯s weird. She had never had a bond this deep with someone else, except for maybe her own parents in the past. But Hannah knows that she would be willing to do some bad things if it meant helping Bug. Just the same as how she knows that Bug is already planning on giving a visit to a certain town after she finally escapes the Dungeon.


    Hannah wants to be there when it happens. She wants to watch that place burn to the ground and for every person responsible for Jesica¡¯s death to suffer at her friend¡¯s hands as she watches from beside her lover¡¯s grave. To have their deaths be her final gift to her departed lover. Maybe if she asks Bug for her help, she¡¯ll get the chance to personally strangle the lives out of Jesica¡¯s parents, those horrible people that had personally called for their own daughter to be burned at the stake!


    Pushing down her own rage and her regret at not being strong enough to act on it herself, Hannah continues to try and keep herself looking composed as she sits in a private room with the others, still hanging out with The Green Scarves despite her contract with them already having long been concluded. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that they had promised to help her save as many people as possible, then Hannah would have already used her earnings to be on the first cart out of here and heading east.


    Instead, she is still here a week later, trying to spread word about the inevitable destruction of the Dungeon and the resulting decimation that will follow in its wake. She had already looked up the subterranean maps for the city''s sewers, using them to note for the areas where the Dungeon is present under the city.


    While the first layer only covers an area of about a quarter of the city, starting in the exact center, a location where most dungeons are located as cities typically grow around a dungeon, keeping their entrance safely tucked away in the middle of town, guarded fiercely like the source of precious mana shards that they are, the second layer is far larger than the first. Far Larger¡­ From what Hannah can estimate based of her maps and publicly available data, the second layer alone doesn¡¯t just fit within the walls of the city, but extends a good distance beyond them.


    If the Dungeon were to collapse in on itself, the entire city would go down with it. And being a port city, the damage would be even more catastrophic for anyone living here. Sea water would pour in as the docks and shoreline are consumed, flooding in thousands of tons of salt water and drowning anyone that somehow manages to survive the initial collapse. There won¡¯t be any survivors. Short of the rare mage that is capable of flight or those that manage to get aboard an airship, everyone who chooses to stay in this city will die¡­


    And yet, despite all that. Despite how Bug had tricked and used her in the Dungeon. Hannah still can¡¯t really bring herself to hate the girl¡­ She¡¯ll do everything she can to help minimize the casualties, yes. But at the end of the day? Even if tens of thousands of people were to die at Bug¡¯s hands tomorrow, Hannah can¡¯t honestly say that she would hate the girl¡­


    There is probably something wrong with her head. Maybe Hannah is using the justification of having at least tried to help saving lives to wash her hands of this, but she knows that this isn¡¯t a normal way to think...


    Regardless, Hannah wants to help Bug and that is all that matters. She wants to be able to share a cookie with her only real friend again, someday.


    Regretfully, blatantly lying to the authorities isn¡¯t how she is going to do that. Especially when they had truth divination artifacts to ascertain if she was lying or not. Getting thrown in jail or executed would just be counterproductive. And even if they didn¡¯t have them, Hannah had to be sure that her story matched up with everyone else¡¯s. So, she told the truth.


    She stole a trick from Bug though, and that is, ¡®So long as I am speaking the truth, then I¡¯m not lying.¡¯


    When they had asked her what her personal relationship with Bug was and how she felt about her, Hannah didn¡¯t lie.


    ¡°I thought she was nice, and we got along pretty well. I thought we could be friends. But she was using me to get to the boss as quickly as possible. She wanted me to guide her, and I did¡­¡±


    ¡°And how do you feel about her now?¡±


    ¡°She tricked me. How do you think I feel?¡±


    ¡°Please answer the question.¡±


    ¡°Betrayed.¡±


    The answer hadn¡¯t been a lie. Even now, Hannah is still feeling a little betrayed. But she has honestly already gotten over most of it. After all, Bug never lied to her. Bug told her that she just wanted a guide. Bug told Hannah that she isn¡¯t a good person and that she had killed people before. Hannah knew that she was being used.


    So, while yes, she certainly felt betrayed, she is also forgiving because she knows that Bug was at least genuine in her desire for friendship. She also knows that Bug was really hurt at having to betray Hannah¡¯s trust. She could see it on her face as they parted ways in the Dungeon¡­


    Again, Hannah is weird, and she knows it. Maybe her years of loneliness are just making her desperate for any form of companionship, regardless of who provides it... Regardless of all of this, she knows that she should actually hate Bug, but she just can¡¯t really bring herself to do it. She can¡¯t hate the only friend that she has had in nearly five years.


    Which brings us back to the present, sitting in a room with the others and sharing a large table with a Noble girl and her maid.


    She had hoped that the interrogation would have been the end of it and that she would be able to leave the city with little trouble, but now she is sharing a table with a Noble that has apparently read the records. Information that has mostly been deemed as secret by the Guild.


    Yes, they had been sharing the story of what happened themselves, but that had been an altered version of event. The real story, the report, tells of how they had helped the Necromancer escape justice, even if it was done unwittily. If the actual story were to spread, the four of them could potentially end up getting stoned in the street by an angry mob. Hannah of all people understands how unreasonable angry people can be, and she had admittedly got off light in the past.


    She can see that the others are thinking similarly to her. They have overstayed their welcome. They need to get out of the city as soon as possible. Goddess forbid if that report were to accidently get leaked to the public.


    While Hannah and the others are silently deciding to pack their shit and get the hell out of dodge, the Noble girl is busy reading over the menu, looking intrigued and asking the waitress about different items.


    Eventually, she just ends up turning to her maid and asking for help on what to order. Originally, the maid was just going to stand behind her and not eat, but she had told her to join them at the table and eat with her.


    The maid quickly places an order, seemingly already knowing exactly what she wants.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a double bacon cheeseburger with sauteed onions and mushrooms, small order of fries, and a mug of milk. For my master, please bring out a Boar¡¯s Head classic, small fries, and a sweet tea.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, miss, and for you folks, can I get you anything else?¡±


    Max speaks for the group and shakes his head. ¡°We¡¯re good on food, thanks. Just some fresh drinks, water for Jakub.¡±


    ¡°Got it! I¡¯ll be back in a bit with those drinks.¡± The waitress says with a smile and a little forward lean that shows off plenty of cleavage, definitely working to earn herself a good tip. Hannah has to fight to keep her eyes from sinking in between those two barely covered mountains. If it wasn¡¯t for the stress of this situation, she knows that the boys would have been openly ogling her as well.


    ¡°Love the waitresses here¡­¡± She hears Jakub mutter to himself.


    Never mind, one of them got distracted despite the situation. Hannah wants to call him a perv, but she knows that she honestly isn¡¯t much better¡­


    With the pretty waitress gone, the room quickly descends into silence as no one dares to speak first. Everyone is waiting for the Noble to start things off, as that is just common practice. Not to mention that peasants have executed for less, and they aren¡¯t about to try and test this girl¡¯s patience.


    So, they wait, Hannah nervously nibbling on what¡¯s left of her plate of fries as she sneaks peeks at the little Noble.


    She is very pretty and well groomed. Even though she hasn¡¯t named herself yet, Hannah can already guess that she comes from a very well-off family. With her long blond hair that cascades down her back to end in bouncing curls like a golden waterfall, to her delicate face and supple neck, the girl looks like a doll. Her body is lacking the curves of an adult woman, and Hannah is certain that she is probably younger than herself by a couple of years, probably a fresh graduate from a university or even younger still. With the war robes she is wearing, Hannah can¡¯t get a clear picture of her build, but she gets the impression that this girl knows how to use her body, the steel mace hanging from her belt being a good indicator of that. She is clearly someone who is strong enough to club someone¡¯s skull in if needed, but she also has the Field of a mage respectfully tucked around her body. She feels like water wetting your clothes and soothing your wounds. Not a particularly powerful Water Mage from the feel of it, but someone who has been trained in healing magics. Even further signs of her Noble lineage and clues towards her being part of a more powerful family.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    What family would have any interest in us though? Anything they wanted to know; they could just learn by consulting the Guild¡­


    Hannah realizes that she had been looking for too long and decides to quickly look away, the maid catching her attention. She is staring at Hannah¡­


    Tall build, medium length dark hair, small, faded scars on her face, and a shapely chest that really fills out her maid outfit, the pretty maid gives Hannah a little smile that instantly sends danger signals racing up her spine and into her brain. Hannah quickly decides that her plate fries is very interesting and looks down.


    Sam scoots over to sit a bit closer to Hannah, reassuring her a little with her presence.


    Eventually, the waitress returns and sets out fresh drinks for everyone, leaving with a promise that the food will be out shortly.


    Once she is gone and the door is shut, the Noble girl reaches out and takes a curious sip of her tea.


    ¡°Oh, that is sweet! But why is my tea cold?¡±


    ¡°Milady, sweat tea is served cold. It¡¯s a drink that is enjoyed by laborers working on a hot day.¡± The maid politely informs her.


    ¡°Oh, fascinating. Weird, but it tastes pretty good.¡± She comments happily before taking another sip.


    Another sip later and she is setting down the refreshing drink, a happy hum escaping her lips before she gets to talking.


    ¡°Now then, I guess we should start with introductions. Pardon my not having introduced myself earlier. My name is Catherine Raingarden, third daughter of the Raingarden estate. This is Zenith, my maid. It is a pleasure to meet you, members of The Green Scarves and their guide.¡±


    The fact that her maid is also clearly her guard goes unmentioned, and Zenith herself doesn¡¯t bother to correct her.


    Max responds for the party, bowing his head to the girl before introducing everyone.


    ¡°My name is Max, beside me is Jakub, Sam, and then Hannah. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, milady.¡±


    Hannah doesn¡¯t forget to give a little bow as her name is being called out, but on the inside, she is panicking. She had read into what had happened, what had set everything into motion, gone over the original bounties before they were updated with the one platinum reward.


    This is the girl that Bug pissed off! The one that she killed the guards of! This is bad, this is bad, this is bad! She knows that we helped her. If she decides to get some of her revenge against us, we won¡¯t be able to do anything but run. Not against a Raingarden!


    Hannah is sweating now, her heart pounding in her chest a mile a minute as her enhanced eyes start to dilate and hyperfocus in a single fry, getting a very clear view of a piece of salt.


    If anyone had noticed her freaking out, they don¡¯t comment on it, Catherine simply continuing the conversation with a smile like nothing is wrong in the slightest.


    ¡°Well, it is lovely to finally learn your names. The report had them unfortunately not listed. Oh, please don¡¯t worry though, I have no intention of spreading any information that is contained in it. The Guild Master would be rather upset with me if I did so. Really, I am already worried that my meeting with you might already make him upset with me.¡±


    ¡°If that is case, then do you mind if I ask why, it is that you chose to seek us out?¡± Max asks her.


    ¡°Mmh, nothing much, I simply wish to learn more about what happened in the Dungeon, between you all and that little monster.¡± Catherine states without dropping her smile, though her anger does manage to show though for a split moment as she tightens her hold on her tankard, the wood creaking slightly in her grip.


    Max bows his head a bit, rubbing at the back of his head with an awkward smile on his face.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Milady, I do believe that we already put everything into our reports with the Guild and the Church. It was even done with a truth-¡±


    Catherine interrupts, still speaking in a polite little voice, her smile still on her face.


    ¡°Yes, I am aware. But I want to hear everything from your own lips. Not from a piece of paper. I want to hear your everything about that creature, how it talks, how it walks, fights, everything it ever said and done, and everything you can think to add. I want your personal opinions on the beast, and to know how likely you think it is to succeed in its plans. I want everything.¡±


    Hannah goes cold in the face, her mind rushing to find an escape route. Even if this Noble girl doesn¡¯t have a truth diving artifact on her, which is doubtful as those are horded greedily by the Church, Hannah has never been the best at lying.


    Max swallows down his own nervousness, the others having gone similarly stone faced.


    ¡°We will be happy to tell you everything that we know, milady¡­¡±


    ¡°Excellent, then let''s start with how you met, tell me exactly how everything went down from beginning to -"


    A knock at the door interrupts and the waitress is soon to open the door, waiting exactly three seconds before doing so as to give people enough time to stop talking. She enters with a big smile and a tray of food balanced on one arm, not minding the tense atmosphere in the room one bit.


    ¡°Here we go! One double bacon cheeseburger, a Boar¡¯s Head Classic, annnnd here¡¯s your fries. Can I get you folks anything else while I¡¯m here?¡±


    ¡°No, we are good.¡± Zenith answers for the room.


    ¡°Arighty then, I¡¯ll give you folks some privacy then. If you need service, just ring the bell by the door!¡±


    With the waitress walking out, her hips bouncing seductively with every step, Hannah finds herself wishing that she would have taken her with her. And not because the waitress has a great rear¡­ She just wishes that she could be anywhere other than here right now. Hells, even the mushroom and Undead infested Dungeon would be a preferable alternative!


    Meanwhile, Catherine is taking a curious bite of her cheeseburger, her eyes lighting up with shock and delight as her mouth floods with new flavors and fatty meat.


    ¡°Oh! Oh, my! This is delicious! Zenith, why don¡¯t we eat these more often, this is amazing!¡±


    ¡°Because they aren¡¯t healthy milady. These will go straight to your thighs if you eat too many.¡±


    ¡°They will? Oh, I would rather that my thighs not get any bigger¡­¡± She says as a whisper to herself. ¡°But¡­ Just one every now and again wouldn¡¯t hurt¡­ too much, right?¡±


    The adventures decide to not interrupt her as she is clearly enjoying her meal. Sharing quiet looks with each other while they have the chance, they try to come up with a way to get out of this alive.


    Worst case scenario, they might be fleeing the city a few days earlier than originally planned. Potentially as wanted criminals¡­


    <hr>


    Catherine wants to curse as she leaves the Boar¡¯s Head with less than satisfactory results. At the end of the day, she is hardly an interrogator, a skill set that was only taught to her eldest siblings. She had considered trying to force information out of them through physical violence, maybe break a couple of fingers, but she could see how on edge those adventurers had been. If they, at any moment, thought their lives were in danger, they would have turned on her and potentially tried to kill her.


    As much as Catherine would like to believe that her status as a Noble will protect her in most situations, she isn¡¯t dumb enough as to believe that it would protect her from desperate enough people¡­


    It would be nice if she could threaten them with execution, but the Guild Master has already made it quite clear to her that those four are under his protection¡­ The desire to kill them is certainly there, just knowing that they had a hand to play in helping that little monster is already enough to make Catherine want their heads on a pike.


    Taking a calming breath, she forces herself to think a little more rationally.


    Killing them would accomplish nothing anyways¡­ It would be nothing but short-term gratification and be nothing but trouble for me. Could always arrange for an accident to happen, but¡­ Haaaaah¡­


    Once they get far enough away from the tavern and its delicious but unhealthy food, Catherine asks her maid a question.


    ¡°Zenith, what did you think?¡±


    ¡°They are hiding something.¡± She says simply, not breaking stride as she matches her master¡¯s pace step for step.


    ¡°Mhm, but what? The guide in particular seemed the most scared out of them. What are your thoughts on her?¡±


    ¡°She seemed especially nervous when asking about her relationship and thoughts about the Necromancer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she never really answered the questions, just giving the same ones that were in the report, almost word for word. I don¡¯t trust her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, milady. She is clearly hiding something.¡± Zenith agrees as she looks down a dark alleyway and sees a homeless person getting mugged. She doesn¡¯t comment on it, simply taking note so as to keep her master away from the area.


    ¡°What would you like us to do about her?¡±


    Catherine puts her finger to her lips and thinks.


    ¡°Do we have it my budget to keep some men watching them?¡±


    ¡°For a couple of days, at most. A week at the longest, though the quality of information would be lower.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, do it. I want to know everything that is going on with them, including a record of everything they have done and everywhere they have gone since leaving the Dungeon. If they do anything, I want to know immediately.¡±


    Zenith asks her master next, ¡°Should we send in a request for more funds? At the rate we are going we will be dangerously low before your next allowance arrives.¡±


    Catherine can¡¯t help but to chew on her fingernail at that, an old habit from childhood creeping up on her. ¡°Nnnn¡­ Part of why I am even doing this is to show that I can be independent. If I keep going back and asking for help at every turn¡­¡±


    Zenith bows, ¡°I understand, milady. We shall make do with what we have.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ On the subject of my family, has there been any word yet on if they will be sending aid, to try and help the city in this disaster?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, not yet milady. I have yet to receive any letters from your family.¡±


    ¡°Haah, really, I doubt that we will get any. Silest is under Silvercrest¡¯s holdings. I could easily see my father letting this city be destroyed as a way to weaken his rivals¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you could convince him to save the people as a show of goodwill? To help with your family''s image.¡±


    ¡°Doubtful. Our image with the people wouldn¡¯t be changed much by helping or not, not in any tangible way that would see immediate results that my father would care about. If he were to act, it would only be to get the Silvercrests in his debt, and I don¡¯t see them coming to us for help until the situation becomes truly dire.¡±


    ¡°And by then, it would already too late, correct milady?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I just wish that we had some kind of lead that we could use to get ahead of this situation.¡±


    Zenith lets out a little giggle, catching Catherines attention. ¡°Well, we did learn at least something about your target that we hadn¡¯t before. It apparently loves cookies.¡±


    Zenith continues to giggle, whole unaware of the turmoil going on in her master¡¯s mind.


    Cookies! Again, why do they keep coming up today!? That dream¡­ What could cookies possibly have to do with any of this!?


    Unsurprisingly, this and a couple of other little things was all that Catherine could get out of the adventurers and their guide. The rest of the party hadn¡¯t even been aware of the cookie thing, only just now learning that the little monster, Bug, has a box of fresh cookies that she carries around in her space storage. The fact that a Gremlin of all things has access to such a rare and valuable type of magic is still baffling to Catherine. Space Mages are the most sought-after type of mages. Their ability to keep items fresh and store goods makes them incredibly valuable, especially the ones that are skilled enough to be able to store entire caravans'' worth of trade goods.


    And yet this damn Gremlin is using it to keep her cookies oven fresh¡­


    She still finds it hard to believe that she could have more than one element of magic. The vast majority of people only have the one they are born with, like Catherine¡¯s water. Special cases might be born with two, and especially skilled mages might become able to branch off into neighboring elements. Catherine still dreams of the day that she might be able to use ice magic after all. To go even further, many rumors suggest that the Demon Queen is capable of wielding three elements, maybe even more.


    But from what the reports are saying, and from what she herself had seen, this Gremlin of all things, can use Necromancy, Nature, Body, supposedly Ice, Space, and whatever that spell was that forced Catherine to feel pain like her entire body had been dipped in acid. She can only pray that it wasn¡¯t the forbidden Soul magic, but she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it is¡­


    Caught up in her own thoughts as she walks back to her hotel, Catherine catches a smell of something sweet, her gaze pulled upward from the sidewalk and her boots.


    ¡®Special Sale! Box of a Dozen Cookies, get them while their FRESH!¡¯


    An advertisement in the window of the very bakery that she had walked past earlier today, written in bubbly words with images of cookies floating around the words.


    The words spoken by the monster in her dream comes back to her unbid, ¡°You should have just given me a cookie¡­¡±


    ¡°Milady?¡± Zenith asks as she observes her master who had suddenly stopped walking.


    ¡°Zenith¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, milady?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s buy a box of cookies¡­¡±


    Zenith has to hold back her smile, excited at potentially getting to have a snack that she has only had on two separate, very memorable, occasions. One of the many perks of being a Noble¡¯s maid.


    ¡°Yes milady! What flavors should we get? Might I¡­ Might I pick one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, sure¡­¡±


    Catherine has no idea why, but she has a feeling that cookies are about to be a very important part of her life, and not just because they taste good.

 B2. Chapter 1.4- Surface Tension

    ¡°Why did I have to buy so many books!? Damnit, if I could have just had some time to sell the ones I don¡¯t need¡­¡± Hannah curses as she hastily packs her stuff by lantern light in her cheap room at the inn.


    Indigenous Plants of the Western Kingdoms and Their Uses, need to keep this one, at least until we get past the Cantson Republic. How about this one, 101 Scary Stories to Tell by the Fire? That could be nice to keep¡­ No, no, don¡¯t need it, not enough space. Natalie¡¯s Descent into Debauchery¡­


    Hannah blushes as she looks at the red book that took a lot of courage to buy and has been a companion on a few lonely nights already. Blushing, she gingerly packs that one away, hiding it under her undergarments in her suitcase.


    I-It was an expensive book. Would be a shame to lose it¡­


    Other books don¡¯t make the cut, regretfully getting set aside on the writing desk for the inn keeper to keep after she leaves. She only takes the essentials. Only books that would be helpful while traveling, though she does take the time to try and force one more book into her case, a fantasy novel that she is halfway through reading and would regret not finishing.


    Could she fit just one more? Maybe, if she rearranges some things¡­ Move this there, pack that in just a little tighter? It¡¯s not like she really needs this shirt, when was the last time she even wore it? Maybe she could bring-


    A sudden knock at the door causes Hannah to jump, yelping in fright. She calms down when she recognizes the voice at the door.


    ¡°Hannah, it''s Sam. You ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Ah, just a second!¡±


    Hannah quickly moves over to the door and lets the taller woman in. Sam is clearly on edge and scans the room in a hurry as she moves for the bed. Moving in a rush, Sam takes and closes Hannah¡¯s suitcases before grabbing them both.


    ¡°Ah! Hold on, I wasn¡¯t ¨C¡± She starts to protest.


    Sam doesn¡¯t give her the chance, directing the girl to leave the room with a wave of her arm.


    ¡°No time. We need to leave, now.¡±


    ¡°Why, what happened?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re being watched. Jakub spotted some people tailing us. Professionals. If we weren¡¯t already expecting them, we wouldn¡¯t have noticed them at all.¡±


    Hannah gives one last regretful look at her room where she had been living for the past three months, some of her stuff still scattered about. Yet again, she is leaving part of her life behind her¡­


    She quickly follows Sam, heading down the hall and to the stairs that leads down towards the inn¡¯s tavern.


    ¡°Is it that Noble girl? Is she going to try and kill us because we helped Bug?¡±


    ¡°Probably. You know how Nobles are.¡± Sam answers quickly as she checks her corners, stopping before entering the tavern.


    Peeking around the corner, she curses. ¡°Shit, one of them is here. Follow me, were going out the back.


    ¡°Where is Max and Jakub?¡± Hannah asks as Sam leads her back up the stairs in a hurry.


    ¡°South gate, went to see if they can hire a carriage or get us a spot escorting a caravan in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Why not the east gate, I thought we were-¡°


    ¡°They¡¯ll be expecting us there.¡± Sam says quickly before kicking the door to someone¡¯s room open and storming in.


    Hannah quickly follows, trying her best to ignore the panicked couple that was in the middle of having some fun, the woman desperately covering herself in a blanket. When the guy gets up to start shouting at them, Sam just shoves him back onto the bed, ignoring him completely as she opens the window and tosses Hannah¡¯s suitcases out.


    Sam goes out next, jumping out the second story window without a care as Hannah rush forward to look outside.


    ¡°Jump down, I¡¯ll catch you!¡±


    ¡°Right! Oh, uh, sorry for intruding!¡±


    A quick apology to the couple and Hannah is then awkwardly climbing out of the window, squatting on the sill before taking a leap of faith.


    Sam catches her with ease, hardly even grunting at her weight landing in her arms before setting her back on her feet.


    ¡°Grab your stuff, I need my hands free in case I need to fight.¡±


    Quickly grabbing her two suitcases, Hannah moves to catch up with Sam who is already clearing the alleyway, following her as quick as she can.


    Thankfully, Hannah¡¯s cheap inn was located on the southwestern section of the city, in the poorer area of the merchants district. Being closer to the ports and the warehouses, it comes with the prevalent smell of fish in the air, but the prices are cheaper. With the money she makes working as a guide, she could have afforded someplace better, but she wanted to keep her money for other investments. Mainly more books...


    Still, this choice ended up being a useful one as it places her closer to their destination.


    Running through alleyways and avoiding homeless people sleeping in their path, Hannah and Sam make their way for the gate. A couple of shady types consider accosting them on the way, but quickly change their mind when they notice that Sam looks like she could crush their windpipes with one hand and is clearly in a hurry to get somewhere. They remain in the shadows and let the two pass by without any trouble.


    While the alleys are dark, the moon is thankfully bright and full in the sky tonight, providing enough light for them to navigate without needing to bother with carrying a torch or a lantern. Not that Hannah even has a hand free to hold one, what with most of all her belongings being held in her suitcases. Sam herself only has the single bag on her back, the same one that she carries with her into the Dungeon.


    The run though the city a long and winded one, with Hannah breathing heavily as she follows Sam¡¯s back, the only time they stop being when Sam is checking corners to ensure that they aren¡¯t about to run face first into an ambush.


    But they never do. They make their way through the city and eventually near the gate, finding Jakub waiting outside a building, standing just under the lit lantern and a sign listing the building as the registration area for carriage rentals, in association with the Adventurers Guild and Merchants Guild. The building also acts as the gathering point for caravans and is where adventurers would go when looking for escort jobs heading south. Similar buildings can be found at the north and eastern gates, with one also being at the dock, for those looking to travel by sea.


    As they approach, Jakub waves them over, beaconing for them to hurry. Stopping under the light of the lantern, Hannah practically drops her suitcase as she is trying to catch her breath, holding herself up by her knees and dripping with sweat.


    ¡°I hate running!¡± She complains, but the others two aren¡¯t paying attention to her.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Max?¡±


    ¡°Inside, trying to get us a contract. Were you two followed?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, they tailed me to Hannah¡¯s inn, but we might have lost them. Went out the back and avoided any major roads.¡±


    ¡°Good. If Max can get us a job, we¡¯ll be staying here for the rest of the night and leaving first thing in the morning.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t get the guards to open the gate?¡±


    ¡°No, they wouldn¡¯t even take a bribe. Gates stay shut at night, no exceptions.¡±


    ¡°Damn guards, actually doing their jobs¡­¡± Sam grumbles.


    ¡°Mhm, let''s get inside and wait. Max shouldn¡¯t be too much lo-¡±


    Jakub doesn¡¯t finish his sentence as he suddenly looks over, reaching over to grab Hannah and pull her towards the building¡¯s wall and behind him.


    ¡°Wha-what!?¡±


    ¡°Stay behind us.¡±


    Looking past them in a hurry, Hannah finds two people walking down the road, heading towards them at a calm pace. With her enhanced eyes she is quickly able to see their faces, lit by the lantern held by the taller of the two.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Noble girl and her maid.¡± Hannah tells the others in a whisper.


    "Shit..."


    It doesn¡¯t take long for the two to get close enough for the others to clearly see, Catherine still wearing her Noble¡¯s smile on her face as her maid stands respectfully beside her, holding the lantern for the two of them.


    ¡°Hello, what a strange place to be running into each other again. Might I ask what is you are doing here?¡± Catherine asks politely, her smile not breaking for a second.


    Jakub gives a slight bow, not removing his eyes from the two for even a second. ¡°Milady, we are just looking to get ourselves some employment. What with the Dungeon being closed and all, of course.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Already looking to earn some more coin just after the payday you had in the Dungeon? What was it? Six rolls of Maneater Trapdoor Spider silk, two dozen jars of Giant Bee honey, an assortment of mid to high quality medicinal herbs, parts carved from several valuable species of monsters ranging from Bird of Paradise feathers to even parts from a tenth floor Queen Bee. A notable lack of Mana Crystals however, but you still managed to make a tidy profit, no? Why would you be looking for more work already?¡±


    Jakub forces a smile on his face.


    ¡°Haha, well we didn¡¯t get to keep any of the mana crystals because the Gremlin took them all. As for our need for money, would you believe that we drank it all away?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you should see Hannah here when she gets going. She has a real problem.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Uh, yeah, serious drinking problem! I should really get some help¡­¡±


    Sam agrees with her, ¡°Ya, Hannah, go get help.¡±


    Sam moves slightly, clearly a path for Hannah to head for the door, her arm already moving slightly so that she can go for her battleaxe on her back.


    Catherine drops her act, her smile falling from her face into a little frown.


    ¡°Now, now, there won¡¯t be any of that. I want to talk to our guide here. Hannah, please be a dear and come over here. I just want to ask you some questions. I would be remorse if you were to leave before I can learn what it is you are hiding.¡±


    Hannah stops, mid step towards the door, panicking as she debates what to do. If she runs away, she has no doubts that this girl will try to hunt her down. But if she does as she says, and she learns that Hannah and Bug are friends. She might try to use her as a way to harm Bug. Or she may even just kill her outright for it. Torture before death isn¡¯t even off the table. Hannah has heard the dark stories that people tell about Nobles, about the fates that befall those who anger them. Even worse than death, Hannah wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if she ends up getting sold in slavery as some Noble¡¯s pet.


    Even if slavery is illegal in most countries nowadays, Hannah isn¡¯t so foolish as to believe that it doesn¡¯t still happen in the shadows.


    Sam speaks over her shoulder, ¡°Hannah, go inside and get Max, now.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡± She quickly nods and goes for the door, her luggage forgotten on the floor. If she has to choose between a life of running away, and whatever this girl has planned for her, then it is an easy enough choice. One that Sam and Jakub are clearly also making. Regardless of their personal feelings for Bug being different than Hannah¡¯s, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that this girl clearly sees them all as accomplices to her enemy. Their fate is tied to Hannah''s now and they know it.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Sprinting for the door, adrenaline pumping through her tired legs, Hannah doesn¡¯t even stop as the cling of metal sounds out not too far from her, Sam having moved to block a throwing knife aimed for Hannah¡¯s leg.


    Jakub is already moving before Hannah can slam the door shut behind her, daggers held in both hands as he goes for the maid who had just thrown a knife hidden in her sleeve.


    The maid moves forward, stepping in front of Catherine to meet Jakub as he swings out with both daggers. Getting low, she dodges under the twin blades, rotating on one foot as she spins and her long skirt flows out around her. With a quick strike, she goes to jab him in the throat with her fingers, forcing Jakub to reel back quickly and lash out at her with one his blades.


    The maid easily side steps the attack and keeps on the assault, attacking with her bare hands and forcing Jakub to backpedal away from her as she keeps herself firmly inside of his guard, throwing out strike after strike that he continues to desperately dodge by an inch, each strike aiming to disable him with one blow.


    Sam roars and charges for Catherine, the girl already halfway through an incantation, a sphere of gathering water on her palm as she draws her mace from her belt.


    ¡°- and pierce my enemies. Water Spear!¡±


    A spear of water explodes from Catherine¡¯s hand, speeding towards Sam¡¯s mid-section faster than an arrow.


    Sam curses and uses the flat of her battle axe to block the blow, grunting as the water explodes against metal and pushes her back a good few inches. A quick look at her axe shows her that one of the heads is now dented in slightly, giving her a good idea of just how strong Catherine''s magic is.


    She quickly calls out to Jakub. ¡°Can¡¯t pierce metal! Leather is probably no good, don¡¯t let her hit you!¡±


    Sam doesn¡¯t stop moving forward to charge at the girl, barreling down the street. If she can just capture the girl, she can put a stop to the fight. Killing her is out of the question though. Forget being wanted criminals, they would have the Raingardens hunting their heads for the rest of their lives.


    Jakub yells for Sam to duck and she does so without question, another throwing knife passing over her head not even a second later.


    ¡°Waves on land, currents pulling on legs, become a mire and slow my enemies. Water Field!¡±


    Catherine finishes her spell and launches a ball of water into the ground at her feet, before raising her hand up into the air like she is lifting a great weight. In response to her call, water is pulled out of thin air and the very ground until the street is suddenly flooded with water up to Sam¡¯s thighs, the currents all pushing away from Catherine and against Sam¡¯s legs as the giant woman tries to push forward.


    Off to the side, the maid has jumped up onto a nearby fence, standing on the narrow foothold with perfect balance as she continues to throw knives at Jakub who is jumping from the back of parked carriage to carriage, daggers flashing out as he is forced to occasionally block one or two of them. Even when he throws his own back at the maid, she simply dodges them by shifting her body slightly to the side, letting them fly past her by a hair¡¯s breadth, her movements not hampered in the slightest despite balancing on a narrow fence.


    ¡°The Guild isn¡¯t going to be happy with you after this!¡± Jakub yells as Catherine is casting another spell, forcing an already soaked Sam to dodge to the side.


    Catherine angrily responds. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Besides, you were already leaving the city! The Guild Master won¡¯t even know this happened. And even if I get caught, the worst I¡¯ll get is a slap on the wrist! I know that you are hiding something, now tell me what it is!¡±


    As Sam is fighting to get back up on her feet from the raging currents, Catherine rushes forward, her own water parting before her to let her move unhindered, mace held at the ready to bludgeon Sam over the head and another spell forming in her hand as she quickly incants.


    Jakub wants to rush and help her, considering throwing a knife at the girl, but he can¡¯t risk actually harming her. And besides, he is far too busy fighting for his own life right now. In the split second that he had taken his eyes off of the maid, she had already jumped up and onto the carriage, clearing a distance that even most adventurers would find impossible from nothing but a standing jump. Before he knows it, he is blocking a dagger mere inches in front of his face, the maid''s long skirt still billowing in the wind and exposing her legs as she lands.


    It isn¡¯t the pure white stockings or the garter that draws his attention to the contents of her skirt though, but the excessive number of knives, daggers, and other tools that are sheaved to her thighs and the inside of her skirt. How the woman can move so quietly when she is carrying around so much metal is beyond Jakub.


    A kick sends him flying back and off of the carriage, splashing in the turning waters on the street bellow just as Sam is blocking a blow from the girl¡¯s mace and throwing herself to the side again to dodge another water spear that blasts into the street¡¯s cobblestone.


    As he is pulling himself out of the water, taking a gasping breath of air, Jakub can see the maid above him, readying to throw a couple more knives his way. Behind him a fair distance, Sam is fending off a series of blows from a mace''s head against her axe as she fights to get back onto her feet again, raging currents of water constantly slamming into her from all sides and trying to knock her off balance.


    ¡°I¡¯m used to fighting people bigger than me! After all the training Lyose gave me, fighting a brute like you is easy!¡± Catherine taunts as her mace slams down again and again.


    ¡°Cheating mages and your damn magic!¡± Sam roars back in return.


    Another quickly chanted spell has Sam reeling back her guard as water blasts against her weapon, Catherine raising her mace to bring down on Sam¡¯s head.


    ¡°ShweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEE!¡±


    A loud, piercing whistle cuts through the air and grabs everyone''s attention, forcing them to all come to a stop. Catherine mid swing, Sam prepared to return the blow with her axe despite her awkward position, ready to take the girl with her. Jakub was just about to pop a smoke bomb, one of the few he bought with his earnings, and Zenith had already halted her attack before the whistle even rang out, her eyes already on its source.


    Everyone else looks over and finds a Kobold in a business suit, standing above the water on the steps leading into the building. Max and Hannah are standing behind the little furred figure, looking worried and about half ready to join the fight themselves.


    Catherine curses to herself, though not out loud as that wouldn¡¯t be very lady like of her. A Kobold is probably the worst thing she could be seeing right now.


    ¡°Might I ask that you get rid of all this water, Miss Raingarden.¡± The Kobold requests simply, looking as if having a battle on his doorstep is hardly worth his attention. If anything, he is more worried about wetting his suit and fur. She doesn¡¯t even question how it is that he would already know her name. He¡¯s a Kobold after all, and it only makes sense that he would have the names and faces of every Noble in the city memorized.


    ¡°These adventurers have information that I want. Please, hand them over to me so I can-!¡±


    The Kobold interrupts, something that no one but high-ranking Nobility and Royalty would ever dare to do.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I cannot do that, Miss Raingarden. I have just hired these adventurers as part of my escort and as of such, they are under my employment until such time as their contract expires. I respectfully ask again that you get rid of this water.¡±


    Catherine cuts her control over the spell, finally allowing gravity to take control and let the water flow into the sewers through the storm drains. She has to fight back the urge to slump forward as the mana expenditures for maintain such a large spell finally hits her. She can''t let herself look weak.


    ¡°Please sir, I ask that you at least give me that girl! She knows-¡±


    Again, he interrupts, wounding Catherine¡¯s pride, but she knows that she can¡¯t do anything about it.


    ¡°I apologize, Miss Raingarden, but as I have clearly stated, these people are now my employees, including the girl. As guards and employees of the BlueFang Trading Group, under the mother company of SilverScale and her affiliates, they are protected until such time as their contracts are finished or they are let go. If you continue to attempt in bringing harm against our hired guards, having now learned of their employment, you, as the representing party of the Raingarden estate, will be guilty of infringing upon contracts and treaties signed between your family and own partners.¡±


    ¡°Please-¡±


    ¡°I am willing to forgive you attacking my employees up to this point, as you had not been aware of their employment until just now, but if this continues, I will be forced to seek legal action.¡± The Kobold speaks over her final attempt to protest.


    Catherine grits her teeth as she looks away from the Kobold and towards Hannah who is hiding behind his back, her grip on her mace tightening as her nails sink into its leather grip.


    ¡°I, understand¡­¡± Catherine says with a heavy heart after forcing out a breath, trying to calm her nerves.


    Sam and Jakub quickly pull themselves up off the ground and move towards their companions as Catherine takes a step back and returns her mace to her belt. Without anyone seeing it happen; Zenith is already back at her place behind and slightly to the side of her master¡¯s back.


    Quickly getting her emotions under control, Catherine slaps a smile back on her face and curtsies to the Kobold.


    ¡°I apologize for my unsightly behavior, sir.¡±


    The Kobold returns her curtsy with a bow of his head.


    ¡°It is water under the bridge, Miss Raingarden. Now, if you will excuse me, I still have much paperwork that needs to be finished before the morning. Come along, employees.¡±


    Before the Kobold can turn to leave, Catherine quickly asks, ¡°Please wait! Might I ask where it is that your caravan is heading?¡±


    The Kobold returns his attention to her, ¡°No, that is a secret.¡±


    ¡°Then at least tell me why it is that you hired these adventurers, please sir.¡±


    The Kobold lets out a little sigh, which would normally be adorable if most people weren¡¯t usually scared shitless by these little furballs.


    ¡°Hah¡­ Very well. We have received orders from on high to abandon all operations in this city. We need the extra hands to move and protect all of our goods in a hurry, regardless of who is applying. We had slots to fill, and they fit the basic requirements for employment. That is all. Any other questions, Miss Raingarden?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re... you are leaving the city?¡± Catherine asks with a look of shock on her face.


    ¡°Yes, we know that the destruction of a Dungeon isn¡¯t a normal occurrence for you humans, but we have seen it happen enough times through the years to know better than to be anywhere near it when it does happen. While staying here could be good for business in the short term, as your people have an odd tendency to send more people toward events like this, we aren¡¯t willing to risk valuable assets to suddenly being devoured by the earth. Especially if the Undead and other potential plagues are involved. It¡¯s simply bad for business.¡±


    ¡°But you have no guarantee that the Dungeon will be destroyed, our people will surely kill the Necromancer. Please, just give us time!¡± Catherine begs as she takes a desperate step forward.


    ¡°Miss Raingarden. Ask yourself this. Do you truly think that you humans can prevent this from happening?¡±


    Catherine doesn¡¯t respond. She already knows the answer and she can see that he clearly does as well. The Kobold gives her their species'' best approximation of a smile, which is just him showing a mouth full of canines like a snarling dog, and then gives her another short bow.


    ¡°Have a good rest of the night, Miss Raingarden.¡±


    Before entering the building again, the Kobold gives Sam and Jakub a look before casually waving his hand, a silver ring with a sapphire, one of several such rings on his little clawed fingers, glowing for a second before all the water is suddenly pulled off their bodies and out of their clothes and even Hannah''s poor flooded suitcases. The resulting sphere of water is tossed into the garden to water the already drenched roses.


    ¡°Come along employees. We still have far too many crates that need to be loaded. I want us ready to go before the gates open in the morning.¡±


    The last words Catherine can hear is Max profusely thanking the Kobold as they walk into the building.


    ¡°Yes sir, I swear that you won¡¯t regret hiring us! A chance to work with such an illustrious trading company is-¡°


    Sam closes the door as Hannah gives one last nervous look towards the Noble girl from behind the large woman¡¯s back, cutting off the rest of the conversation from being heard. But more importantly, cutting off Catherine¡¯s access to The Green Scarves and their guide. They are firmly beyond her grasp now and will be gone by morning.


    All Catherine can do is turn and walk away as she boils in her anger and defeat, feeling exhausted from having just expended so much mana in a wasted fight. Not only had her only lead just escape her, but she just learned that the Kobolds are abandoning Silest.


    The largest economic power in the entire world has just written off Silest as a lost investment. With the closure of the Dungeon and the Kobolds pulling out, Catherine can already predict how quickly Silest¡¯s economy is going to collapse. Now, even if the Dungeon were to somehow be saved, this city is doomed to suffer a blow that will cripple it for decades¡­


    <hr>


    ***


    An excerpt from the bestselling book, A History of the Great Kobold Empire, by Dr. Andrew Venct, on the subject of antagonizing the Kobolds, found on page 7 as prelude before Chapter 1, a warning by the author to the reader:


    ***


    * Do not antagonize the Kobolds. *


    Dear readers,


    Regardless of your personal views on nonhuman races, the Kobolds undeniably stand above all others. This is not due to their individual strength or even magical might, which is typically on the lower side, but because they are some of the shrewdest and most talented of merchants, investors, and lawyers of any race in the world. Quite simply, the Kobolds control almost every facet of the world¡¯s economy, trade, and are the cornerstone example of established law in most civilized nations. But more than this, they do not take challenges lightly. If a ship sails the seas and bares the flag of one of their companies, no pirate will risk their ire. If a caravan carries their badge, know that only the most desperate and stupid of bandits will risk robbing them.


    Any action that is taken against merchants associated with the Kobolds and the SilverScale, will be met with legal action and, potentially, armed forces if deemed necessary. As the richest Business Empire in the world, they effectively hold infinite funds and will spare no expense to see any and all offences against their people and their Empire properly and thoroughly delt with.


    Throughout history, the Kobolds have been personally responsible for the rise and fall of more nations than any other governing body in the world. Without their support, entire nations are doomed to fall, and with it, nations will rise to prosperity. The Kobolds hold the Silver Scale of all trade and business in their hands, and they have the power to adjust it as they see fit.


    Normally, so much power being held by a single nation would be considered unacceptable by the rest of the world. For any other nation, their neighbors would bring war and ruin to tear down their walls and plunder their vaults.


    This will, quite simply, never happen to the Kobolds.


    One may believe that it is due to their massive wealth that they cannot fall, that they can simply throw money at any problem that comes their way. While this is mostly true, what with their ability to hire and field massive armies of mercenaries at the snap of a finger, it is not the whole story as to why their Great Empire is one of the oldest still standing nations in the world.


    The real reason is that the Great Kobold Empire, or more accurately, their Empress, is the only force alive on this planet that can freely call upon the wrath of the Demons to smite their enemies. And worse yet, that of the Demon Queen. Not even the Church of the Goddess, despite its own immense power and influence, can hope to strike against the Kobolds without suffering the consequences. A lesson that was learned when the then Pope of the Church of the Goddess, in the year 2087 by the Calander of Laifer¡¯an, had called for a holy war against the Kobolds for the sin of being nonhumans.


    The entire city of Ballast, the Church¡¯s then center of leadership, was wiped off the map the following day, leaving nothing but a crater in the ground that remains untouched to this day, the eviscerated corpse of the then Pope and his crown being the only evidence left of the site¡¯s existence. His name has since then been wiped from history by the Church as a way of distancing themselves from his mistake, with the Kobolds being officially recognized as ¡®fellow humans¡¯ by the Church. A recognition that is only vaguely shared with the Hobbits, Dwarfs, and the Giants due to these races¡¯ human-like appearance.


    Dear readers, if you are to learn anything from reading this book, it should be this. The Kobolds'' only equal in this world is the Demons, and neither are to be trifled with. Be you peasant, king, or even god, do not antagonize the Kobolds. For doing so is the same as stepping on a Demon¡¯s tail.

 B2. Chapter 2.1- Living Graveyard

    ¡°The clicking, so much clicking! Do these damn things have to make so much noise!?¡± Michael, or Mikey as his friends call him, curses as he swings his club down to smash another zombie into rotting paste on the ground, the thing exploding into a shower of colorful spores as the mushrooms covering its body all explode.


    ¡°Come on Mikey, it could be worse. Imaging if we had to smell these things? That would be shit.¡± Carther jokes back as he blocks several Gremlins and Goblins with his shield, their pus leaking bodies smashing against the steel surface with a wet squelch of fluids, leaving it covered in gore.


    ¡°Uh! Please don¡¯t mention that. I¡¯m already trying to keep myself from throwing up in my suit, Uhh! Damn things, fuck off!¡±


    Splattering another little zombie against the wall, he curses as more of the mushrooms explode into spores and blocks up his suit¡¯s visor. Dragging a hand over the glass, he tries to wipe the stuff off, leaving streaks of browns and yellows behind to obstruct his already narrowed vision.


    When he is finally able to see again, he is startled at the sight of a Goblin hurtling through the air at him, having just leaped out of a hole in the wall.


    Clicking as it flies mouth first at him, Mikey quickly swings and bludgeons the thing out of the air, its little body folding in half as its spine snaps at a disgusting angle, getting sent flying down the hall to tumble into several others and take out their legs. It doesn¡¯t die however, even with its broken ribs poking out of its chest and its spine cracking as it tries to move, the thing is still writhing on the floor and trying to pull and twist itself into a position where it can get a grip. With the sickening sounds of snapping bones and wet meat, the Goblin zombie forces itself onto three limbs and awkwardly crawls/drags its way back towards the slowly advancing adventurers.


    It is finally put down as a war hammer smashes down on it and destroys its upper half, finally destroying whatever it is that keeps these things animated.


    ¡°If you two would stop bullshitting so much, we would have already made it to the third floor by now. Cut the chitchat and focus.¡± Their clan¡¯s Lieutenant reprimands with a snap in his voice.


    Mikey wants to snap back at the guy, feeling rightfully agitated after slogging through this mushroom infested hellhole for nearly six hours now, but he bites his tongue and just gives a quick, ¡°Yes sir.¡± Mikey knows better than to talk back to Dale when he is in work mode. Bullshitting at the bar? Sure. But during a mission, Mikey will be lucky if he still has teeth in his mouth after he leaves this place.


    As the Lieutenant and Enforcer of the Golden Mare Adventurers Clan, it¡¯s his job to make sure that everyone keeps on top of their shit and comes back alive. A job that he takes quite seriously, even if it does leave most people thinking of Dale as a stuck-up asshole.


    Taking an opening in the fighting to try and wipe off his visor a little more, Mikey looks back at the way they came, finding the rest of their group slowly navigating through a cut out trail in the mushrooms infested hallway, everyone dressed from head to toe in protective yellow-green hazmat suits.


    The heavy and unwieldy suits are incredibly uncomfortable to wear. Being designed to allow the wearer to wade into some of the most toxic environments known to man, the suits are made from the skins of Boildart Frogs, a rare species of highly poisonous frog that only shows up in a few swamps every few years for their mating season. Until then, they live their entire lives under the muck and mud of the swamp, eating mosquito larvae and other little bugs.


    They get their name because you extract the toxins from their skins by boiling the frogs alive. The process removes the toxic fluids from the skins and leaves you with three very valuable commodities. First is the meat. The little suckers are delicious, and Nobles love to eat them. After you boil them, just peel the skin off and cook them however you want. Sauteed with veggies, fry them in oil, cook them over a fire, it doesn¡¯t matter. The little frogs taste amazing. The only problem is that they only grow to be about as large as your palm, so you need quite a few to get enough meat for a good meal, and just one frog is already quite expensive as is.


    The second is the poison. Originally, it was used for the obvious purpose of, well, killing people. The stuff is quite potent and contains a bit of mana in it, which just serves to further raise the potency of its lethality. The poison is well known as Heart-Pop, a horrible substance that makes the target¡¯s heart beat so fast in their chest that it literally pops as it tears itself apart. The victim¡¯s last moments are a living hell as their body is flooded with adrenaline and time seems to come to a grinding halt, being forced to experience the pain of having their own heart explode in their chest until their mind finally gives out and dies. This information was obtained by experimenting on death row inmates and has since caused the use of this poison on others to be labeled as a war crime by most nations, it¡¯s use in assassinations being deemed as overly cruel and unreasonable.


    This almost led to most nations outright banning the harvesting of these little frogs, but, an entrepreneurial alchemist decided to try and see if the stuff had any medicinal purposes, as many poisons tend to do. And surprises of all surprises, it did. That guy discovered that small doses, when mixed with some other ingredients in a recipe that is greedily protected, can be used to make an incredibly potent aphrodisiac that can turn even the most impotent or sexually frigid of a person into a raging sex starved beast. He is a very rich man now¡­


    So naturally, every last drop of these frogs¡¯ poison is bought up after every harvest and is worth a very pretty coin.


    Besides the meat and poison, is the third commodity which is actually pertinent to this current mission. The frog skins.


    Rubbery, highly resistant to acids and tearing, these skins, after being processed are almost impervious to all outside elements. Where regular leather would stain and lets hazards seep through, these skins, once turned into leather, let nothing though, not even air. After they are processed, chainmail is sewn into the leather and the stitches are sealed with a generous layering of SlimeCoat, another product whose recipe is practically a state secret, through everyone knows that the main ingredient is Slimes, the humble Jelly¡¯s bigger and much deadlier cousin.


    The process and cost of making even just one of these suits is already an expense than most Clans can¡¯t afford, and even the Golden Mare would have bankrupted itself trying to get their hands on twenty of them, but the Guild came through for them and provided them for the mission.


    The only problem though is that these suits, despite how protective they are, are incredibly unwieldy and uncomfortable. Wearing them is like suddenly putting on an extra layer of fat and skin all over your body. The gloves are thick and make delicate tasks difficult, the suits are only made in three sizes, so if yours doesn¡¯t fit right, you just have to deal with it, and to make matters worse, the things eat mana shards.


    In order to keep the wearer from cooking themselves to death inside, the suits have to be enchanted with cooling spells that are woven into the suit itself, with a little box on the chest for feeding in fresh mana shards to keep everything running. All your breathing has to be done through a specially made gas mask that is built into the suite, the filters needing to be regularly checked and replaced as needed, with the wearer only being able to speak and hear those around them because of more enchantments built into the helmet that allows for it, otherwise, everything the wearer says would be horribly muffled and barely understandable. And besides those is the rather embarrassing enchantments that are designed to remove filth from the inside of the suits. Sweat, vomit, urine, and shit¡­ The suits are designed to be used for extended periods of time in environments where you can¡¯t take the thing off without dying. And obviously, people still have to be able to do their business...This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The result? Besides a further increase in the price of the suit and the drain on mana reserves, is that if you are planning on wearing the thing long enough to actually need to use the self-cleaning feature, then you can¡¯t wear anything under the suit. Clothes get in the way and can cause the enchantments to misfire, because they are still a work in progress apparently. The fact alone that the people who made these thing were able to design a spell for cleaning up filth is already amazing, but they just haven¡¯t quite figured out how to get it to clean shit stains out of your pants without also destroying your pants in the process¡­


    Regardless, and long spiel aside, these suits are horribly expensive and horribly uncomfortable to wear for longer than a couple of hours. Fighting in them is hard, just using your hands is hard, you have to eat and drink everything though a straw and breathe through a filter that has to be replaced every so often, you¡¯re basically naked under them and frog leather feels weird on your skin, and worse of all, Mikey now knows what it feels like to have hot shit running down his legs and also how it feels to have magic clean said shit off his legs. It isn¡¯t pleasant and it feels like being licked by an ice cold tongue¡­


    The things I do for money¡­ Still, one platinum is one platinum. When I get out of here, I¡¯m going to rent out an entire brothel just for myself and get stinking drunk. Hell, I¡¯ll buy the brothel! And I¡¯ll have the girls serve me in the nude and hand feed me as I use softest one as a pillow. And there won¡¯t be a single mushroom in my food!


    Trying to think happy thoughts about the future, Mikey gets back to work and uses his machete to hack though tall mushroom stalks like he is trying to clear the way through a jungle¡¯s foliage.


    The things are growing from almost every surface and even hang from the ceiling, with some being as tall as a full-grown man. The adventurers can hardly even see past the thick foliage of fungi that blocks up so many of the Dungeon¡¯s labyrinthine tunnels. If it weren¡¯t for the blockage, a party of this size and power would have already reached the fourth floor by now, but instead they are having to cut and trudge their way through thousands of mushrooms and zombies.


    Hacking though another thick stalk, Mikey reels back and curses as a hand tries to reach out and grab him, the black and withered thing stopping just short of scratching his visor.


    ¡°Shit, fucking things!¡±


    With a hack of his machete, the arm drops off the ground, the hand still grasping and clawing for a few moments before finally going still. Clearing away more of the tall fungi, he finds the zombie stuck to the wall of the hallway, its body being half rotted away and partially fused to the stone by the mushrooms growing off its body.


    ¡°Ah, shit¡­ Hey, found a human!¡±


    Dale looks over at the moaning and clicking corpse and nods. ¡°Right, find the tag so we can take it back with the others.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, I hate this part¡­¡±


    Using his club, Mikey smashes the zombie over the head, finishing the poor bastard off. From the look of it, they probably used to be a freshy. Hardly any armor on the corpse, weapons look like shit, and he can safely guess that their clothes were already ratty looking before dying and getting turned into a corpse glued to the wall. Probably just recently joined the Guild and trying to make a living like so many other desperate people, just to end up like this¡­


    Once the body stops squirming and Mikey is sure that it is actually dead for real now, he stows his weapons and gets to work on searching though the zombie''s clothes. With how rotted and infested with mushrooms it is, he can¡¯t even accurately tell if it used to be a boy or a girl, but he is certain that they were young.


    Pushing his fingered into a filth-soaked shirt, the old fabric sticking to dead flesh like glue, he eventually manages to snag a little metal token in the chest pocket. Behind him, the others are walking past, someone else already taking his place to chop through the thick vegetation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see here, who were you?¡± He says as he finally pulls the tag out and tries to wipe some of the filth off.


    ¡°Oh, a girl. That sucks, she might have been cute once. Better ways of earning money than throwing your life away in here sweety, you could have just spread your legs¡­ Anyone know a Cathy, from Hemitt Village? She on the list?¡±


    ¡°Hand it here.¡±


    A hand reaches out for it, a list already held in the other. Mikey can¡¯t tell who is in the suit, not without sharing names, but Vin and Falcon were the ones put in charge of keeping any collected tags, so it¡¯s one of them.


    They take the tag and then go down the list, nodding before adding it to the bag with the others.


    ¡°Found her. Cathy from Hemitt, seventeen years old, next of kin is her brother. Says here that she went searching for him when he and his two friends never made it back from the Dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Oof¡­ No next of kin then, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sucks. Alright, that makes fourteen in mine now. Keep an eye out for more, the Clan gets a bonus for everyone we bring back.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Up ahead, the guy who replaced Mikey calls out, ¡°Looks like it is clearing out up ahead, can see-¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    Mikey and the tag collector turn and look towards the guy, curious about why he suddenly stopped talking. They find him there, his machete clattering to the floor from his limp hand as his body slumps forward, the long, rusted blade of a sword jutting out from the back of his skull as he chokes on his last words.


    Dale curses, ¡°Shit! They killed Kenny!¡±


    The zombie wielding the sword pulls it out of Kenny¡¯s skull and slashes through the mushrooms, moving forward at frightening speeds to attack Dale, who blocks with the shaft of his hammer, their weapons clashing with the sound of colliding metal that fills the hall with a loud clang.


    Carther charges forward with his shield and short sword, swiping at the zombie and forcing it to surprising back off. ¡°You bastard!¡±


    The Undead aren¡¯t known for dodging attacks, not typically being smart enough to avoid taking damage. But there are special cases where in some will retain past experience from their life, making them into much deadlier things.


    ¡°Special infested!¡± Dale calls out as he and Carther move to press the retreating zombie.


    The things armor is only just loosely hanging around its body now from how far it has decomposed, but even with its withered frame, the thing moves deceptively quick, darting in for attacks that Carther has to block with his shield while grunting, while Dale tries to take any openings to swing his massive hammer at the rotted corpse.


    Sidestepping a downward swing from Dale, the zombie swordman grinds his sword against Carther¡¯s shield as he pushes against it, transitioning into an upward swing at Dale¡¯s chest as he goes back on the attack. He blocks, using the head of his hammer to catch the blade and push it back.


    As the three fight, noise comes from down the hall and back the way they came, more of the Undead clearly being drawn in by the noise of metal clashing against metal.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got incoming! Somebody kill that fucking thing already!¡± Somebody shouts from the back, the mushroom filled hall being too narrow for too many people to move to the front at once.


    Those at the back of the group turn to intercept the Goblin and Gremlin zombies that are sprinting down the path they had been clearing, smashing the little Undead as they reach them, with some holding back the horde with shields.


    Up at the front, Mikey catches sight of someone moving to the front of the group, recognizing Sussan by the weird, curved longsword that hangs from her hip. Supposedly, she had gotten it from some kingdom far to the south-east in the deserts.


    Walking right into the battle between the special infected and the others, the thing tries to take a swipe at her after its blow gets parried by Dale. She simply shifts her body to the side, the rusty longsword missing her body by a hair before she draws her own blade and cuts the zombie in half from hip to shoulder, her second strike removing its head before its upper half even has the chance to fall to the ground.


    ¡°Tighten up formation! We need to keep moving! Fight off the hordes and switch with those behind you when you get tired! And somebody make sure that Kenny stays dead¡­¡±


    Kenny¡¯s corpse gets dragged back into the center of the formation, his pierced head leaking brain juices along the floor as he is dragged by the yellow-green legs of his suit.


    ¡°Shit¡­ Sorry, Kenny¡­ We¡¯ll make sure your ma gets your tag to bury.¡±


    His tag is pulled off from where it hangs around his neck and his pack of extra mana shards and filters are removed. Then a battleaxe is brought down on his corpse three times. Once to remove what is left of his head, and then twice more to destroy the torso because the Undead don¡¯t actually need their heads to come back. Once they are sure that he won¡¯t be coming back, his destroyed body is set aside as respectfully as possible, left to be eaten by the Dungeon. A final resting place that many an adventurer share.


    The adventurers of the Golden Mare don¡¯t get a chance to properly mourn his death, forced to move forward as they continue to fight their way through the hordes of little Undead, Mikey making sure to collect the tag of the swordsman zombie along the way.


    Joel, huh? Rest in peace guy, but personally, fuck you for killing Kenny, you bastard.


    He hands the tag over to the collector and another name gets marked off the list, the adventurers of the Golden Mare stepping over his corpse as they fight their way deeper into the Dungeon.

 B2. Chapter 2.2- Living Graveyard

    For Susan, this is one of the most outlandish missions she has ever been on. Hunting sandworms in the desert, that had sucked. Escorting ambassador Zarrin through enemy territory, that had been a serious annoyance, the Noble man complaining at every slight inconvenience and constantly trying to sexually harass her. Exterminating a tribe of Goblins living in a massive cave system had left her wanting to rip off her own nose and left her with a deep hatred for the little green bastards. Clearing sewers of a Slime infestation? She¡¯s never doing that again, even if she were to go back to being some broke kid with nothing but a dream again. That just wasn¡¯t worth the pay, and Susan swears that she can still smell the sewage in her hair even seven years later, and Slime does not play nice with clothing¡­ That made for an embarrassing afternoon, sneaking out of the sewers with barely a shred of clothing on her body and covered in slime. Had to steal a towel from someone¡¯s laundry line and rush back to her inn while people pointed and laughed¡­


    Looking back on it now, she can laugh at her younger self, but she can¡¯t help but cringe at how many dirty jobs she has had to do in her life and how they usually ended with her wishing and praying for a hot bath. But those undesirable jobs had led to her reaching the point she is at now. A renowned swordswoman that acts as the posterchild of the Golden Mare. When young girls are thinking about joining them, they do so while dreaming of becoming like her. When young boys join, they do so while sneaking shy peeks at her, probably dreaming of one day being the lucky man to finally bed her.


    She has money, skill, valuable equipment, and fame. As far as any adventurer is concerned, she has made it. But this isn¡¯t enough. This isn¡¯t what Susan wanted out of becoming an adventurer.


    No, what she always wanted is a proper challenge. A great challenge. One that would be her mark on history. Daniel and the Dragon. Flint and the Bloody Twenty-Year War. Xenia and the Great Terror! Legends, each and every one of them, and each marked by a battle against an impossible foe.


    Susan wants to have a fight that will be recorded in history. The sort of fight that is sang about by bards for generations to come and dreamed about by little kids as they drift off to sleep at night, imagining their futures.


    This Necromancer might be her chance at finally getting that fight.


    Susan and the Necromancer! A tale of how the heroine saved the city of Silest from an Undead threat. That is her dream. And once she gets the reward from this bounty, she could even pay people to write her story. Her very own book! Now that would be a hell of a way to retire from being an adventurer. A dream come true.


    But first, she has to get through one more dirty job¡­


    Susan cringes as another mushroom infested zombie falls in half to her blade, its rotted insides spilling out as a slurry of mushy meat and juices mixed with colorful fungus, spores flying out in every direction like she just popped a balloon full of confetti.


    She doesn¡¯t even get the chance to whip the fresh mess off of her suit before she has to cut down another and another again, the zombies seemingly having endless numbers to pull from.


    After leaving the second floor, a grueling crawl that took eight hours of moving at a slug''s pace and that cost them their first casualty, the raid party finally managed to reach the third floor after having to hack their way through a staircase full of mushrooms so thick that it might have well been a wall.


    Eight hours to reach the third floor and one casualty. Utterly ridiculous. Before this happened, everyone here could have reached the first boss by themselves in under three hours, four tops, with most of the time just being dedicated towards walking. The first layer of any Dungeon is nothing but beginner level stuff after all, Gremlins and Goblins and the rare trap, and you are more likely to find treasure than you are to stumble into a pitfall here.


    But now, a full raid party of twenty, regretfully now nineteen, well trained adventurers are nearing almost a whole day of travel without even reaching the first boss. All because of the metric shit load of mushrooms that are blocking their path and the constant harassment from the Undead.


    To make matters somehow worse, it appears the third floor has an even higher density of Undead enemies, which Susan is assuming is because they couldn¡¯t reach the entrance like those on the first two floors. Instead, the numbers on this floor and probably those further down as well, have just been steadily increasing with each passing day.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, people are getting tired. We¡¯re going to need to find a place to rest for a while.¡±


    ¡°How far until we reach the next Safe Room?¡± Susan asks even though she knows that the Safe Rooms aren¡¯t actually safe anymore. The Undead and mushrooms don¡¯t exactly care about the Dungeon¡¯s rules, but they are still a good place for refilling their water.


    ¡°At the pace we¡¯re moving, not a for a couple more hours, ma¡¯am.¡± He reports as Susan slices another Goblin in half, its corpse exploding into a rainbow of spores and gore.


    ¡°Eehhhh¡­ Alright, lets grab a room and take a break.¡±


    Susan doesn¡¯t mention the fact that she could use a break herself.


    This suit is so uncomfortable. With these fat gloves, I can¡¯t even properly hold my sword, the neck doesn¡¯t turn far enough, and I think this damn thing is going to give me a rash¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s not take too long, I want us to keep moving as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    The group makes for the nearest room, hacking though mushroom stalks as they go and fending off the Undead. Once they arrive, they look inside to find the room to be, unsurprising to nobody at all, filled with even more mushrooms.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Ben, Vinny, clear it out.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am!¡±


    Two of the Golden Mares few mages move forward under the guard of the others as the hold back the Undead, giving them the space they need to work.


    With a quickly chanted incantation, Vinny brings his hands down and pushes Earth mana into the dirt floor, a wall suddenly springing forth and blocking off the room¡¯s entrance with nothing but a small hole leading in. Ben quickly moves over to stick his hand in the hole and finishes his own chant, Fire mana spilling off his body and warming those around him as his spell launches into the sealed off room.


    What follows is a muffled explosion as Ben quickly pulls his hand back out and Vinny seals the wall, the Dungeon around them just barely shaking by the explosion going off.


    When Vinny brings the wall back down, a curtain of black smoke comes billowing out of the room and flooding into the hall. They have to give it some time for the smoke to clear out before people can start to enter. The once mushroom filled room now looking like a charred black oven full of ash.


    ¡°I wish we could just burn the whole Dungeon clear of these things. Would be so much simpler.¡±


    ¡°Not without killing all of us in the process. Hurry up and get in here, we¡¯re sealing it behind us!¡±


    People quickly pull back from fighting off the zombies and get into the room, the last few fighters pushing back the Undead at the door as Vinny goes to raise the wall again, leaving it slightly open up at the top to let air flow.


    A plan to use fire to clear a path had been put forward earlier, but was quickly discarded when it was discovered just how violently these mushrooms react to fire. To put it simply, they explode.


    Out in the open, this isn¡¯t too dangerous so long as one is willing to ignore that the explosion causes more spores to be spread, but underground, it becomes far deadlier with each explosion setting off more and more explosions and spreading fires everywhere. But this isn¡¯t the primary concern as the adventurers could theoretically just hide in a room and ride out the destruction. No, the problem is the smoke and the poisonous air that is left behind. Given a few hours, the Dungeon should be able to clean it and replace it all with breathable air again, but before then, they would have all died gasping for air. Even with their air filters, they know that they won¡¯t be able to breathe the deadly air.


    ¡°Everyone accounted for? No one¡¯s missing, right?¡±


    A quick head count shows they are good, so Susan keeps speaking.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re taking a quick break. Check over each other¡¯s suits for damage, recharge them, and then take some time to eat and rest. I know the food sucks ass, but you guys better get used to eating through a straw for the foreseeable future. If you want to get back to eating solids again, let¡¯s make this quick and clear this mission.¡±


    She gets a bunch of mumbled yes ma¡¯ams and other affirmatives as everyone moves to check over their neighbor¡¯s suit for any little damages. One of the two healers they brought with them, Elaine, a little Light Mage that ran away from home because her parents tried to sell her to the Church to pay off their debts, comes over and quickly checks over Susan¡¯s suit. She then does the same for her.


    ¡°Alright, you look good.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Uhm, boss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what is it, Elaine?¡±


    ¡°Could I do some fighting to? My Light magic would do short work of these zombies if you let me.¡± The girl asks nervously, shyly playing with her hands. Her shy motions look funny with her wearing the big bulky suit, like an alien trying to act like a hamster.


    ¡°No. I know you can handle them just fine, but we aren¡¯t going to take the risk of you getting hurt. Besides, the rest of us have the combat side of things covered, just focus on keeping us all alive. Besides, without a good source of proper light, your mana regeneration will be too slow. We don¡¯t need you draining yourself if we can avoid it.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, alright.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just having you here is already a big help. Knowing that we have a healer at our backs helps us frontliners fighter harder, knowing that we can take more risks.¡±


    ¡°Not that I can do anything to heal a sword through a skull¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Poor Kenny. But we all knew what we¡¯re signing up for when we accepted this mission. Don¡¯t let it weigh on you too much. Come on, get some food in ya.¡±


    Elaine nods in what looks like a sad way, Susan can¡¯t tell because she can¡¯t see her face through the tinted visor, but body language is more than enough. Digging out some of their rations from their sealed packs, Susan grimaces as she pops her straw in and then hooks it up to the feeding slot in the suit that leads into a little feeding nipple just under her visor.


    Biting down on the thing, Susan sucks the liquified food into her mouth and tries not gag as she swallows it.


    Elaine is clearly not enjoying it either and is visibly reeling at the flavor and texture, clenching her arms and hands and visibly shuddering.


    ¡°Ah, this tastes like shit!¡± Elain curses after swallowing a mouthful, something that the normally very polite girl would never do, even after a couple of years of having adventurers rubbing off their bad habits onto her.


    ¡°Yeah, whoever made this, they didn¡¯t bother with flavor at all... From what I was told, they made this stuff purely for long term survival. Has everything a person needs to stay alive. Supposedly, you can last for ten years or so just eating this stuff or whatever. They had a long list of illnesses that it keeps you from getting, but I stopped listening halfway through the explanation. All I caught was that it can keep you from catching scurvy and that it will probably never go bad.¡±


    ¡°Scurvy?¡±


    ¡°Sailor¡¯s disease. From not eating your fruits and vegetables.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Well, it certainly tastes like it¡¯s gone bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    The two of them finish gagging down the rest of their ¡®meal,¡¯ if it can even be called that, and then reconnect their water containers to the nipple so they can drink. To minimize points of entry into the suit, there is only one feeding port that must be used for both food and water, but not at the same time. This sadly causes their first couple sips of water to still carry the taste of the slop they just ate as the two are trying to wash down the flavor.


    Crushing the disposable container for the ¡®food,¡¯ Susan tosses it into a corner of the room like trash. Others are already doing the same, tossing away the emptied things with clear disdain and plenty of curses.


    After changing out her filter and feeding a fresh mana shard into her suit, Susan calls out to everybody.


    ¡°Ten more minutes, then we¡¯re getting back to work. Wrap up your business and make sure you¡¯re good to go!¡±


    Beside her, Elaine is squirming on the floor and looking down, embarrassed?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Susan asks the younger girl curiously.


    Elaine quickly looks up at her before looking away again, the motion would have normally been rather cute, but wearing the bulky hazmat suit, it just looks silly.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I need to use the restroom¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I would recommend doing it before we get going, doing it while we¡¯re on the move wouldn¡¯t be good.¡±


    ¡°Right, I just¡­ It¡¯s so gross, and embarrassing¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, just going to have to get used to it. Just think about having a hot bath once we¡¯re done here.¡±


    ¡°Right, right¡­¡±


    The embarrassed girl gets up and moves to the corner of the room and proceeds to just awkwardly stand there, facing away from everyone. Susan tries to give her some decency by not watching the poor girl¡­


    ¡°Ahh! Why does it feel like its licking me clean!? Euhhh! Grossgrossgross, I hate this!!!¡±


    ¡°Uhhh, I hate dirty jobs¡­¡± Susan sighs as Elaine is experiencing the suit¡¯s self-cleaning enchantments for the first time. ¡°This Necromancer better be worth it.¡±

 B2. Chapter 2.3- Living Graveyard

    Three days. Three days of slogging through a veritable jungle of deadly mushrooms and hordes of Undead Goblins and the occasional human zombie. Three days just to get through the first layer of the Dungeon with a party of experienced adventurers numbering twenty, now nineteen, strong, when a party of four novices could have done it originally in just one day.


    Three days of constantly getting hounded at all hours, their only rest being when they can barricade themselves in a room, and even then, their rest can hardly be called restful. Stuck in their hazmat suites, forced to drink disgusting food out of a straw, not even being able to take a shit like a normal person, and now, stuck inside of a room as some monstrosity is pounding on the wall and trying to break in!


    Elaine finches as the thing smashes against the wall blocking off access to the room again, loud wet moans escaping a multitude of dead lips and mixing with the bestial gurgle of some unhuman throat as it rams against the wall again and again. With every moan that escapes the yet to be seen monster¡¯s lips, there is that infernal clicking as layers of hardened mushrooms inside its many throats slap together and ring out like a death¡¯s call.


    Susan watches as the stone wall shakes and dirt falls off its surface, certain that it is multiple throats making the noise as a single being would never be capable of making a noise like this, no matter how mutilated their body becomes. And further, it can¡¯t be multiple zombies slamming against the wall. No, the hit always comes at once, from a single source, which would be impossible to have happen unless the hordes are somehow able to move in perfect synchronicity.


    Whatever is out there is big, and it wants inside.


    Initially, when it had showed up, most everyone had been sleeping after a long day of trudging through the Dungeon, exhausted, irritated, and in desperate need of some rest. The first sign of it had been the stomping of large feet against the stone floor outside and the snaping of mushroom stalks as it moved its large frame down the hall.


    Still, most people had slept, those who were awake remained quiet and waited for it to pass. And yet somehow it knew they were there. It slammed against the wall and people awoke cursing, weapons getting drawn as people pulled themselves up from wherever they had passed out on the floor.


    Orders were given for everyone to be quiet, to hold their ground and hope that it will give up and leave. But it simply continued to pound on the door like a door-to-door salesman trying to sell them life insurance.


    When cracks started to form in the barrier, Vinny rushed forward and reinforced it, adding more and more earth to the wall as whatever is on the other side continued to slam into it with the determination of the dead.


    ¡°Keep it up Vinny. Keep it out until we are ready.¡± Susan yells over the noise of flesh smashing against stone as she and Dale point and direct people to where to stand, quickly organizing everyone for battle. ¡°Let¡¯s make this quick people! The last thing we need is this thing drawing in even more Undead to us from all this noise. We make it quick; wall goes down and we lure it in, then strike with everything we got. Vinny, after it enters, wall goes back up, understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±


    Another smash against the stone wall leaves large cracks growing down its surface, Vinny cursing as he pushes more mana in to mend the construct, forcing more dirt into the cracks as earth moves up against gravity¡¯s will.


    Quickly moving around as Dale barks out orders, everyone gets into position and gathers behind the tanks, ready and waiting for anything, their fatigue from earlier pushed to the back of their minds as they clench their weapons in anticipation.


    ¡°Drop it!¡± Susan orders once she gets a nod from Dale.


    Vinny, with a quick adjustment to his spell, commands the earth to return back the ground and then quickly turns and runs to get behind the nearest tank, the monster on the other side busting through hardly a second later in a rain of rubble and dirt as it forces its large frame into the room with a gurgling and clicking call of many voices.


    ¡°By the Goddess, what the fuck is that thing!?¡± Susan hears someone curse as the large thing crashes into the room and rams into the tank in its path, the man bracing his shield with his whole body as he digs his feet into the ground to stop the charging, his feet carving furrows into the ground as he is pushed back nearly three feet further into the room.


    Arrows fly out almost immediately when the tank and the Undead come to a grinding halt, the projectiles finding rotting flesh and burying themselves into bone with loud ¡®thunks!¡¯


    At the entrance, Vinny is already chanting as he works to raise the wall again and two others are fighting to keep out any Undead that are trying to sneak in.


    ¡°Spears, immobilize it!¡± Dale orders and four men hush forward to stab their weapons into the massive Undead¡¯s flanks and legs, holding fast as the thing starts to buck like a horse and smash its tusked face against the shield. The tank returns the blows, smashing his steel plated shield into its face as he stabs with his short sword, aiming to take out any of the multitude of blood-filled eyes that are staring him down.


    More arrows sink into its sides as a second tank charges in and shield bashes the thing¡¯s side, forcing it off two of its feet for a moment and further impaling it on the spears stabbed into its opposite side.


    Against a normal beast, such an attack would have disabled it, or potential been the killing blow, but the Undead seems Unfazed even as more arrows turn it into a pin cushion and the adventures continue to cut at it and stab it with their blades from behind the protection of their tank¡¯s backs.


    Rearing up on its hind legs, the beast kicks forward, a pair of massive hooves denting into the shield blocking its attack before then slamming back down and headbutting again. Behind, it kicks out and a hoof meets one of the spearmen that wasn¡¯t able to move out of the way in time. The man gets sent flying back, all the air in his lungs escaping as a loud ¡®oof!¡¯ as his spear gets left behind in the Undead¡¯s side.


    ¡°Medic!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡± Elaine yells as she rushes over to tend to him, a healing spell already on her tongue as she runs for the downed man.


    Replacing the spearman, another tank charges in and smashes into the beast¡¯s side, helping to sandwich it in place as the men fight to hold it still and block its wild kicks, their shields being left with dents as they get pushed back again and again by the rampaging thing and their shield sounding out like gongs with every blocked blow.


    ¡°Fucking hell!¡± One of tanks curses as withered hands grab his shield¡¯s edge, pulling and wrestling against his as they try to pull his shield out of his grip. A human head is quick to join the hands, its jaw clamping down on the top of the shield, a woman¡¯s withered and mushroom covered face showing over the top as her glassy and dead eyes look down at the man, her bloodied hair spilling over the side and falling out in handfuls as the beast continues to fight below her.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Another of the spear men reels back as a pair of arms tries to grab him, a human corpse growing out of the monstrosity and reaching for him with what could almost be considered as pleading, an upside-down face of a man locked in final moment of fear, calling out to the adventurers as tears of poisonous blood falls endlessly from his eyes.


    A swords blade is stabbed through the face of the crying man, cutting its endless wails short, but the body continues to move, and the arms continue to try and reach out for anything it can grab, the sword quickly having to be abandoned in its new rotted sheath as its owner pulls back from being grabbed.


    With another ground slam, the mushrooms covering the Undead¡¯s body erupt into a shower of spores, filling the air of the enclosed room in a rain of colors as if a glitter bomb had just gone off in the room.


    Visors are obscured, filters get jammed up, and in the brief moment that everyone is blinded, a shield gets ripped away from the tank on the Undead¡¯s left side, the beast suddenly turning and striking out with its massive tusks to run the man through the gut.


    Screaming in pain and coughing blood up into the helmet of his hazmat suit, the speared tank is lifted off the ground and shaken around like a ragdoll, his short sword getting dropped as he desperately calls for help and the tusk is forced further into his body and out the other side. Atop the beast of an Undead, the mourning human corpses reach out and grab his arms, shoulders, and head, pulling on him with inhuman force and trying to drag him up and onto the thing¡¯s malformed back despite him being pinned on the massive tusk and unable to move.


    ¡°No!¡± Dale screams just as he is finally able to clear his visor of the spores enough to see.


    He charges forward to try and stop it, his war hammer raised and ready to strike, but before he can reach the man, the poor tank lets out one last scream as his body is violently torn in half at the middle, his lower half now held in the mouth of the beast as his upper half is pulled up top.


    Guts spill and fall from his body, spilling onto the floor and onto the back of the beast, wetting everything in a fresh coat of crimson as his screams finally go quiet. In the mouth of the Undead, his lower half disappears as it is swallowed, but his upper half, it is pulled up and up, mushrooms already starting to sprout from his intestines as he is pulled into the embrace of those on top.


    With a wet squelching noise, he is unceremoniously planted onto the back of the beast along with the others, the mushrooms gladly growing in fresh soil as they move to hold everything together and he is left there, yellow-green hazmat suit sticking out like a morbid flag atop a hill.


    And then he jolts, his body suddenly jerking back into motion as his hands reach for the heavens as if begging for salvation¡­


    It took only a matter of moments, but the cursed Undead had grown in size through an unholy union of flesh.


    ¡°By the Goddess¡­¡±


    ¡°What the fuck!?¡±


    ¡°Chuck! No!!!¡±


    Someone rushes forward, but is quickly grabbed and forced back, the man screaming bloody murder at the hellish monster as he looks up at the moving corpse of his best friend on its back.


    Dale is quick to bark out orders and get everyone back into order, having just cut off his own charge before disorder can break out.


    ¡°Form up! Shields in the front, force it against the wall! Those that need to, back off and change your filters and clean your visors! Archers, aim for the ones on its back!¡±


    With a roar, the three remaining tanks charge forward and smash into the Undead monster, slamming into it with the full force of their weight and rage. Almost toppling the thing over, they force the thing back until it is smashing into the wall, one of the human corpses on its back getting reduced to a nasty paste as it gets caught between a wall and a hard corpse.


    Arrows fly out and pierce into the human corpses, pining arms to flesh and torsos and stabbing out eyes.


    ¡°Ben, burn this fucking thing!¡± Dale orders as he smashes down on its skull with his war hammer.


    Over the din of battle, they can hear as he starts to chant, the mana in the air moving under the control of his Field and Fire mana filling the room with warmth. Once his chant nears the end, everyone disengages without needing to be ordered. The tanks give one last shield bash into the beast before pulling back, the giant Undead letting out a roar of clicking moans and gurgles as it is sent reeling back.


    ¡°- and burn my enemies! Fire Spear!¡± Ben finishes, a flaming spear a meter long erupting from his open palm as it cuts through the air and stabs into the body of the beast.


    It immediately erupts into flames, human and beast throats alike screaming out as fire licks over dead flesh and covers it in its entirety.


    ¡°Get behind those shields!¡±


    Reacting to the flames, the mushroom covered Undead explodes, flaming spores flying in every direction as the body of the beast and those poor humans on its back are suddenly blown into a spray of flaming shrapnel of flesh and bone.


    Meat clangs against their protections, the fires spreading to burn away at the loose spores that had spread through the room earlier and quickly lighting the floor on fire.


    With their hazmat suits, the burning floor is not an immediate threat, but Ben quickly casts a spell to bring all the flames under his control and smothers them all. In a matter of moments, the room is left smoking and the giant corpse of the Undead is left as a charred and exploded mess in the corner, whatever is left of the blackened human corpses are reaching up as if trying to grab on to something in their final moments.


    The corpse doesn¡¯t move, and people promptly collapse as their exhaustion finally catches up with them. They had already been resting from a long day''s trek before this started, but then that had been interrupted. Everyone is exhausted now.


    Dale forces himself through his own exhaustion and barks out a roll call, calling out names and demanding a status report. While he works, Susan cleans some gore off her blade and looks over the burnt corpse, Chucks body still clearly visible on its back, having been mostly protected from the flames by his suit, his body alone still squirming atop the dead mass of flesh now.


    ¡°Fuck me¡­¡±


    Walking up to the thing, she looks it over, zombie Chuck reaching out and grasping for the human that just approached him. She can¡¯t see his face behind his tinted visor, but she can hear as he is gnashing his teeth and moans.


    Why is the first boss out here? Why isn¡¯t it in its room? How did it and these people end up like¡­ this?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chuck. Please, rest in peace.¡±


    Giving him her final words, Susan strikes out twice with her sword in a quick motion. The first removes his arms, letting her get closer as her sword quickly returns takes off his head, her blade slicing through the hazmat suit¡¯s leather and chainmail both with practiced ease. With a third strike, she pierces his heart, and the corpse finally goes still.


    Once everything has calmed down, Elaine carefully walks over to Susan, nervously watching the charred remains of what used to be a giant boar fused with several human corpses.


    ¡°What is this thing? ¡­How did it end up like this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ The boss shouldn¡¯t even be able to leave its room and, honestly, I didn¡¯t know that the Undead could do, well¡­ this¡­¡± Susan responds as she looks the thing over, noting how it wasn¡¯t just the mushrooms that were holding everything together, but that the meat of the different corpses seem to have fused together. The corpse of Chuck, from what she can tell, had apparently already started the process before dying, with half of his torso already melding into the meat of the boars back with his intestines still spilling out on the open side. They just hadn¡¯t been able to see it happening with all the mushrooms in the way.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t anything like the Undead Dungeon¡­¡± Elaine says as she gives a mournful look towards Chuck¡¯s severed head where it had fallen on the floor, his tag lying beside it. She gingerly picks up the tag and holds it close.


    ¡°Mhm, you trained there, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ It wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience, but it helped me improve my magic. But the Undead never did anything like this. They never changed. They were always just the same walking corpses¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess this is just the difference between ones made by a Dungeon and ones made by a Necromancer¡­ I¡¯m looking forward to fighting her. If she can make monsters like this, then she must be strong. I hope she puts up a good fight.¡±


    Elaine just looks towards her boss, not certain about what to say.


    After a moment, Susan lets out a sigh and then steps towards the corpse.


    ¡°Well, let hurry this up, help me see if we can find these people¡¯s tags. Then, after some more rest, we need to hurry and get to the boss room. I¡¯m not looking forward to whatever it is we might find there¡­¡±

 B2. Chapter 2.4- Living Graveyard

    The Boss Room¡¯s door lies open, the glowing gem that rests above the door, flickering between green and red as if it can¡¯t make up its mind, mushrooms growing over every surface and even jammed into the hinges of the massive ornate doors that are stuck awkwardly ajar. Fungous grows over everything like mold here, the doors which once depicted boars running through a forest, now reduced to a disgustingly sticky mess of running, living, colors and fussy growths like that of what one might find if they leave food laying out for too long.


    Even the stone floors and their perfectly lain bricks of cobblestone are now covered in a lush and flowing carpet of fuzzy green and blue nastiness that would leave most people retching and gagging if they were to touch it with their bare flesh. Every step on this carpet of living filth is accompanied by the squelching of juicy fungous being squished and leaves boots and their leather soles covered in fluids, spores, and fuzz of varying colors that all mix into a color that can best be described as an unflushed-toilet brown.


    All of this spreads out from the Boss Room, as if some special sickness is originating from the depths of this room where the braziers are only half lit, half of the room still being bathed in a veiling darkness that keeps the viewer from spying that which is surely hiding away inside.


    And something is most definitely in there, the noises of movement and moaning, clicking hard mushrooms, grinding teeth, and bone sliding over bone, escaping a mess of dead throats in a chorus of bestial noise that sends a shiver running down one''s spine. Whatever is on the other side is most certainly inhuman in form, as this chorus of revolting noise could not possibly come from even the most disformed of human tongues.


    Cautiously approaching the open doorway, three large shields raised and held at the ready, the adventurers stomp through the muck and filth, leaving a trail of brown footprints behind them. Ready and waiting for some Undead horror to come tearing out of the room as they tense their muscles and wait with weapons held at the ready to respond at a moment¡¯s notice.


    But nothing happens¡­


    They draw closer and closer, certain that whatever is inside can surely see the large group of humans approaching under the rainbow of lights generated by the hellish fungus that grows on every surface, the old gentle blue that used to light the first layer of the Dungeon having been long replaced by these foreign invaders. Even if they can¡¯t see it, whatever this thing is, it has to know that they are here. But nothing happens even as the tanks reach the door and cover it from frame to frame with their large shields.


    Susan watches and waits for behind them, a hand held on the hilt of her sheaved sword, squinting as she tries to peer into the darkness and spot whatever it is that is inside. Allowing herself to look away for a moment when she fails to spot anything, she looks towards where the door switch is, curious as to why it is that the doors is open.


    Pressed up against the wall is a woman, her hand held against the switch and mold growing over her entire arm, keeping it stuck in place against the wall. From beneath the mold, the glow of the switch constantly accepting her hand over and over again can be seen as a faint flickering of light. Her body, withered and famished, is practically fused to the wall from where she apparently fell against it with mushrooms sprouting out of her back and connecting her to the nearest wall, the ceiling, and the floor in a web of mycorrhizal lines and roots, her hair a matted mess of blood and filth, with shrooms growing out of her ears and from a nasty crack in her cranium.


    ¡°Somebody, grab her tag. And get her hand off that switch.¡± Susan orders as she points towards the corpse.


    ¡°Right¡­ Geez, poor girl¡­ She looks like she could almost be alive sti-¡± Mikey says as he approaches the woman, machete held in hand. He is quick to stop though as the woman suddenly opens her one eye and gasps for air, the breath coming in ragged and wet like she is trying to breathe through a layer of sludge lodged in her throat.


    ¡°Goddess!¡± Mikey curses as he quickly backs up; machete held up in defense.


    ¡°Please- please¡­ help me¡­ please¡­¡±


    The woman begs, fighting to move her body as her one exposed eye look toward the frightened Mikey with clear desperation. Tears run down her face at the sight of another human being, her skin stretching as she fights to pull against the fungus that is gluing her to the wall. With every pained breath that escapes her lunges, spores are spread into the air, the mushrooms growing from her body like sick ornaments, releasing more with her every motion as she strains against her prison of colorful flesh.


    ¡°Pleaaase! Please, help¡­ me¡­ Please, I don¡¯t want to die like¡­ this¡­ Please¡­ save me¡­¡±


    ¡°What the fuck, how is she still alive?¡± Mikey asks as he takes another step back, the pitiful woman¡¯s pleading only growing more desperate as she watches him retreat.


    Everyone else is watching now, and though their expressions can¡¯t be seen behind the tinted visors of their suits, it is clear that all of them are watching with varying levels of disgust, pity, and abject horror in their eyes.


    ¡°Elaine, can you heal her?¡± Dale asks in the direction of the crowd.


    She is quick to move forward, but doesn¡¯t get any closer than anyone else.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. The best I can do is fix broken bones and mend cuts, with enough time and mana, I can regrow some muscle, but¡­ but this¡­¡± She examines the crying woman and cringes as she takes in all the damage to her body, looking over how the mushrooms are not just grown on her, but from inside of her, breaking out through her flesh and muscle to be exposed to the open air. In many places, Elaine can see white bone where the roots of the mushrooms have spread, the grey tendrils disappearing somewhere deeper into her living flesh.


    ¡°I can¡¯t save her. Not like this, and not here¡­ I don¡¯t even know how she is still alive. The mushrooms are growing into her brain and into her chest cavity. We would have to cut her out and bring her back to the surface for surgery, and even then¡­ I don¡¯t think I have enough mana to keep her alive long enough to make the trip, not without sunlight. I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ I can¡¯t save you¡­ I am so, so sorry¡­¡±


    The crying woman grows even worse, her words no longer even being understandable as she continues to sob and beg for salvation, choking as another hitched breath forces hundreds of more rainbow-colored spores out of her throat like she is throwing up.


    Elaine falls to her knees and holds her hands in prayer. Still being a devout follower of the faith even if she had run away from her call to duty as a future Nun of the Church.


    ¡°O Goddess, please watch over this pitiful soul and grant her your love and protection. She did not ask for this suffering, and she does not deserve this anguish. I ask that you watch over and guide her soul into your loving embrace and that she be welcomed into the golden gates of Heaven. Please forgive that we could not save her and for what we are about to do. Know that our actions are ones of mercy and are done in your grace. Please¡­¡±


    As Elaine prays for the crying girl, other believers in the group also silently join in, those that are wearing a holy symbol around their neck making sure to hold it in their hand as they pray. The rest remain politely silent, watching on as Elaine hold service for the woman and as Dale draws his dagger from his belt.


    The woman watches him slowly approach through her one tear-stained eye, her sobbing slowing down as she slowly begins to accept her fate.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± Is the only word that can escape her trembling lips as she looks up towards Dale and his dagger.


    Even without any other words, he can tell that the meaning of her plea has changed. No longer is she asking for rescue, but instead for a different kind of release.


    Elaine finishes her prayer, and the room falls into complete silence, the only noise being that of the quietly sobbing woman as she chokes down her tears.


    ¡°I am sorry child, please, go without pain.¡± Dale speaks just loud enough for the unnamed woman to hear as he holds her head with one hand, his fingers petting her bloody and matted hair with gentle affection.


    She closes her eye tight, and Dale quickly buries his dagger into her temple without a moment''s hesitation, the end of his blade breaking out through the other side of her already weakened skull. She slumps against the wall, all the life leaving her body in an instant along with a final spore filled breath.


    Pulling his dagger back out, he sends another quiet prayer to the Goddess, asking for forgiveness and her safe travel to the next life.


    ¡°Someone, help me get her off the wall and find her tag.¡± Dale calls over his shoulder after a he finishes his prayer. With practiced movements, he cleans his dagger and returns it to his belt.


    ¡°Right, yes sir.¡± Mikey calls back, still being the closest besides Elaine who is still quietly mourning the woman. He doesn¡¯t complain as he gets to work on the gruesome work.


    Susan walks away from the door and the tanks, placing a supportive hand on the other girl¡¯s shoulder. Without a word, the two watch as the men cut through the fungus and mold to pull the woman¡¯s corpse away from the wall, gently setting her down on the ground so they can dig through what is left of her clothes for her tag.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Most adventurers wear theirs as a necklace around their neck, but many will keep it in a chest pocket on the inside of their armor or clothes, right above their heart. It is supposed to be lucky charm of sorts, and it looks like this woman practiced it as well. A practice that was popularized by a story of an old adventurer that had survived getting shot in the chest with an arrow because his tag had been in the way¡­


    ¡°Found it, Falien of Goldenshire village. She on the list?¡± Mikey asks as he bring the tag over to be added with the rest of them.


    ¡°Hmh, let¡¯s see¡­ Yup, here she is. Both parents are still alive, and she has two younger siblings. Marking her as K.I.A¡­ Fuck me, that¡¯s thirty-two now out of over two hundred missing people, fuck this mess and fuck that Necromancer.¡± Vincent curses as he marks her name off on the list and adds her tag to the bag with the rest of them.


    Everyone nods, and Susan pats Elaine on the shoulder, helping her back up to her feet.


    ¡°Alright everyone. Let''s get through this boss and to the second layer! I want everyone on their toes and at their best. We have no idea what sort of monstrosity we can expect beyond this point and-¡±


    Susan tunes out Dale¡¯s words as he gives a short speech, something nagging at her in the back of her mind. Something is missing?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The noises from the Boss Room; the clicking and moaning and grinding of teeth and bone. When did they go silent?¡±


    Susan turns to look towards the still open doors, the large stone things groaning as they fight to close now that the woman¡¯s hand has been removed from the switch but are still jammed open by the fungus and mold clogged in their hinges, the gem above it still flashing red and green without stop like some desperate warning.


    No one is looking towards the door now. Because nothing had left the room to attack them, and even further, because everyone is so used to the idea of boss monsters being unable to leave their room, everyone, even the tanks by the door, had looked away to watch what was happening. To witness the final moments of some poor girl whose fate might be their own if they aren¡¯t lucky¡­


    A feeling of dread fills her as she turns to order everyone to focus forward and for the tanks to get ready, but she is too slow.


    In the back of the group, Vinny, Susan knowing it is him by his wooden staff that he carries around with that silk handkerchief tied around its top, a gift from his sweetheart, lets out a startled scream as he is suddenly tripped and pulled to the floor, disappearing behind the crowd for a moment as his screams quickly move across the room and towards the door.


    Susan moves, her sword already leaving its sheath by her second step as she darts towards the door.


    ¡°Save him!¡± Susan screams as she rushes forward desperately, the screams of the Earth Mage growing more desperate the closer to the door he gets.


    One of the tanks turns and spots the mage being dragged across the floor by his leg, a long tentacle of mold covered flesh wrapped so tightly around his ankle that his leg is now twisted in the wrong direction. They try to strike the long limb with their short sword, but the thing impossibly twists and slivers out of the way of the strike, the screaming mage getting dragged and slammed into a wall by the motion as his staff is left clattering on the floor in his wake.


    More people are turning and moving to help, Vinny managing to catch the edge of one of the doors as the tentacle practically slams him into it. Holding on for dear life, he screams for help, the nearest tank tossing aside his shield and weapon to grab him by the arms.


    ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ve got you!¡± He yells as he wrestles against the tentacle¡¯s monstrous strength, his feet braced against the ridge of the doorway in a desperate tug-of-war against an unseen enemy.


    Susan almost makes it to the door, having to quickly dodge around her own party mates as they turn and call out in surprise. With her sword held above her head, she goes to enter the room but is forced to come to a stop as several more tentacles explode out of the room, two of them heading straight for her as a third and fourth violently spear though the tank¡¯s chest and head, lifting him up off the ground. His hands full with holding Vinny, he wasn¡¯t able to protect himself at all and dies instantly, his limp hands falling away from Vinny, his own grip slipping off of the door.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Susan curses.


    Ignoring the spray of blood and brain matter from the dead man, Susan parries the two tentacles attacking her with her sword and then follows through with a single slash that severs them both. The cut tentacles retreat back into the room as the dead tank and a screaming Vinny are carried away inside, the severed ends of the tentacles twitching and writhing on the ground like cut-in-half worms.


    ¡°Quickly, get in there and save Vinny! Shields in front, Elaine, light, now!¡±


    Carther and his fellow remaining tank go shoulder to shoulder, shields held before them as they quickly charge into the room, Susan right behind their backs and ready to cut any tentacles that try to worm around their defenses. Behind, protected by the others, Elaine is chanting a quick Light spell and launches it up towards the ceiling, a gloriously incandescent orb quickly being birthed in the room and illuminating everything with pure light.


    They quickly find Vinny, still screaming as he wrestles against several tentacle that are wrapping around his body and trying to pull him into a writhing mass of flesh and meat and bone and mold that can¡¯t even begin to be described as anything natural or even of this world.


    ¡°Move! If his suit holds, we can still save h-¡± Susan tries to say, but one of the tentacles manages to wrap itself around Vinny¡¯s head and gives it a sickening twist, the head of his suit turning a full hundred-eighty degrees as his neck snaps and the material of his suit is forced to move much further that intended, his visor is now facing the wrong way.


    His Field immediately dies with him, the Earth mana that he''d been gathering for a last desperate spell quickly dissipating back into the air as his hasty incantation dies on his lips.


    ¡°Fucken hells! Vinny!¡± Someone screams in the back, their voice falling apart with remorse at the loss of a friend.


    Vinny and the tank¡¯s bodies are slowly pulled into the flesh pile, the Undead thing seeming to struggle with subsuming them as their hazmat suits are getting in the way of whatever hellish process allows for the fusion of flesh to occur.


    Everyone stands at the ready to fight, just waiting for the order to charge in, looking at the thing before them as it raises a dozen tentacle in the air in a threatening display.


    In its body of rolling flesh and bone, Susan can see the skulls of dozens of giant boars showing though, their tusks and hooved legs growing out from the thing at odd and horrific angles from where pig after pig after pig had been pulled into the growing Undead mass that is growing in this room like some plant from the deepest pit of hell, its stalk growing to the point that the thing is almost reaching the ceiling with the tusks and legs of many boars being like thorns growing from the stalk of a bloody rose leaking pus and poison as nectar.


    Looking at the thing, the only way it can keep its giant mass from toppling over is the lines of mycorrhizal growths that act like roots at its base and the ropes of flesh and sinew that connect it to the ceiling and walls.


    All along it¡¯s lengths and dotting every surface of its mass, red eyes look down at the human adventurers and watch them unblinking from every angle, some even growing on the walls from where the hellish thing¡¯s meat had spread to grow across every surface, and in a most horrible display, not too far from where Vinny is still being pulled into its mass near the base of the things tall body, a long line opens in its center and reveals a single eye that would dwarf even a fully grown man.


    Blinking with wet noises of flesh sliding over flesh and looking around with apparent curiosity, the giant eye eventually looks down at the puny humans, its massive pupil dilating as it focuses in on them and moves from person to person as if taking in each of their details.


    Green like an emerald. The eye, in some disgusting twist, is strangely beautiful. Captivating even.


    The adventurers freeze, their eyes locked onto the Rose of Flesh¡¯s own as it peers back at each one of them in turn.


    ¡°Wha¡­ what the fuck?¡±


    ¡°What is that thing?¡±


    ¡°How, why?¡±


    As the adventures look on in horror and amazement, more tentacles rise up, the flesh at their tips peeling back to expose sharpened blades of bone, as rotted and exposed boar heads move and turn to aim and rattle their tusks aggressively at the intruders.


    Susan quickly throws a look towards Dale, and he just shakes his head no. Not a single word needing to be exchanged between the two of them.


    Susan reaches forward and grabs Carther by his shoulder, pulling the tank back before yelling, ¡°Fuck this shit! Everyone out, now! Elaine, Ben, burn this thing to the ground. Everyone, protect them!¡±


    They quickly turn and flee the room, not a single person protesting the order as the tentacles move to assault them from every side, only to be repelled by shield and sword as the adventurers sprint out of the room. No one needs to be told twice to get away from that thing. Every instinct in their bodies is screaming at the them that they are looking at Death itself.


    Elaine and Ben don¡¯t hesitate to pull out their strongest spells, mana expenditures be damned. Every instinct in their bodies is currently screaming at them that this thing needs to be cleansed off the face of this world before it can grow any larger. Before it can spread its roots further.


    With the attacking tentacles being held back by the others, they release their magic together.


    ¡°Cleansing Light!¡± ¡°Fire Ball!!!¡±


    The tanks fending off the last of the tentacles, they are the last to be in the doorway as the spells shoot out over their heads like a pair of cannons going off. Just before they hit, they dive to opposite sides and get pulled into cover by their comrades, people quickly moving to cover their ears or hold their heads in anticipation of what comes next.


    BOOOOOOOOM!!!


    Fire and light explode out of the room as shockwaves tear through the Dungeon, wind and dust getting thrown around in every direction as the force of the explosion is violently forced through the open doorway. Those closest to the explosion get knocked off their feet, their suits protecting them from the worst of the heat as fire tears down the hall and sets masses of colorful mushrooms ablaze further down, setting off a chain reaction of blasts as mushrooms explode one after the other, the blasts traveling back up the stairs the way they came.


    Eventually, the destruction subsides, and people are slowly able to pick themselves up off the floor. Shaking the ringing out of her ears, Susan peeks back into the Boss Room and finds the Rose of Flesh, burnt and exploded, its tall body left collapsed and sprawled out on one side of the room as burning boars let out their final screams, flaming tendrils of meat snapping away from the walls and falling to the floor as tentacles writhe and dance before finally going still, reduced to black lines of charcoal on the burnt floor.


    ¡°Geez¡­ Is everyone alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we''re good, ache¡­ Goddess, this sucks¡­¡± Mikey curses as he picks himself up and moves to help the closest person get back onto their feet.


    As everyone is checking themselves over and whipping the dust off their shoulders, Susan walks into the Boss Room, waving away the smoke, and looks over the destruction and the twisted remains of something that can only be described as Death incarnate.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that the Undead could do this. What would have happened if it just kept growing?¡±


    A flash of light catches her attention away from the charred corpse, and she turns to find a little chest having just appeared on the floor, an incredibly common sight for any adventurer with multiple boss kills under their belt, but in the current circumstances, it is a weirdly odd sight.


    Deciding to just open the thing and collect what should probably be a couple of mana shards, she kicks the lid open and can¡¯t help it as a single, tired, laugh escapes her lips.


    ¡°T¡¯haha¡­ Seriously, what the fuck?¡±


    Inside, she finds a single mushroom¡­


    ¡°She broke it¡­ She broke the Dungeon¡­¡±

 B2. Chapter 2.5- Living Graveyard

    ¡°I want that door closed, now! Last thing we need is more boars spawning and this thing somehow regrowing. The rest of you, clean up this mess so we can keep moving. Let¡¯s pray that the second layer isn¡¯t as jammed up as this one was, we¡¯ve already wasted enough time as is! Move people, let¡¯s move!¡± Dale barks out orders as he directs people about.


    Off to the side, Elaine is healing those that suffered hearing damage from the explosion or that got knocked around too much. As much as Susan wants the girl to keep her mana reserves stocked up, she can¡¯t deny that they need everyone to be in fighting shape. Especially after losing so many people already¡­


    They haven¡¯t even left the first layer yet, the beginner''s area of the Dungeon, and they have already lost four people! Even worse is the loss of two of their tanks and their Earth Mage. Without them, this mission has just gotten a lot harder. Of their remaining mages, the only ones left is one of the raid party¡¯s two healers, Elaine the Light Mage, and Ben the Fire Mage. The other healer is Arthor, an alchemist with two bandoliers of colorful potion vials wrapped around his large chest and a bag full of supplies for making more.


    Susan isn¡¯t going to let anything happen to them. These three are literally the lifeline of their party and everyone will be as good as dead without them. It is well known that the Undead are weak to fire and light, and Susan is certain that they will be invaluable in fighting against the Necromancer and her Undead minions.


    Not to mention that Susan wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive herself if she let Elaine die. She sees the younger girl sort of like the younger sister she never got to have, and she knows that Elaine looks up to her as well. If she could have had it her way, the girl would have never set foot anywhere near this mess, but the value of a Light Mage, even a novice one, is just undeniable here.


    She¡¯ll just have to stick closer to the girl and keep her safe. Susan can¡¯t allow any more risks.


    Under Dale¡¯s supervision, the Boss Room is finally allowed to close its doors, and everyone is finally able to relax at knowing that they are safe for now.


    With that, they quickly work on uncovering the next set of doors and the switch leading to the second layer, digging away at the layers of burnt meat and fungus and mold that is caked all over the walls. Suppressing the urge to throw up in his suit, someone cuts away a chunk of meat, finding a half-burnt eyeball in their hand along with a clump of filthy fur and bone shards.


    ¡°Uh~ This is so fucking disgusting!¡±


    ¡°Filthy Undead, this shit is just unnatural.¡±


    ¡°I wish the Goddess would just burn this filth away, it doesn¡¯t belong in our world¡­¡±


    Dale responds to the complaining men as they dig, ¡°Well the Goddess isn¡¯t here, now is she? She sent us to clean up this mess for her. You want this Undead filth cleaned up off our home, it will be us doing it! Now enough bullshitting and keep digging. When we kill this Necromancer freak, we will be Heros! We are the Goddess¡¯s Will, and we are doing her work!¡±


    They grumble out the rest of their complaints, going unheard, but keep working all the same as they cut through filth and meat to reach the door.


    The work takes time and a lot of effort, people taking turns to dig in shifts as everyone else rests and recharges, gaging down another quick meal of ¡®food¡¯ slurry before washing it down with some water sucked out of a rubber hose and nipple. Filters get changed and suits are recharged with fresh shards, filth getting cleaned off of bodies as well as can be so that hazmat suits can be returned to their original green-yellow, rather than the mess of running colors and splattered gore that they were.


    Nearly an hour later, the doors to the second layer lay exposed and ready to be open, the switch just waiting for a hand to be pressed against it as it gently glows.


    Susan walks over to the switch and exchanges a look with Dale, he nods and immediately starts barking out orders for everyone to form up and get ready. They have no idea what to expect on the other side or what might be waiting for them after these doors open. They could potentially be walking straight into an ambush depending on how paranoid the Necromancer is, with a whole army of the Undead just waiting to attack them.


    Once everyone is ready, Susan moves her hand over the switch, ¡°3, 2, 1¡­ Opening!¡±


    The switch flashes green with acceptance and the large stone doors start to open. Moving swiftly, Susan draws her sword and moves to join the others, her sword raised and ready to parry anything that might come her way.


    With the sliding of stone over stone, the large double doors open and allow light to come streaming through the crack, the remaining mold and meat straining against the opening doors as lines of gunk are stretched and snapping with wet noises only to left hanging from the door frame like wet streamers dripping with colorful liquids.


    Slowly, and slower still, the massive doors open up and reveal the world beyond. Nothing tries to enter the Boss Room. No attacks are sent in, no ambush is sprung, and the adventurers are left standing there for a long few moments as they wait. Feeling tense and their muscles gradually relaxing, they all slowly let out a collective sigh of relief as they all realize that they are safe for now.


    Dale waves forward with his hand and then taps the two remaining tanks on their shoulders. ¡°Alright, forward everyone, slowly. Let¡¯s see what we¡¯re dealing with here¡­¡±


    They advance, the tanks exiting the room first, moving to aim their shields in every direction as they exit out of the cliff face and onto the branch, checking their corners and looking up at the wall of the cliff above them to make sure that nothing is going to suddenly get the drop on them.


    ¡°All clear!¡± ¡°All clear!¡±


    Susan and Dale follow through next, followed by the spearmen and sword fighters, the healers and remaining mage following last out the door.


    ¡°What the hell did that Necromancer do to this place?¡± Mikey asks, dumfounded as he looks around at what used to be a familiar visage for him, the second layer of this Dungeon being a place he used to frequent for gathering missions and hunting requests.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°She¡¯s corrupted it¡­ Oh, Goddess¡­¡± Elaine says as she looks up at the ¡®sky¡¯ of this layer.


    Where normally, an artificial sun would be bringing a warm light to this place, the forest of the second layer is now cast in the dule light of a dying sun, everything being cast in a cloying twilight. The waterfalls that fall from the sky in perpetuality now look dirty and poisonous, and every one of the massive trees for as far as the eyes can see are now dotted with large patches of fungal growths and black rot that lays exposed where layers of bark had fallen away, leaving dead wood behind. Even the rich green leaves that used to cover every branch are now withered and falling away, being replaced by large fluffy masses of spores and curtains of colorful gossamer mushroom flesh that flows in the wind, currents of spores floating through the air as they are carried from one place to another on the wind''s whim. High up above, peering through the treetops that used to block off all sight of what¡¯s going on above, like the curtains of the stage keeping the audience from see the staff in the back, the distant stone ceiling of the Dungeon can be seen, where up above, the infestation of fungal growths had spread to reach the massive glow stone that acts as a small sun.


    Despite the tension and fear, everyone can¡¯t help but to look around at the changed scenery, suffering from mental whiplash as the sight before them clashes with everything they have known. The first layer being filled with mushrooms had been one thing, nothing more than a disgusting mess they had to cut their way through, but here? For these adventurers who had been to this place countless times before, they can¡¯t even begin to accept the image before them.


    The trees are dying. The Necromancer is quite literally killing the Dungeon right before their very eyes.


    All the life that used to fill this place, even if it was also artificially birthed by the Dungeon, is simply dead. The birds and other flying insects in the sky are now rotted and dead things. The massive flowers are all either withering away and black, or have been twisted into drooling, snapping, things that are no longer pretending to be harmless, poisons spilling from between their teeth like so much drool as try to eat anything that draws to close. Even the air seems to carry with it a haze of death like smog that seems to just drift about or gather in places.


    Elaine is choking back the urge to vomit now, her whole body rebelling at the sight and the feel of this place.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Susans asks her as she quickly jogs over to the retching girl and rubs her back. She can feel her shaking under her touch.


    ¡°No¡­ No, this isn¡¯t right. None of this right¡­¡± Elaine says as she shakes her head.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, I need you to tell me. If something is happening, we need to know.¡±


    Elaine looks up at her, Susan unable to see how the younger girl is currently drenched in a cold sweat inside her suit.


    ¡°It¡¯s the mana. It¡¯s almost all Death down here. Even the light is carrying it. I can¡¯t, I don¡¯t know how this possible¡­ It¡¯s even worse than it was up above. It¡¯s like I can¡¯t breathe down here; my Field feels like it¡¯s being attacked!¡±


    The girl cringes in pain, her hands going to her navel, over her Core, like she just got punched in the gut.


    Ben quickly runs over, cursing. ¡°Shit! Elaine, reel in your Field, now! Cut off the outside mana or you¡¯ll kill yourself!¡±


    Susan and the others can feel it as he forcefully smothers the girl¡¯s Field with his own, his presence of fire like a burning furnace quickly squashing Elaine¡¯s and forcing it towards her own body.


    Elaine drops down to a knee, gasping for air as Susan holds her.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening to her!?¡± Susan demands of Ben.


    ¡°Conflicting elements reacting in a destabilization of her Core. It¡¯s rare, but this is what happens when you try to absorb mana that conflicts with your element.¡±


    ¡°Why would she-?¡± Susan tries to ask, but is interrupted by Elaine grabbing her shoulder and trying to stand back up.


    ¡°I-I was trying to refill my mana. I had¡­ I hoped that the light here would work like usual, but it is poisoned by Death mana. I can¡¯t use any of this¡­ It¡¯s all dead¡­ all of it¡­¡±


    Susan looks to Ben, and he explains.


    ¡°For us mages, we refill our Cores by taking in the ambient elements around us. For a Fire Mage like me, I can get plenty just by starting a fire, but a Light Mage needs light; the more natural it is, the better. The primary light source here obviously isn¡¯t a natural one, isn¡¯t the Sun, but a mana stone. Normally, it would work almost as well, but my best guess is that the mana stone has become corrupted with Death mana and the light it is producing has become something else¡­ She can¡¯t use this or she will be slowly killing herself from the inside out.¡±


    ¡°Why was she fine on the first layer then?¡±


    Elaine coughs into her suit and answers for him. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to take in any mana up there. There was hardly any Light mana left up there anyways. This was foolish of me, I¡¯m sorry, I should have thought of this happening before I opened myself up like that. This is exactly the sort of thing that they teach us in our first lessons. I¡¯m sorry¡­ I-I¡¯ll just be dragging you down from here on now. I had hoped that the second layer would be my place to help the most, but now, I¡¯m even more limited on how many spells I can cast.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Elaine. How much more do you have in you?¡± Susan asks as the rubs the depressed healer¡¯s back.


    ¡°Using my largest spell, the one that I threw at that, thing, in the Boss Room, I have enough for maybe, two more in me... I¡¯m sorry, I-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. Just focus on conserving your mana for when we need it the most.¡±


    Ben nods, ¡°Hmh, we¡¯ll need your magic more than mine. Fire works great for dealing with the dead, but it can¡¯t beat Light. The only thing better would be a Life Mage, but I don¡¯t see the Church sending any of their precious Saints down here into this hellhole.¡±


    Susan gets a thought and has to ask, ¡°Are we ok with all this Death mana being around us? That can¡¯t be healthy, right?¡±


    ¡°Long term exposure to heavy amounts of ambient mana of one element, regardless of type, is never healthy unless you are mage that can use that element. For regular people like yourself, you are actually a lot safer than us mages are, your bodies not being built to normally accept mana into yourself. With enough time, it will seep in and you¡¯ll experience negative side effects, but at this density, that would take weeks before any of you started to show signs of being affected. Elaine and I are the ones the most at risk here, but so long as we don¡¯t go out of our way to purposely draw in large amounts of it, we will be fine for a week or two, a bit longer probably, since our elements naturally repel Death on their own¡­ Still, we should get this over with sooner rather than later.¡±


    ¡°What sort of side effects?¡± Mikey asks, who had been listening off to the side the whole time.


    Ben shrugs. ¡°Tumors mostly. Might lose some teeth and hair. It¡¯s why you¡¯ll never see a Water Mage living near an active volcano or an Earth Mage working as a sailor on the ocean. Just asking to get sick.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ I guess it¡¯s not all sunshine and rainbows being a mage then.¡±


    ¡°Meh, it has its ups and downs, but being able to shoot fire out of my fingers helps.¡±


    Susan is helping Elaine back up to her feet, the girl¡¯s shaking slowly subsiding as her Core burns out the foreign mana and stabilizes.


    ¡°Uh, I feel like shit now¡­¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t do that again, ok?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I won¡¯t, don¡¯t worry.


    ¡°Right.¡± Susan looks up and addresses everyone else. ¡°Let¡¯s get on the move, we still have a lot of ground to cover if we are going to catch up to the Necromancer. Let¡¯s just pray that she hasn¡¯t already started spreading this infection into the third layer yet.¡±


    The adventures get moving, walking across the massive, rotted branches of the second layer''s trees, the rotting bark breaking and creaking under their feet as they head deeper in, uncertain of what to expect next from the Necromancer¡¯s evil traps and machinations.


    Susan can¡¯t help but lose herself in her thoughts as she looks out over the dead landscape, watching as Undead birds fly through the sky where beautiful things used to live.


    I can only imagine what evils that Necromancer is up to now¡­

 B2. Chapter 3.1- Resume

    Licking some melted chocolate off her finger, a depressed Bug lets out a tired sigh as she stares up at the ceiling of the second Boss Room, a half-eaten Chocho-Chocolate and Caramel Surprise cookie in her hand as she lies on her back.


    It¡¯s been about an hour since Hannah and the others have left, and Bug honestly hasn¡¯t felt much of any motivation to do anything just yet¡­


    It¡¯s strange, she was sad to see her first and only friend leave ¨C and the others as well she guesses, she did sort of like them after all ¨C but this is a new feeling for her. This lethargy where it feels like something is missing and now, she can¡¯t even bring out the energy to get up off the floor.


    It sucks¡­


    Bug is¡­ She is lonely?


    Is that what it is?


    Yes, Bug had only knows Hannah and the others for all of two days, hardly any time at all for most people, but for Bug, who has only been alive for not even two weeks now, two days is arguably a large percentage of her life. Especially when comparing her memories of the last two days to those before when she was in the first layer. Her memories here are just happier, plain as that. Up top was nothing but killing and living in a boring old cave, eating moss and stabbing people. But down here in the second layer? Bug had made a friend. Bug got to share a cookie with her friend. Bug got to learn so much more about the outside world. And most of all, Bug was able to fully reaffirm her goals.


    Now, leaving the Dungeon isn¡¯t just a matter of achieving her freedom or her revenge, of seeing the world with her own eyes, of feeling the Sun¡¯s light kiss her skin, nor is it now wholly a goal of finding more cookies and discovering other treats. Now, her goal is so much more. She has someone waiting for her up there on the surface. She has a friend to meet again and a promise to fulfill.


    Part of Bug wants to get up right now and charge headfirst into the next layer. She has things to do, damn it, places to be! But yet, she just can¡¯t quite pull up the energy needed to move yet¡­


    Because she is sad and lonely¡­ and Bug doesn¡¯t really know how to process these emotions¡­


    Before meeting Hannah, she never felt lonely. Bug can¡¯t even recall ever thinking of wanting to be around other people. Well, unless of course being around them involved getting what she wanted, but that obviously doesn''t count and all the other times she ended up around other people, that ended with her killing them¡­


    But now? Now that Hannah has left?


    This sucks¡­ Not even eating a cookie is making me feel better, and this thing is delicious! How could I not be happy eating this!? I mean, this is my first time trying caramel, and it is amazing. But I just feel sad¡­ This sucks¡­ I hate this, why can¡¯t I just be happy? It would be nice if I could just tell my brain to be happy, but I can¡¯t afford any of the spells that does that. Weird that they are all categorized as curses though, what is up with that?


    ¡°Ehh¡­¡±


    Bug just rolls over onto her side, her green eyes looking over the two boss monsters she¡¯d killed and made her own. All that power, now being hers to command as she wills, far more power than any Gremlin could ever wish to wield, and they are hers! ALL HERS!


    ¡°Meh~¡±


    Bug takes another bite of cookie and just disregards the giant things, disregarding the little forest of mushrooms that is already slowly spreading out from their feet in every direction. She just doesn¡¯t care right now¡­


    ¡°Being alone sucks¡­¡± Is the natural conclusion that Bug comes to as she finishes off her cookie and licks the chocolate and caramel off her fingers.


    Rolling over to her opposite shoulder like a log stuck in the mud, Bug switches her gaze to her gathered skeletons, their large frames still standing guard over her after the humans left. They haven¡¯t moved an inch since then.


    ¡°Hey, can any of you talk?¡±


    The skeletons naturally don¡¯t respond, but they do all turn slightly to look at their master, as if waiting for an order to be given. That¡¯s all they end up doing though. They don¡¯t nod or shake their heads or shrug their shoulders. They just turn the bare minimum necessary to show that they are waiting and listening.


    ¡°Never mind¡­¡± Bug sighs as she flops back over onto her back.


    Was a stupid question anyways. I know how Necromancy works. All the knowledge is already stuck in my head. I can¡¯t expect normal Undead to develop sapience, they don¡¯t even have a soul. They¡¯re just a bunch of bones held together by a mana-construct shaped like a soul. I would have to be a literal god to make an actual person out these things¡­


    Turning her head, her still dirty hair from the fight getting in her face in the process, Bug gives another look at her skeletons.


    Hmm, there are those one spells that can make sapient Undead, but I have to capture a living person and perform a ritual in order to use those. I could buy one and make a Whight or a Banshee, or maybe something stronger, just have to capture a human and then¡­ Ahh! What the hell is wrong with me!? It¡¯s only been an hour and I¡¯m already trying to build my own friend? What the fuck?!


    ¡°Uhhhhhh! I hate this! I just want to be free already!!!¡± Bug moans as she kicks her feet against the ground.


    Bug rolls over again and again, this time onto her stomach.


    I should have let Hannah hug me before she left¡­


    Bug just lays there for a long while, not caring as time passes by, her face in the dirt and her heart in the muck. But eventually, she lets out a huff and forces herself to do something, anything. She knows that she can¡¯t just keep laying around here when she has a job to do, just¡­ She still doesn¡¯t feel like getting up and moving just yet.


    So, instead, she sits up and plops her butt on the ground so she can take a look at her changes and all the notifications from beating the Boss and the Cleaner, her Level-ups and everything else. If she doesn¡¯t feel like moving yet, then she can at least do something productive with her time.


    //Killed lvl 30 Bloody Queen of the Forgotten Stone Jungle ¨C 10¡¯000 exp gained!


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 27! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 4 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 2 Skill point


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 28! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 4 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 2 Skill point


    //Congratulations! You leveled-up a Skill!


    //Pain Tolerance Lvl 3 is now Lvl 4!


    //Congratulations! You earned a Skill!


    //Mana Control lvl1 unlocked!


    //Congratulations! You earned a Skill!


    //Soul Sight lvl1 unlocked!


    //Congratulations! You earned a Skill!


    //Death Resistance lvl1 unlocked!


    //Congratulations! You earned a Spell!


    //Winter¡¯s Death Aura unlocked!Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    //Congratulations! You have upgraded a Spell!


    //Turn Undead has become, Command Undead!


    ¡­


    Mhh, skip this bit. Hello again Admin, or Redacted. Always nice to see you¡­


    ¡­


    //Congratulation! You have upgraded your Race!


    //Race: Gremlin, has been upgraded to Half-Undead Gremlin!


    //Notice: All Undead Users [If applicable] receive a 1 Point discount on all Death infused magics in the Skill Store.


    //Notice: Your Racial Resistances have been adjusted.


    //Slashing Resistance has been adjusted to Base 60% from 10%


    //Stabbing Resistance has been adjusted to Base 60% from 10%


    //Impact Resistance has been adjusted to Base -40% from 0%


    //Fire Resistance has been adjusted to Base -30% from 10%


    //Water Resistance has been adjusted to Base 60% from 10%


    //Ice Resistance has been adjusted to Base 60% from 10%


    //Darkness Resistance has been adjusted to Base 70% from 20%


    //Time Resistance has been adjusted to Base 30% from 0%


    //Light Resistance has been adjusted to Base -60% from 0%


    //Death Resistance has been adjusted to Base 80% from 0%


    //Life Resistance has been adjusted to Base -60% from 0%


    ¡­


    //Congratulations! A Skill has been ungraded due to Race Evolution!


    //Deadly Poison Resistance Lvl1, has become Ailment Immunity!


    //Congratulations! A Skill has been ungraded due to Race Evolution!


    //Pain Resistance Lvl4, has become Pain Immunity!


    //Congratulations! A Skill has been earned due to Race Evolution!


    //Unaging unlocked!


    ¡­


    //Warning! You have been inflicted with the Curse of Undeath! Any being that you kill will now have an 81.2% [Before factoring personal resistances.] chance of being raised as more Undead.


    Completely ignoring the numerous kill notifications from all the little spiders, Bug honestly doesn¡¯t know where to start with what she is seeing. Level-ups, skill unlocks, skill evolutions, apparently her race changed and all the things that came with that¡­ She decides to focus on that for now since it seems to be the most important matter to deal with right now outside of everything else.


    ¡°How am I Half-Undead? How would that even work?¡±


    A quick check reveals that Bug¡¯s heart is still in fact beating¡­ if it would just hurry up and beat for her¡­


    ¡­


    Any moment now¡­


    *Badump~


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness!¡±


    Bug lets out a sigh of relief as her heart gives her one little beat before going still again for a worryingly long while, a whole minute passing by on her clock before it chooses to beat for her again.


    ¡°Ok¡­ concerning, but that is proof that I am still, sort¡¯a, alive¡­or I guess, Half-Undead? So weird, how does this even work? How would my heart be able to move my blood around my body if it isn¡¯t beating properly? Is my blood even flowing properly anymore?¡±


    Deciding to find out really quick, Bug pulls her dagger out of her inventory and slits her wrist on one of her lower arms. The blade struggles to cut through the fur covering her forearm, but she manages to get the blade in and cuts open her arm.


    It doesn¡¯t even hurt, her new Pain Immunity skill already proving it¡¯s value as the blade parts from her skin with a fresh coat of red. Holding up her arm to watch, her blood is indeed still flowing if the blood pissing out of her artery is any indication¡­


    Again, she doesn¡¯t even feel any pain, nothing more than a silent reminder in the back of her head letting her know that her arm is bleeding quite a lot. With a push of will, Bug uses Become Weapon to heal her arm and stop the bleeding.


    ¡°Alright then, so I can still bleed and my heart is still beating, sort of¡­ Is there anything else about me that has changed? I can still eat food, thank goodness, and¡­ yes, my System is still showing that I have a hunger meter, so I do still need to eat. How about¡­?¡±


    Bug pulls up her Build page on her HUD, the System displaying for her an image of her body and listing everything that she is wearing and their defensive values. She mostly just uses it as a mirror now for when she brushes her hair and not much else though. Maybe if Bug was actually searching the Dungeon for loot like armor and weapons, she would have more use for it and its intended features, but for right now¡­ Mirror.


    ¡°Why is my skin so pale now, I¡¯m almost pure white? Is this part of my Undead changes?¡±


    With no one else besides her skeletal minions being nearby to see her, Bug goes ahead and unequips her shirt and leather chest guard, letting her get a better look at herself. Touching at her chest and face, the only parts of her body not covered in fur or scales, she is surprised at how cold her skin is now, her once tan colored skin having now become a pale white like a corpse. Curious she looks down at the blood that she had just shed on the ground. The red puddle is shockingly frozen over and she has to blink at it as she registers the sight before her¡­


    ¡°Huh¡­ my blood is cold? I¡¯m cold blooded now? Wait, I don¡¯t think that mean literally cold though but more that my body just wouldn¡¯t generate heat on its own, and I¡¯m not a reptile¡­ That doesn¡¯t matter, why is it like this now?¡±


    Realization hits her a moment later and Bug looks down, her hand going to her navel to feel at the Death Core residing inside of her.


    She can¡¯t feel the cold embrace of Death pushing against her living body anymore. The normally uncomfortable sensation that she had grown to eventually ignore is completely gone. No longer is there this ice-cold ball of Death in her stomach, slowly sapping away at her living warmth. Now, there is just her Core and her power.


    Bug¡¯s body has adapted to finally be able to properly house Death. It doesn¡¯t hurt, it doesn¡¯t feel unnatural anymore. It¡¯s just, hers¡­ Though it apparently required her to half-unalive herself to get this to happen¡­


    Now, for why her blood is freezing? Yes, Death is cold, Ice is a usable secondary of Death for a good reason, just like Nature and its poisons, but why is her blood this cold? It¡¯s not like she accidently turned herself into a Hoarfrost Undead like some of her minions are¡­ Wait, could she do that now, use Enhance Undead on herself?


    ¡°Something to figure out later¡­ Now, where is all this extra cold coming from, normal Undead don¡¯t get this cold, just¡­ normal corpse cold kind of cold¡­ Skill list, let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Skills List


    Skills:


    Identify 1


    Tracking 2


    Assassination 2


    Knife Fighting 2


    Sword Fighting 2


    Whip Fighting 1


    Spear Fighting 1


    Fist Fighting 3


    Claw Fighting 2


    Throwing Weapons 1


    Knot Tying 1


    Flexibility 2


    Gymnastics 1


    Climbing 1


    Flying 1


    Mana Control 1


    Soul Sight 1


    Death Resistance 1


    Ailment Immunity


    Pain Immunity


    Unageing


    Spells:


    Inflict Pain


    Make Deadly Poison


    Grow Death Fungous


    Become Weapon [Expand for all component Spells]


    Grow Eyes


    Raise Undead


    Command Undead


    Enhance Undead


    Make Bone Weapons


    Winter¡¯s Death Aura (Passive) [Active 10%]


    <hr>


    Bug doesn¡¯t bother checking her learned Knowledges, her eyes only scanning over the growing list of Skills and Spells that she has accrued, until finally reaching a Spell marked as being active at the bottom of the list.


    ¡°Winter¡¯s Death Aura? I didn¡¯t buy this one. Did I earn it somehow?¡±


    Bug goes back through her notifications and finds it. She got it while she was overloading her body with Death Mana to kill the Cleaner, her body basically becoming nothing more than a conduit as she funneled mana through her body faster than she could sustain it. She can remember how cold she was then as her body was slowly failing her, ice growing over her arms as the skin of her hands started to rot.


    ¡°I thought it was only Skills and Knowledge that could be earned though? Did I somehow end up using the Spell on accident and so the System gave it to me? Why isn¡¯t this in the User Manual? Just how much information are they going to leave out and expect me to find on my own!? Are the Devs even doing their jobs!?!?¡± Bug curses as her wings angrily flap about and smack against the hard floor.


    ¡°Hah¡­¡±


    Bug flops back down onto her back, letting her exasperation with the System out with a tired sigh, her limbs and wings splayed out in every direction.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I got a free spell, so I shouldn¡¯t complain. Let¡¯s see here¡­¡±


    This is her first passive spell, so Bug starts by just figuring out how to turn it off and on. It ends up being rather intuitive luckily, much like many parts of the System after she enabled mental commands in the settings, and just requires her to will it into happening. Like flicking a switch in her brain, the spell turns off and her body slowly starts to warm back up again, a little bit of pink returning to her pale skin and her cheeks become rosy with some fresh warmth. It gets nowhere near normal body temperature, but her skin is no longer cold to the touch.


    Flipping the spell back on again, Bug goes ahead and pumps it up to 100%, just to see what the spell can really do.


    The first immediate thing she notices is the mana drain. At 10% it wasn¡¯t even noticeable, the passive regeneration of her core being more than enough to cover the cost, but now that the spell is going at full blast, her reserves are slowly draining at about three mana a second or so.


    If I keep increasing my Intelligence stat, I should be able to further reduce the drain¡­


    The second is the fact that everything around Bug is now freezing over, a growing layer of ice quickly spreading out from her in every direction, with plenty of the ice growing on Bug¡¯s body as well like a second layer of transparent scales. Any blood still left on her body or in stuck in her hair is quick to freeze over into clumps of red ice, her already messy hair quickly becoming a tangled and frozen over mess of dirty hair.


    Frost radiating off her body, Bug curses and quickly turns it back down again.


    ¡°Ah, my fucking hair! Great! Now it¡¯s going to be even more of a pain to clean, how long is this going to take to melt? Mrrmrm, I need a bath, I probably smell horrible¡­¡±


    Bug looks around from her frozen spot on the ground, everything around her having become a frozen landscape for a couple meters, but the Boss Room has a distinct lack of baths available¡­


    ¡°Hah, screw it! I¡¯m done moping around for now! Let¡¯s just get moving already.¡±


    She points up at the two Undead boss monsters as she summons her dirty clothes back onto her body.


    ¡°You two, head out there and spread death and destruction through the second layer! If its living, make it dead or Undead, and I want those mushrooms spread everywhere. Chop, chop, get to it! The rest of you, follow me. We¡¯re conquering the third layer!¡±

 B2. Chapter 3.2- Resume

    The Undead Boss and Cleaner stomp out of the massive stump of a Boss Room, a cloud of spores left filling the air in their wake as they move outside and head for the nearest tree. Watching the two of them walk away, Bug notices that the Boss spider still doesn¡¯t have any mushrooms growing on it despite having been right next to the Cleaner. There are plenty of the colorful spore stuck to its body, but they haven¡¯t taken root on the walking corpse at all.


    ¡°Is it because it is a Hoarfrost Undead? Can the spores not handle the cold?¡±


    Still walking towards the exit, Bug quickly decides to test this. Pointing to one of her own Hoarfrost Undead, one of the yet to be named ones, she quickly sends a mental order to the frost covered skeleton to run into the field of mushrooms that is already spreading in this room.


    ¡°Give it a couple seconds¡­ Make sure you get some spores on you, there you go. Alright, come back and let me get a look at you.¡±


    The skeleton jogs back over and then slows to walk beside her. It takes just a glance to tell that she was right. All the spores on the skeleton¡¯s body are frozen over and covered in ice.


    ¡°Pretty¡­ It¡¯s like you¡¯re covered in glitter now. Wait, how do I know what glitter is? Is it¡­ no, it¡¯s not that one¡­ maybe¡­ Oh. One of the party spells, right, that¡¯s where I know it from. Why would people waste Skill Points on stuff like this, like, Nature¡¯s Beauty? Just a waste of points¡­¡±


    Bug shakes her head and gets herself back on track. Spores, focus on the spores.


    These deadly little things have been a danger to herself for a while now, but there is a chance that that might have changed now.


    Plucking one of the spores off of the skeleton, a green one because its glow makes the ice look like a tiny emerald, Bug looks it over, rotating her finger about to look at the tiny and very deadly thing from every angle.


    ¡°Well, at least with this, I know that I can freeze them if they become a problem, but I should figure out if Ailment Immunity protects me from these things¡­ Such an expensive Skill and all I had to do was make myself Half-Undead to get it for free. I don¡¯t know if I should laugh or cry¡­ Not to mention Unageing. I¡¯m not even a year old yet and I got that one for free as well. Perks of being Undead I guess¡­¡±


    Meh, I¡¯ll just be happy with what I got. Now then, need to test this. This is going to suck probably, but if I need to, I can just cut off my finger and then regrow it.


    Disabling her passive ice aura, Bug¡¯s body slowly warms up a bit and she exhales on the frozen spore, melting the layer of ice. The moment that the spore comes into contact with the skin of Bug¡¯s finger, she gets a notification in her feed.


    //Notice: User has made contact with a Death Fungous spore. Ailment Immunity has prevented infection. Would you like to allow infection? Growth will be limited to point-of-contact and will not spread without the User¡¯s permission.


    //Allow infection? y/n


    Bug reads over the notice and raises an eyebrow at it.


    Why would I want to let it infect me? I guess¡­ Hmm. I guess that it could be used as a way to defend myself? If my body was covered in deadly mushrooms, it¡¯s not like anything would want to eat me, right? For combat, I guess it could be used as a way for someone to carry the spores around and infect others with them, but I don¡¯t really need that since I can just make them with my magic.


    Hmm¡­ yes, let it grow. I want to see what happens.


    Getting permission, the System allows the spore to take root into Bug¡¯s finger and she gets to watch as a little colorful mushroom sprouts from her flesh. She can¡¯t tell if it should hurt or not, but it certainly doesn¡¯t look pleasant. After a couple seconds of rapid growth, she eventually has a finger sized mushroom growing from the tip of her finger. But that is all it does. It doesn¡¯t grow any larger and just like the Notice stated, the mushroom isn¡¯t spreading to the rest of her hand. Not unless she lets it.


    ¡°Huh, neat¡­ Could be useful, but I honestly don¡¯t want to keep these things on me.¡±


    Bug imagines herself covered in the things, a walking blight of deadly spores that no one can even touch or be near without risking infection. And then she imagines meeting Hannah again and what she would think of seeing Bug like that¡­ They wouldn¡¯t be able to be near each other, or¡­ or hug again¡­


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t need these growing on me. They¡¯re useful enough as is.¡±


    A quick command to the System and the mushroom is suddenly rejected by her body, Ailment Immunity quickly blacklisting the growth and terminates it. The mushroom withers and falls off into Bug''s waiting hand, a bloody hole being left in her finger where its roots used to be. She quickly heals it, and it is like it was never even there.


    This naturally raises a new question for her though. Without a doubt, these mushrooms are one of Bug¡¯s deadliest weapons. They were even able to kill the Cleaner when she couldn¡¯t after all, and now, now she knows that she is immune to them.


    Decision. I can use these to cheat and clear the Dungeon with ease, or I don¡¯t¡­Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    It would be easy, too easy even, to just walk through the Dungeon alongside a living tide of fungus as every challenge is simply infected and pushed aside. Bug would barely even have to raise a finger as the mushrooms and the Undead would do all the work for her. But where would the challenge in that be? Would she be able to say that she really beat the Dungeon if she did that, if she cheated? Well, yes, but still¡­


    It¡¯s one thing to flood the layers with death after she has cleared them, they are beaten and behind her now, hers by every right to destroy as she sees fit. But ahead of her?


    Bug wants to get revenge against the Dungeon for what it has done to her people, for trapping her here as a slave and denying her freedom. She wants to see it suffer. But most importantly, she wants to beat it at its own game now. To be able to rub it in the Dungeon¡¯s face that she took it head on and found it to be wanting. She wants to laugh as she lords over the Dungeon in its final moments, not even being able to argue that she didn¡¯t do it right, that she cheated. Bug wants to win and she wants to do it properly.


    The mushrooms will stay as an emergency method, for if she should need them. She isn¡¯t about to die for her pride after all, but unless she needs to use them in an emergency, they are remaining sealed for now.


    Although, she must admit that this is strange. Before meeting Hannah and The Green Scarves, Bug wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to use the mushrooms. To just ride to victory on a broken and overpowered Spell. Bug has changed somewhat, and she is slowly noticing it.


    Mmm, introspection aside, this Spell is really busted, and I know that Redacted has been watching me. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Grow Death Fungous ends up getting nerfed because of me, or at least gets its price increased. For how powerful the spell is, the thing is WAY too cheap. It should have probably been priced the same as War Crime at the very least.


    Bug looks down at the dead mushroom she is still holding in her hand. Curious, she gives it a sniff.


    "Smells tasty..."


    These deadly things aways produce a lovely scent of apples and cinnamon, most likely being a way to entice animals and dumb people to try and eat them. Normally, Bug would have never humored the idea of eating one, but... Well, she is immune now...


    Popping the finger sized mushroom in her mouth, Bug''s eyes go wide with surprise.


    "Oh! This does taste good! Too bad most people can''t eat these without getting infected, they''re missing out. I wonder if this would go good in a soup..."


    Shrugging and rejecting the notices asking if she would like to allow infection, Bug continues crossing the giant arena at a casual pace until she finally reaches the far wall and the exit. Sitting on the floor, not too far from the door, is a chest and Bug has to take a moment to remember that Bosses give rewards when you beat them.


    ¡°Ooh! I wonder what I¡¯ll get this time? Please be more mana shards!¡±


    Bug wants to run over and check it immediately, but she quickly remembers that the Dungeon snuck a note in it last time. What if it is boobytrapped this time? Better safe than sorry.


    ¡°Go and check that for me.¡± She orders one of her skeletons, already moving to hide behind Sam the Shield Man again as she watches the other skeleton open the chest.


    Nothing happens, but Bug isn¡¯t going to take any risks. If the Dungeon is willing to cheat by sending a Cleaner, then she isn¡¯t going to put the possibility of traps in her rewards beyond it.


    ¡°Show me what¡¯s inside.¡±


    The unnamed skeleton leans the box over so Bug can see inside of it from where she is hiding. Inside, she just sees two white things and another piece of paper.


    ¡°No trap I guess, but what are those?¡±


    She makes her way over and pulls the white things out. They are made of wool and look like they are vaguely in the shape of a foot? Some type of clothing? With them in her hands she decides to grab the note and read it.


    ¡°Congrats, here¡¯s some socks. Now please, kindly kill yourself. ¨C Dungeon Manager 117¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Why do I feel like this isn¡¯t an actual reward? Also, fuck you Dungeon, I¡¯m not going to kill myself! Ahhh¡­ Who knows, maybe they have magic or something¡­¡±


    Bug puts the socks in her inventory and then reads the description.


    ¡®Wool Socks. A pair of socks that are great for keeping your feet warm and to help prevent blistering when wearing boots all day. Please remember to wash them after heavy use¡­¡¯


    Bug looks down at her naked feet, wiggling her green scaled toes in the dirt.


    ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t wear boots though? This is just a useless reward. Could have given me some mana crystals or some money to add to my treasure pile, not¡­ oh! That¡¯s the point¡­ Darn Dungeon¡­ Just you wait Dungeon, I¡¯m coming to kick your ass!¡±


    Huffing, Bug closes her inventory like she is slamming a door and heads for the exit, hitting the switch with a heavy slap. Heading straight for the stairs with her minions following right behind her, Bug descends further into the Dungeon. Back in the second layer, the kill notifications are already coming in as unlucky monsters have the unpleasant misfortune of meeting her newest zombies and the plague she just unleashed on this place, her experience gage already slowly ticking up towards her next level-up as she walks away. It''s too bad that she couldn''t take them with her, but if what Bug knows about the third layer is true, then the giant spiders would just serve to get in her way.


    With the doors closing, the second layer quickly descends into chaos as Death sinks it claws into the giant underground forest. Everything here will be dead in a couple of days. Bug doesn¡¯t look back.


    ¡­


    Much like every other floor, the stair leading down take a while to travers, and Bug notices as the dirt and rock walls of the staircase transitions into a structure of brick and mortar and arched ceilings. The lights, which were just more of those glowing blue mushrooms from the first layer, soon become glow stones embedded in the ceiling at evenly spaced intervals. Bug naturally tries to steal one, but it is firmly a part of the Dungeon and refuses to budge or be stolen, much to her annoyance.


    And then she finds the door at the bottom.


    Unlike those above, which had been giant stone things that could only be opened with a switch, this one is made of metal and has a wheel in its center. It takes a second to figure it out, but eventually Bug works out that you have to rotate it to counterclockwise to unlock the door, large metal bars holding the door fast to the frame and held in place by visible gears. She has a skeleton take care of it for her, the big metal door being swung open on creaking hinges in much need of an oiling, and soon she is stepping out into the third layer, floor eleven.


    Water. Quite a lot of it.


    Bug steps out onto into a tunnel made of brick and mortar with a waterway running through the middle. To her right is just a dead end with a grate where the water is flowing in from some unseen place. To her left and further down the tunnel, she can see little bridges that would allow her to cross to the other side of the tunnel and up in the arched ceiling is more of those glow stones being evenly spaced every few meters, filling this underground place with a soft yellow light. Looking down the hall, she spots a metal ladder that seems to lead up into some other area, maybe a room, and further passed that is an intersection of even more tunnels, the waterways branching off with them and flowing in every direction, with two of the paths even leading down a slope.


    ¡°Hmm, more tunnels. Another labyrinth like the first layer? Well, let¡¯s get going.¡±

 B2. Chapter 3.3- Resume

    The first thing Bug does upon entering this new place is to order her minions to spread out and cover her, just in case of an ambush. There doesn''t seem to be anything nearby, but Bug would rather be safe than sorry. No matter how powerful she is feeling now, she isn¡¯t so foolish as to think that she can¡¯t be killed. A blow to the head could still be lethal after all, and all it would take is one good sneak attack to take her out.


    Once she is sure that everything is safe, she heads over to the waterway and looks down at the flowing water, grimacing as she gets a good smell of the dark waters. It doesn¡¯t smell too bad or like it is full of anything harmful or filthy, but the color and smell still doesn¡¯t give the impression of this being clean drinking/bathing water. Nothing like the crystal-clear waters that can be found in the Safe Rooms, the watering holes in the first layer, or even flowing through the rivers and waterfalls of the second layer.


    Dipping a finger into the dark water, Bug gives it a taste and promptly spits it out.


    ¡°Yuck. Tastes like dirt and, salt? Definitely not taking a bath in this. Maybe I can find some clean water somewhere else around here. If not, then the next Safe Room should at least have a fountain I can use.¡±


    Getting back up and running a hand through her dirty hair, trying to pull a tangle out of some dried blood, Bug turns and gets to walking, her escort of bony boys following in a loose formation around her with Sam the Shield Man leading from the front. When they eventually reach one of the little bridges, Bug has some of her skeleton move over to the other side of the hallway, her one remaining flying skeleton flapping around up by the ceiling or even latching onto the bricks to crawl around upside down like some demonic bat.


    Looking up at it, Bug can¡¯t help but to comment, ¡°Oh, yeah, I never did manage to get back the other one from that frog, did I? Is it even still active? Hmm¡­ Yeah, I think it is, it still has a pull on my Core. Must still be stuck in that frog¡¯s mouth up there somewhere. Eventually I¡¯m going to need to get a remote viewing spell or something¡­¡±


    While still being under her control, Bug has no real way of reliably controlling any of her Undead that are too far away. Yes, she can still give them orders and they will obey to the best of their abilities. But if she can¡¯t see where they are or what their current condition is, she can¡¯t really give them accurate orders. Her flyer being stuck in a frog is a good example of this. She can order it too go somewhere, but being stuck, it obviously isn¡¯t going to be able to obey her. She can¡¯t even determine where her minions are, in case she wants to go and ¡®unstuck¡¯ them. At the very best, Bug can feel the general''ish direction of where her mana is going, basically being her leash on the Undead, but the best she can tell is it is just a vague, ¡®that direction~¡¯ for where her poor skeleton is.


    Oh well. I would have liked to get that one back, but I might as well just cut it off. Keeping my new spiders under my control is already a serious drain on my mana reserves. No point in wasting more on one I¡¯ll probably never get back¡­


    Cutting off her connection to the lost skeleton and a few other random zombies that are still up there somewhere, Bug grimaces as her max mana hardly goes up, more than half of her mana still being eaten up just from keeping the Cleaner under her control.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Half-Undead Gremlin


    Class ¨C Little Bodily Horror


    Level ¨C 28


    EXP ¨C 420/8000


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 281/318 [Health loss from internal damage greatly reduced by 70%]


    Stamina ¨C 105/105 [Stamina consumption reduced by 50%] [Stamina drain: Sunlight]


    Mana ¨C 181/181 [Total = 470] [-289 From Control Upkeep]


    Vitality ¨C 53 [+1 From Equipment]


    Endurance ¨C 35


    Strength - 35


    Dexterity - 50


    Magic - 50


    Intelligence - 50


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    ¡°Bit better than what it was. Darn thing better be worth keeping. At least it is already getting me kills up there. Now, about my health¡­¡±


    Looking at her lowered health, Bug feels at her abdomen with one of her hands. Despite not being able to feel the pain, she knows that she has some internal damage and quite a bit of bruising. That fight had taken a lot out of her and despite being able to heal her limbs, she doesn¡¯t have any way of healing the rest of her body. If it wasn¡¯t for Pain Immunity and, from what her status is telling her, the fact that being Half-Undead means that internal damage just isn¡¯t a big deal anymore, or at least not a huge one? Bug is certain that she wouldn¡¯t even be able to move around right now. She shouldn¡¯t be able to move around right now.


    Pain Immunity, in lieu of just screaming pain signals and agony, is telling her brain that three ribs are broken, two on the right, one on the left, her stomach, liver, and a kidney are all bruised but thankfully not ruptured or torn, her internal bleeding has thankfully clotted for now, but is just one wrong move from starting up again, and the welt on the back of her head has also stopped bleeding. Oh, and Bug¡¯s tail still has a broken bone. Even if she set it back into place, it¡¯s not as if it has magically healed. For most people, all of this would have left them sprawled out on the floor and unable to move, moaning in pain or just plain passed out and dying. But Bug feels just fine, if not a bit concerned.


    If all of this isn¡¯t enough to get my health to drop more than forty points, then what would? How important are my organs now, do I even need them? How much damage would I take if I get stabbed in the heart? If I die, will I actually die, or will I just become fully Undead? I would rather avoid that; I do like being alive¡­


    Still, even if Bug can¡¯t feel any pain or discomfort, she doesn¡¯t like knowing that she is injured. Not to mention that she can feel her broken ribs shifting as she walks, and it feels weird. Without the blinding presence of pain to block it out, she is weirdly aware of the fact that these bones are just, wrong¡­


    ¡°Screw it.¡± Bug says to herself as she and her minions take a turn and head down a sloping tunnel, following the water as it flows deeper into the Dungeon.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Throwing open the Item Store, Bug reluctantly spends the few points that she had managed to save up and buys a cheap potion. It¡¯s nowhere as expensive as the last one she bought, or as strong, but it should help mend up her insides somewhat and give her body a jumpstart on healing.


    Carefully reading the label this time to be sure that this isn¡¯t going to lead to Bug shitting herself again, Bug drinks only half the bottle and then recorks it, storing it away in her inventory.


    ¡°Hmm, another tasty one. So, this is what raspberry tastes like? Hm?¡±


    Bug looks down at her feed and finds a concerning warning.


    //Warning! User has ingested a Life infused product. Undead Users are advised to avoid this action.


    //Error: User is not Undead.


    //Error: User is Undead.


    //Notice: Ailment Immunity is attempting to prevent [Healing]. Projected damage is [Error]. Would you like to-


    //Error: [Healing] is not an Ailment. Attempting to resolve¡­


    //¡­


    //¡­


    //Notice: System solution found. Ailment Immunity updated for [Half-Undead] special User case. Errors resolved.


    //Notice: User has ingested harmful/non-harmful product. HP recovered [12 points].


    //Warning: User will now eject harmful material. You are advised to not consume harmful material again in the future.


    Bug barely manages to finish reading the stream of System notifications before her body is suddenly filled with a variety of feelings. The warmth of healing soothing some of her bruised insides and of her broken bones being set back into place, but not fully healed. The nausea of her Core suddenly reacting violently to this warmth and making her break out into a cold sweat. And then finally and worst of all. The sudden gurgling in her stomach as her entire body wrenches and she can feel as her guts practically flip inside out.


    ¡°Uahha~¡±


    Bug barely manages to turn and stumble over to the side as her legs give out beneath her, her hands finding the edge of the waterway she is walking beside like she is trying to hold the rim of a toilet bowl. Vomit and blood escape her mouth in a violent wave of burning discolored fluid. Gagging, her body continues to try and work up the remaining contents of her stomach as tears come to her eyes and her body quivers.


    Another release of bile into the flowing dark waters leaves her shaking on her hands and knees like a newborn faun, her eyes wide and shocked at what just happened to her.


    Spitting into the water to clear some of the filth out of her mouth, Bug has to just sit there for a moment on her knees as she watches the colorful vomit get carried away by the gentle currents, not able to form a single thought for a while as she just sits in shock at what just happened. Eventually, the shaking subsides, and she is finally able to get a hold on herself again.


    ¡°What, the, FUCK!?¡±


    Can I not drink a potion without my body violently expelling filth everywhere! This is the second time!!!! What the hell is wrong with these damn things?!


    Bug collapses back onto her butt, exhausted and in need of a short break after all of that.


    ¡°So, what? I can¡¯t drink potions anymore? Or I can, sort of? It did heal me at least a little. Are potions harmful to the Undead? But I¡¯m only half, so¡­ I can and I can¡¯t¡­ ahhhhhhh, that''s so stupid¡­¡±


    Bug put her face in her hands and rubs at her temples.


    ¡°How am I going to deal with healing then? I can recover limbs and my eyes just fine with magic, but what about the rest of me. Because I¡¯m certainly not drinking another potion ever again if it means throwing up! I guess my only option is through spells¡­¡±


    Hmm, I have the four Skill Points I just got for killing the Cleaner¡­So, I¡¯m up to eight now with the four I got while traveling with the others. I don¡¯t want to spend them yet. If I save up some more, I can get a spell that will fix most of my problems anyways instead of buying several small ones. I could just finally get Body Modification and make myself taller, but that won¡¯t handle my healing issue¡­ Hah, I really want to get it, but I need to prioritize what I actually need for survival, not just what I want. I¡¯ll just have to take it easy for now and let my minions do all the fighting while I let my body heal. It will be worth it in the end.


    With a sigh, Bug pulls a canteen out of her inventory and drinks some water to clean the taste of vomit out of her mouth. With her stomach still complaining about its abuse, she huffs and gets back onto her feet.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s keep going. I want to see what this layer has to offer. Hm?¡±


    Noticing something in the corner of her eye, Bug turns and looks towards the water, finding a green head and a pair of black eyes looking at her.


    ¡°Kaw!¡±


    Looking like a Goblin had a kid with a turtle, the weird creature with an indent in its head squawks at Bug with all the rage of an indignant crow.


    ¡°Kaw?¡± Asks Bug as she tilts her head at the mysterious being of the waterway. ¡°What are you?¡±


    //Congratulation! You leveled-up a Skill!


    //Identify Lvl 1 is now Lvl 2!


    ¡®Lvl20 Kappa. A river monster native to the lands far to the east. Loves cucumbers and is known to eat children and any halfling races that stray too close to its river. Typically avoids fighting adults.


    ¡°Finally! This damn Skill finally leveled up! Not much of an improvement though? It just gives me more of a description now, I guess? Meh, who knows, maybe level 3 will be better¡­¡±


    ¡°Kaw!¡± The Kappa crows again from its yellow beak.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Kaw, to you to¡­ Let me guess, you want to eat me because I¡¯m little? Why does my size keep ending me up in situations like this? First with those birds, and now this. I can¡¯t wait to make myself tall. Hannah is going to be so surprised to see me then. Maybe I should make myself taller than her? Then she won¡¯t be the one looking down at me, but I can look down at her. That could be fun. Or maybe the same height? Then¨C Hmm?¡±


    Bug¡¯s mussing gets interrupted as another Kappa pokes it¡¯s head out of the water, its black eyes peering up at her.


    ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡±


    ¡°And now there is two of you¡­ Bob, shoot them.¡± Bug orders her archer Skeleton as the Kappa keep crowing at her from the water.


    Bob takes aim at the nearest of the two and fires, but the green creature quickly dives under the water, dodging the bone arrow with a splash of dark water. It quickly pops up again elsewhere and angrily crows.


    ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡±


    Bob continues to fire, the two Kappas diving and dodging the arrows every time as they continue to make a racket and splash about. Bug has to hop back from the water''s edge as she avoids some of the water, not wanting to get wet.


    ¡°Just hold still and die already! You¡¯re making so much noise!¡±


    ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡±


    The Kappa don¡¯t seem to care to listen to Bug¡¯s demands and continue in their noise making.


    After a few more shots, Bug eventually orders Bob to stop wasting arrows. The Kappas resume crowing at her from the safety of the waterway, but at least they aren¡¯t splashing around anymore.


    ¡°Shut up you damn Kappa! I¡¯d like to see you fight us on land. What are you, too scared to get out of the water!? Come up here and fight me!¡±


    ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡±


    ¡°Kaw, kaw, kaw, is that all you can do, you oversized turtles? Get up here and-!¡±


    Bug goes wide eyed as she can feel Water mana gathering in one of the Kappa. A moment later, it opens its beak, and a blast of water shoots out as a sharp beam. Bug dodges on instinct, the blast passing right past her head not a second later and splashing against the brick wall of the Dungeon.


    ¡°You fucker! Inflict Pain!¡±


    Pointing at the Kappa, it screams and writhes in the water as its mind and soul are made to suffer imaginary pain, the creature screaming like Bug had just pulled the turtle out of the water and threw it into a boiling pot of hot oil.


    With the creature being unable to move out of the way, Bob launches an arrow at it, the bone white shaft burying itself into the chest of the green being and piercing its heart.


    //Killed lvl 20 Kappa ¨C 60 exp gained!


    The kill notification comes a moment later and the body goes still, floating on the water with a long red tongue lolling out of its beaked mouth.


    The other Kappa blinks at the violent death of its companion and then quickly dives into the water, disappearing from view.


    ¡°Good. Dang turtle Goblins yelling at me¡­ Just because I¡¯m little, it doesn¡¯t mean that I am food! Hah¡­¡±


    Running her hands down her shirt to work out some wrinkles like she is trying to wipe away her annoyance, Bug goes to use Raise Undead on the Kappa corpse that is slowly floating away, but stops as a green head pops up again a bit further downstream.


    ¡°Kaw!¡±


    ¡°What, you want to die too? Just try me!¡±


    And then another one pops up. And another. And another again¡­


    ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡±


    ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡±


    ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡± ¡°Kaw!¡±


    Green heads continue to pop up out of the water until there is more than a dozen of the ugly things, each one angrily crowing at Bug.


    ¡°Uhh! I swear, I¡¯m not food!¡±


    More of them pop up still and their numbers swell further.


    ¡°Well, shit¡­ Kill them! Kill the Kappa!¡±


    Deciding that she doesn¡¯t like where this is going, Bug quickly orders her skeletons to attack. She has a feeling that the longer this will take, the more annoying it will become.


    The waiting skeletons quickly run forward, not caring in the slightest as they all fall into the waterway and sink into the water. With how tall all of them are, they are apparently still able to stand in the water, but it is deep enough to where the water goes up to the shoulder on most of them. The skittering insect like skeleton just completely disappears underwater, but Bug knows that it is fine down there. Even if it can¡¯t swim, skeletons don¡¯t need to breath after all.


    The water way quickly turns into a splashing brawl of Kappa wrestling and trying to drown skeletons or blasting them with water, the skeletons tearing the green creatures apart whenever they can manage to catch one of the slippery critters. Bug, still up on the walkway and not getting any closer out of fear of getting splashed, continues to point at Kappa and cast Inflict Pain on them to try and keep the slippery things from moving around so much.


    ¡°Kill them! Kill them alllllll!!!

 B2. Chapter 3.4- Resume

    ¡°Raise Undead. Alright, was that the last of them? One, two, three, six, eight, ten, fourteen¡­ Hey, we¡¯re missing one, where did the last one go? We¡¯re missing a body, find it.¡±


    Sitting on the floor not too far from the waterway, still feeling stressed and tired after throwing up and everything else that has happened recently, Bug watches as her skeletons search around through the water. A bit further downstream, the insectile abomination of a skeleton comes skittering out of the water, holding a torn in half and bloodied corpse in its claws, like a crab that just found some scraps on the ocean floor.


    It dumps the wet corpse in front of Bug and she just grimaces as she looks at the thing. Its lower half is just plain missing, probably floating away downstream by now, and what is left of it is spilling wet guts all over the floor.


    ¡°Gross¡­ I can¡¯t use this one. Not enough body left. Sell.¡±


    Giving it a poke, Bug pulls it into her inventory and sells it as she is wiping her finger on her shorts.


    Hm, four points for half a Kappa. Not too bad. Maybe I can finally start making some points down here. Oh! I can finally save up enough to buy that bed I want! No more sleeping on the floor in a bag, that would be nice~ Hmmm, maybe I should save up to buy some new clothes while I¡¯m at it. I can clean these ones, but they are definitely going to be stained after all this¡­


    ¡°Mhm, I want points! New goal for while I¡¯m down here. Now that I don¡¯t have to worry about the others watching me, I can finally sell stuff again. Now then¡­ Uhm, you, get up here and let me look at you.¡±


    Bug points at one of the Undead Kappa floating in the water and it follows her orders, swimming over and climbing out of the waterway to stand before her, dripping with water and blood from where its throat had been ripped open.


    ¡°Geez, these things are ugly. And smelly¡­¡±


    Green from head to toe, the Kappa stands about a foot or so taller than Bug herself, so a bit taller than your average Goblin, and has a soft turtle shell on its back that doesn¡¯t wrap around to its front. Instead, the naked creature has a pot belly and even a bellybutton. Thankfully for Bug, so she is sparred the sight, Kappa apparently keep their business parts inside of them, the only indication of this thing being a male being the sheath between its legs. If only that could have been the same case for the Gremlins and Goblins up in the first layer. Unfortunately, the Dungeon doesn¡¯t spawn its monsters wearing underwear¡­


    Disregarding all of that, this creature doesn¡¯t look particularly strong, with its limbs all being rather narrow and long. On its hands and feet, all the digits are connected by membrane and the fingers and toes end in sharp little claws that would deal some damage to unprotected flesh. Having the Kappa open its beak-mouth, Bug finds a line of sharp, needle-like teeth that would make it difficult for anything to escape its bite; most likely intended for eating fish and other slippery underwater prey.


    Definitely a creature intended to live and fight in the water. And after looking over the thing, Bug isn¡¯t surprised at all that the Kappa had refused to leave the water and engage her on land.


    ¡°Alright, back in the water with you. And you guys, get out of the water already, Skeletons aren¡¯t built to swim.¡±


    Watching the Undead climb out of the water, she sees how the Hoarfrost ones had been freezing the water, their bodies now covered in icicles, while the poisonous ones had left a trail of green fluid behind in the water that is slowly being washed away downstream. Bug is a bit curious if the poison will end up killing some unfortunate creature eventually, but she also honestly doesn¡¯t care. What¡¯s a little poison in the water supply when she has already released plagues up above after all?


    Letting out a tired breath, Bug gets back up to her feet, taking it slow and easy so she doesn¡¯t hurt her insides, and then gets back to walking. With a silent command to her Undead, they fall in line and follow. Her skeletons remain on land and cover every side, while her new Kappa are swimming along in the waterway, leaving behind a trail of blood and filth from their bodies in the water as they move.


    I wonder, if I turn the Kappa into skeletons, will they still be able to swim? Actually, on that point, they were able to use magic. Can they still use it?


    Deciding to experiment while she walks, just following the current and filling out her map as she goes, Bug starts with the magic question, a rather easy one to resolve.


    ¡°You, spit some water out of your mouth.¡±


    The Undead Kappa proceeds to suck some water into its mouth and then spits it out.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Uhhh¡­. No, no. Dumb Undead, I meant¡­ Use magic to spit water out of your mouth, aim for the wall over there.¡±


    It obeys, and Bug can feel as Water mana is gathered in the Kappa, a jet of water escaping its mouth a moment later and splashing against the indestructible walls of the Dungeon.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Cool. So, I can have Undead that use magic then. Do it again, aim for that light up there.¡± Bug orders as she points up at the ceiling.


    The Kappa nails the target easily and Bug then has it shoot again and again, much to her amusement.


    Taking a copper coin out of her inventory, she tosses it in the air, ¡°Shoot that!¡±


    The coin gets snipped out of the air and goes flying away, dinging off the ceiling before falling into the water a distance away.


    ¡°Hahahaha! Oh, this is cool! OK, now- Hm?¡±


    The Kappa, growing slow and lethargic, sinks into the water and her connection to it fades away. The corpse floats back up and just bobs in the water as Bug stares at it in confusion¡­


    ¡°What¡­? Oh! Oh¡­ I used up all its mana and killed its artificial soul¡­¡±


    I forgot, I need to increase their mana draw on my reserves if I want them to be able to operate under higher mana usage. Just like my skeletons. All that frost and poison doesn¡¯t just come from nowhere. If I don¡¯t supply them with the needed mana to maintain it, they will drain themselves.


    ¡°Raise Undead. Sorry about that, Kappa. That was dumb of me.¡±


    The corpse comes back to un-life, a new artificial soul being placed in its body.


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s good to know that I have these guys as a ranged option now, instead of just Bob and his arrows. Let¡¯s just increase this by a point or two¡­ There, should probably limit it to four shots each and then give time to recharge. Don¡¯t want to risk losing them during a fight. Now then! Next experiment.¡±


    Bug is back to walking again, not wanting to waist her time by not making any progress with exploring, basically just taking turns at random so long as she is still following the water¡¯s current.


    ¡°Alright, you again. Take off all your meat and become a skeleton. The rest of you, help out.¡±


    What follows is a disgusting display as the poor Kappa is stripped of its flesh and guts, all the while still somehow managing to swim along and follow Bug and the others. Behind them is a mess of meat, blood, and organs that is left to lazily float in water. Surprisingly to Bug, this also ends up being her first time seeing some fish. The scaled, colorful things going into a feeding frenzy as they nibble and swallow up any pieces of meat that they can fit in their mouths.


    Bug manages to spot some pretty ones with orange scales and white spots, while others are all just one color and flat. Others are huge and fat with ugly faces and have equally huge mouths that can swallow up bites of food almost as big as their entire bodies. Bug quickly decides that she likes the pretty ones. Their scales remind her of gems, and she likes how they shine in the light. Now, if only she didn¡¯t have to see them gorging themselves on the freshly shed flesh of a Kappa and basically bathing in blood¡­ Still pretty though.


    It takes a while for the Kappa to be reduced to a skeleton, but it is eventually done. And, low and behold, the thing can still swim. Despite literally being nothing but bones, the only remaining flesh being the skin that is tough to remove from the shell. The Undead thing apparently has no issues with defying the laws of physics and floating in the water. Though, honestly, if a skeleton can fly, then why can¡¯t one swim?


    Bug looks up and finds her one remaining flyer, the lonely (Not actually lonely since Undead can¡¯t feel emotion.) thing is currently flying around in circles above the others, with not a scrap of flesh to be seen on its bone wings. Yet despite that, through the powers of magic and the System, it is staying aloft.


    Raises questions¡­ Like why can¡¯t my other skeletons swim or fly? Do they have to have wings to fly? Do they have to be built with the intention of being a swimmer or a flyer? Humans can swim, but my skeletons can¡¯t, they just sink. Which makes sense, but at the same time doesn¡¯t¡­ Weird.


    Bug just shrugs. She isn¡¯t a scholar. It isn¡¯t her job to figure out the mysteries of magic and how it works. She just needs to be able to kill stuff with it. As long as it works, that is all that matters.


    ¡°Alright, this is going to be gross, but honestly, you Kappa really smell bad and being dead isn¡¯t helping in the slightest. All of you, turn yourselves into skeletons.¡±


    Bug tries not to watch what follows, not wanting to throw up again. So, she keeps her eyes on the path ahead of her and tries to ignore the sounds of splashing water and tearing skin, and even worse, the smell of bowls being accidentally pierced and filth being spilt into the water.


    At least the fish are eating good today¡­


    ¡­


    A few turns later, and her mini map slowly being filled in more and more, Bug finds herself at a waterfall, one of several. Her path has brought her to a large open room so full of water that it is practically an underground lake. Along the walls near her, she can see where other paths terminate at this place, the waterways flowing through them terminating at this place as water flows into this lake as waterfalls or even just from sloping paths like a river. Elsewhere, water pours in from pipes or even from the ceiling, falling endlessly into this expanse of water.


    Bug squints, focusing on enhancing her vision as she looks off across the lake to the other side. In the distance, she can spot the distant wall, and what she assumes is the way forward.


    ¡°They told me that this layer had lots of water¡­ Max wasn¡¯t lying. Also said that it could be traversed by rafts, now where are¡­ there!¡±


    Looking around, down below, along what looks like a dock built along the side of this camber, Bug spots a place where a couple wooden rafts are moored, bobbing up and down in the water.


    Quickly finding the ladder to get down, Bug descends, her skeletons following right behind or just jumping down in the case of the giant boar skeleton. The insect simply scuttles down the wall like a horrifying bug, while the flyer happily flaps its wings into this new place, the ceiling being much higher and giving it plenty of room to fly around over the water. The new Kappa skeletons, in a surprise to Bug, launch themselves out of the water at the waterfall in a surprising display of finesse and soar through the air for a good distance before diving into the lake.


    Alighting to the dock, Bug and her minions make their way towards the rafts. Along the way, her Kappa get into a fight with some big spiky frogs in the water, about the size of a rottweiler. The frogs, fleeing from the Undead Kappa, jump up onto the dock, but that just puts them in killing range of Bug¡¯s other Skeletons.


    They are promptly slaughtered, and Bug puts the corpses into her inventory, not caring to turn them. Apparently, from what their description is telling her, they¡¯re meat is supposed to be good for eating and tases like chicken. Bug has no idea what chicken is, but she decides to keep two of them to cook and eat and sells the rest for points.


    Bug, tired after a long day, but happy at making some progress and a little more money, hums happily to herself as she heads for the rafts.


    Now then¡­ How does one operate a raft?

 B2. Chapter 3.5- Resume

    Three rafts, large wooden things with plenty of space for several people to move around on, are tied off to the dock and gently swaying in the calm dark waters of the underground lake. There is a slight current, with the water of the lake seemingly flowing towards the other side where the water no doubt continues to flow further into the Dungeon, but it is so slow that it might as well be still. With the rafts held in place by thick ropes that tighten and slacken as they sway, Bug looks the big wooden things over with naked curiosity.


    Bug has never seen a boat before, let alone a raft. She does have some knowledge about them however, even from before Hannah taught her about ships and about other things up on the surface. Contained within the Magic Knowledge that Bug had learned a while back, in the subject of Water Spells, there is one that is designed to propel rafts through the water. This knowledge came with the bare basics of what a raft is. However, it did not come with the know-how for how to operate a raft. That, she only has from putting together pieces of other information and again, from what she was able to learn from Hannah.


    Obviously, Bug can¡¯t use Water Spells. The closest she has access to is Ice, and that is only in relation to Death. However again, the Knowledge of this Spell did come with something useful.


    The Spell¡¯s purpose is specifically mentioned as being made so the user doesn¡¯t have to use sails, oars, or expensive mana engines to drive with something called a propeller...


    Bug has no idea what an engine is, the concept not being taught to her as anything more than just a word and an idea of some kind of ''machine thing'', but sail and oars, being far simpler, she knows what those are at least.


    Looking over one of the rafts, the first thing to note is that they don¡¯t have sails. Not too surprising considering that there isn¡¯t much wind down here, as those would have been largely useless and just served to complicate something as simple as a raft. Instead, these apparently have a couple of large oars, their lengths being several times longer than Bug is tall.


    Taking a careful jump onto the raft, Bug holding out her arms as she fights to hold her balance with the raft rocking, heads over and picks up one of the long poles.


    ¡°Ok, obviously, the flat end goes in the water, right? And then I just move it around, like this, or¡­?


    With the raft still tied up and her skeletons all patiently waiting on the dock, Bug plays around with the oar and experiments with how she can push the big raft around with nothing but a stick. A big stick, yes, but still a stick.


    This is cool. How heavy is this raft even? And I can push it around so easily... Water is cool, I think I might enjoy this!


    Once Bug feels like she has a good enough idea of how to do it, she orders Bob the Archer, Sam the Shield Man, and Zax the Axe, to board the vessel with her. All the other giant skeletons get put back into her inventory with Bug doubting that, even with how large the raft is, that it would actually be able to carry them all. Worse would be if any of her boney minions were to fall in the water. Retrieving them would be a headache. As for her flier and the Kappa, they are perfectly fine right where they are.


    Speaking of the Kappa, with their skeletal bodies that still have bits of meat and flesh on them, they seem to be attracting hungry fish that are coming to nibble on the floating corpses. Little do the fishes know, the seemingly still corpses are not so still, and whenever a hungry fish comes by for a nibble of bloody skin hanging off a shell, the Kappa lash out and kill the fish with their claws. And they apparently have been doing this for a while as Bug was playing with the raft¡­


    Watching a Kappa kill another dumb fish, Bug then witnesses said dumb fish come back to life and promptly swim away, presumably to go and unalive even more fish.


    ¡°Meh, I¡¯m sure that won¡¯t cause any issues¡­ I hope¡­¡±


    Giving a quick order to the Kappa to stop killing the harmless little fish and to let them eat the meat off their bodies if they want to, Bug unties the raft from the dock and pushes them away. The raft lazily flows out into the open waters, carried slowly on the current as Bug moves to try and drive the thing forward with one of the oars.


    The end result is just the raft spinning around in a circle as she fights to get it to move properly, but they are heading in the right direction. Just slowly and with a lot of spinning.


    ¡°How the heck is anyone supposed to do this by themselves? It just keeps wanting to turn! Sam, help me, grab an oar!¡±


    The silent skeleton obeys and grabs an oar.


    Bug looks at him as he is just standing there, not moving to do anything else.


    ¡°Are you going to help or not? Hah¡­ Mindless things¡­ Put the oar in the water and row like I am d- NO I DIDN¡¯T SAY DROP IT IN THE WATER!¡±


    With two of the Kappa retrieving the lost oar, Bug has her braindead minion pick up another one. Carefully wording her orders and showing what she wants him to do this time, Bug manages to get him to start rowing.


    With the two of them rowing, the raft starts to move through the water much better, but Bug¡¯s short stature makes it so her rows aren¡¯t as wide as Sam¡¯s, making her have to row twice as fast just to keep the boat for turning. Deciding that she has had her fun for now and is quickly growing tired of rowing, Bug orders Zax to take her place, again, being careful with how she does so.


    After a bit of work and some corrections to make it so the two are rowing together at the same pace and as smoothly as possible, Bug then gives some extra orders to get them to learn how to turn the raft as she wants. Some experiments later, and the raft is sailing across the lake at a good pace, able to turn and stop with nothing but a command on her part.


    ¡°Good, now I can relax for a bit. Take it nice an easy for a while~¡±


    Feeling rather proud of herself, Bug moves to the center of the raft, beside a waiting Bob, and digs out her sleeping rolls and some old blankets to relax on. Not the newer/cleaner ones though. Bug is still dirty and in desperate need of a bath and her clothes of a wash, and she doesn¡¯t want to dirty the ones she actually sleeps in. She¡¯s not a savage after all.


    Lounging on a soft nest of blankets and letting her minions do all the work, Bug pulls some of the still fresh food that she had stolen form one dead party or another- a pot of stew that they had been cooking before Bug showed up- and gets herself a bowl of the tasty stuff made to enjoy.


    ¡°Haaaah, tasty~ So much better than eating moss. Hopefully my food will last until I get out of the Dungeon. I really don¡¯t want to go back to eating moss again¡­¡±


    The moss has been a prevalent thing throughout the Dungeon so far. From growing everywhere in the first layer, to being patches growing amongst the foliage and on the branches of the second layer, Bug has seen no shortage of the stuff. Even down here, in the third layer, there is still more moss. It doesn¡¯t grow anywhere near as densely as it did up above, but Bug hardly has to look hard to find a large enough patch of the stuff to fill her stomach if she were so inclined as to do so. Even just looking up at the ceiling where her flier is soaring around in lazy circles, she can see large patches of the stuff growing on the bricks and around the lights, wet with moisture.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    It''s not as if the moss tastes bad or anything. If anything, it actually tastes alright. It¡¯s just that compared to a hot bowl of stew, or even something as perfect and wonderful as a cookie, the moss is just¡­ meh¡­


    At the very least Bug doesn¡¯t have to worry about starving to death or anything, but if she runs out of tasty food, she would be rather upset. Oh, she could just eat the Death Fungous! It does taste pretty good after all. Maybe Bug should learn how to cook? That could make for a good hobby¡­


    Bug takes a sip of broth and talks to herself as she is carried across the lake in comfort, ¡°Really wish the Points Store had food available as an option though. Devs really need to hurry up and finish that part already¡­¡±


    Enjoy her raft ride in silence as her minions tirelessly work, Bug finishes off her meal and then stores away her bowl. Getting nice and comfy, she lounges as she watches the distant shoreline slowly grow closer. Even with the skeletons rowing at a steady pace, it is going to take a while to cross the lake.


    Feeling her eyes growing heavy after a long and stressful day, Bug slowly closes her eyes and lets herself be drawn into a nap, the gentle rocking of the raft lolling her into a light sleep.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    A beautiful beach with sand like pearls and water like shining diamonds. The gentle waves laps at the shore in a relaxing rhythm that leaves little crabs skuttling and quickly burying themselves in the sand as the retreating waters reveal their hidden homes. On the horizon, the sun hangs bright and large like the most radiant of topaz in the sky, with cotton candy like clouds floating lazily though a big blue sky.


    Lounging comfortably in a beach chair under the shade of an umbrella in a two piece bikini, Bug watches as people she vaguely recognizes run and play on the picture perfect beach in colorful swimsuits of their own, laughing and smiling as they play with a ball, and making castles from the sand, or splashing about in the water. A bunch of the guys seem to have gathered to one side and are all digging a big hole together, looking rather proud of their work. Bug doesn¡¯t know what the appeal is or why they seem to be enjoying digging so much, but as long as they are having fun she guesses it doesn¡¯t matter. Today is just a nice day, relaxing under the sun. And that¡¯s all that matters.


    Beside her, lounging on another chair and reading a book, is a happy looking Hannah wearing a cute one-piece that daringly leaves her bellybutton exposed. It looks good on her. Her face is a bit blurry, but Bug can tell it is Hannah. She just knows. Hannah asks her a question, ending it with a joke, but the words are unintelligible, like a sentence scrambled and spoken in reverse. Bug just smiles and laughs at the joke, enjoying her time with her best friend. Enjoying being on the surface. Maybe she should give surfing a try, those waves look fun.


    Meh, right now she is happy to just lay here and sip on this fruity drink she is only just now realizing she was holding. It tastes like a good flavor. She likes this flavor. It makes her smile and let out a satisfied sigh after a satisfyingly cold sip.


    As Bug and Hannah are relaxing side by side under the shade of the umbrella, enjoying a peaceful and beautiful day, the tide slowly drawing nearer, Bug notices as the others on the beach are gathering around her. She doesn¡¯t really care though. This drink tastes like happiness and her best friend is right next to her. That is all that matters. But why does she recognize these people? Despite their faces being blurry she can tell that they are smiling, she can tell that some part of her mind recognizes them from somewhere. But where?


    They continue to gather around, all smiling and looking happy, as one should when enjoying a good day at the beach, but Bug can¡¯t help but to grow a bit concerned as they continue to surround her. She looks over at Hannah, but the other girl apparently isn¡¯t worried. She just turns a page in her book and keeps reading. Bug can¡¯t understand the jumbled words on the cover, but Hannah looks like she is enjoying reading it.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Bug eventually decides to ask the gathering people, her curiosity making her even forget about the incredibly tasty beverage in her hand. Though, only for a moment.


    The people don¡¯t answer, just continuing to smile down at her.


    Bug can¡¯t be bothered to get angry at their silence. Today is a beach day and she is in too much of a good mood to get angry.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± She chooses to ask next, directing her question to the nearest man wearing a yellow and green pair of swim trunks, since she can¡¯t place their blurry faces to memories of people she thinks she remembers.


    ¡­


    ¡°netu ¡¯suo mroem erbdY?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t remember you. Should I?"


    The smiling man steps closer, still looking happy despite being forgotten. Something that should make most people understandable upset. He places his hand on the pole of the umbrella and looks down at Bug.


    ¡°oe u,kmli Yedemrembe?lr¡±


    Bug blinks as she looks up at him, mildly surprised by his words.


    ¡°I killed you?¡±


    The man nods, still smiling.


    Looking around at all the other gathered people, recognition fills her.


    ¡°Oh, I did! Huh¡­ Sorry that I forgot your face... and your name... that was rude of me.¡± Bug says with a smile before taking a sip of her tasty drink. It just has such a great flavor!


    ¡°ohT''s.tak¡± Says the man, an arrow sticking out of his rotting back, his skin turning black and green as poison ravages his veins and mushrooms sprout from his face like horns.


    Setting aside her drink on a little table that wasn''t there a moment ago, Bug smiles and asks, ¡°So, you all enjoying the beach? I wish I could play under the sun to¡­¡±


    Bug doesn¡¯t know why she can¡¯t also enjoy the sun yet, but she is currently relegated to staying under the umbrella for now. It would be nice if she could feel its light on her skin like everyone else.


    The man says something that she doesn¡¯t quite catch, and Bug blinks at him with a questioning ¡°Hm?¡±


    He doesn¡¯t repeat himself, instead choosing to work on removing the umbrella¡¯s pole from the sand.


    Bug doesn¡¯t know why but this has her panicking.


    ¡°Wait! You shouldn¡¯t do that! I¡¯m not ¨C AHHHHHHhhhAHHhhhahh!!!¡±


    The umbrella is pulled away and the sun¡¯s light is finally able to reach Bug¡¯s exposed legs. A searing heat finds her as her flesh is lit a flame. With the shade pulled away and her body exposed, the fire spreads and engulfs her, Bug screams and flails in her chair as she and everyone else on the beach panics at the sudden inferno.


    People panic and ask what to do. Someone makes a suggestion and others quickly agree. Bug, chair and all, is suddenly lifted by many hands and carried forward by a multitude of dead people. With a heave-ho, she is suddenly in the air, looking at the quickly approaching waters. With a splash, she is submerged and wet.


    She panics.


    She gasps for air.


    She can¡¯t tell up from down and as the waves hit her, her world is sent tumbling around and around and around as clouds of sand are kicked up by a wave crashing down on her head.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Dirty water filling her mouth and threatening to flood her lungs, Bug finds herself underwater and understandably panics. She has no idea how she got here, and worst of all, she doesn¡¯t know how to swim.


    Flailing around, her arms and legs kicking in every direction, Bug panics in the dark water as her brain screams for air and she is knocked around by raging underwater currents.


    Not knowing what else to do, she sends out an order to her skeletons. Nothing more than a desperate ¡®HELP!¡¯ as she continues to panic under the water and sink deeper into the dark.


    A skeletal hand quickly finds her back and pushes against her, soon followed by another and then a third as her Kappa reach her. Pushing against her, the skeletons bring their master back up to the surface and Bug is soon breaching the black depths to find breathable air.


    Gasping, she chokes and coughs up a mouthful of water, her body wanting to retch and cry as her lungs force up the bit of water that she had accidentally swallowed.


    With adrenaline pumping through her veins, dazed and confused, Bug quickly remembers what she was doing and looks for solid land, her Kappa working to keep her head above the water.


    There, off in the distance, Bug can see her destination, the other side of the underground lake. It¡¯s much closer than it was when she dozed off, but still a worrying distance away. Where is the raft?


    Bug looks around, her wet hair slapping around as she turns her head in a hurry.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡±


    She found it. Or what is left of it, that is. The raft is now several pieces of driftwood floating in the water, her blankets stuck to the wood or floating around before slowly sinking into the dark water.


    There is no sign of Bob, Sam, or Zax the Axe, and to make matters worse, her other Kappa appear to be fighting something under the water and are losing badly.


    Cursing, Bug points to the largest of the remaining pieces of raft and orders, ¡°Get me over there, now!¡±


    What the Hell, can I not just take a nap in peace!?

 B2. Chapter 4.1- Fishy Fishy

    Pulling herself up onto what is left of the raft, Bug, dripping with water and looking like a drowned rat, lets out an exhausted breath as she collects herself. Nearly drowning has her rightfully stressed out and she wants to take a moment to calm down, but it doesn¡¯t look like she will be getting the chance. The once calm waters of the underground lake are now turning and stirring with raging water, with large waves splashing about as some dark shadow rampages beneath the dark water¡¯s surface.


    In just the couple minutes it took for Bug to get out of the water and back to ¡®safety¡¯ three more of her Undead Kappa had been destroyed. All Bug can do is watch the raging water while gripping the wood in a death grip, fighting to not get thrown back into the water.


    What the heck is in there? I thought we just crashed or something, but whatever is down there must have wrecked my raft while I was out. What could it- Shit, just lost another Kappa!


    ¡°You two! Get over here and push, quick, get me the hell out of here!¡±


    The two Undead Kappa that had pulled Bug out the water quickly swim over and grab hold of Bug¡¯s piece of raft, pushing with everything they have as they speed away from the underwater battle.


    Ok, priorities. I need to get to land, I can¡¯t fight in the water. Why the hell didn¡¯t I think about the possibility of falling in the water?! I don¡¯t know how to swim! Second, I need to see if I can rescue my skeletons. I don¡¯t want to lose them all yet! How far away is land?


    Bug looks away from the raging waters and towards her destination on the other side of the lake. Regretfully, even in the time it had taken to have a nap (Rudely interrupted), her journey across had only reached about two-thirds of the way there and still has some distance to go.


    Giving some slight adjustments in direction to the pushing Kappa, Bug returns her gaze to the battle and tries to find her three missing skeletons. There is no sign of Bob, Sam, or Zax, and when she tries to follow their pull on her mana, to get a general direction of where they might be, Bug finds herself looking down into the depths of the lake.


    Great, they sunk to the bottom¡­ Not too surprising considering how heavy they all are. At least they are all still functional, that¡¯s all that matters. Ok you three, try to walk towards me. Just follow and I¡¯ll fish you out on the other side of the ¨C


    A large splash and a shadow blocking out the lights distracts Bug from her orders, compelling her to look up. What she finds leaves her speechless and her mouth agape as she gawks, wide eyed, at the thing that just jumped out of the water.


    Big enough to make a shark look tiny, and as orange and red as a sunset, the majestic and bulbous creature is a thing of shining beauty with scales that shimmer under the soft lights imbedded in the ceiling. With fins like royal banners flowing through the wind and being as wide as it is tall, and fat like an overfed cat, the thing, this fish, is almost as comical looking as it is gorgeous, what with its big round head and bulging eyes and all. But more than that, it is also horrifying in that its mouth is almost wide enough to swallow several fully grown men whole in a single bite, which would translate as being easily several of Bug.


    Trapped in its mouth and holding on by the lips is another of the Kappa, fighting desperately to not fall into that bottomless depth of the monster¡¯s mouth as it and fish and all are still up in the air. When the fish slams its mouth closed, the arms of the Kappa snap off and it disappears somewhere inside, the massive fish only now starting its descent back down towards the water.


    But what is noteworthy is what else is up there in the air with them. The reason for why it is that this massive thing is currently rampaging.


    Attached to its body in several places like leaches and eating into its august scales, is a swarm of Undead fish that are attacking it with suicidal abandon. The little Undead fish are torn up and missing parts, reduced to bloody little things, but they are no doubt giving their everything to try and kill the much larger fish and are pissing it off horribly.


    But none of that matters. All of it gets registered by Bug, yes. With her current stats and her enhanced eyes, these things are all easy to take notice of. But none of it matters. NONE of it!


    And that is solely because her attention is now entirely fixed onto one part of the majestic creature that is before her eyes. She feels no fear at the idea of being eaten. The stress of nearly drowning is gone and forgotten. Even the concerns for her sunken skeleton and her new Kappa are cast aside like useless trash.


    There is only greed now as Bug gazes longingly, almost lustfully, watching as the fish meets the water and disappears into the dark depths.


    A single scale. Gold and shaped like a tear, this single scale is easily as big as Bug is tall and is the center piece of the fish¡¯s enormous round head.


    The fish disappears and Bug is still staring at where she last saw it, the image of that amazing treasure seared into her eyes as she is left there with her mouth wide open.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡±


    She can hardly find the words with her whole mind so filled with just that single golden scale. When Bug finally manages to find her words, she can only speak three and three alone.


    ¡°I. NEED. IT!!!¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    The water moves off to the side, the beast still fighting as it is swarmed by countless Undead fish and Bug¡¯s Kappa skeletons. Her head snaps to the side as she follows it motions like a cat watching a koi in a pond, her eyes almost bloodshot with greed.


    Pushed by desire, Bug acts.


    ¡°Command Undead!¡±


    With a pulse of Death mana escaping her body and spreading as a wave in every direction, Bug immediately takes control of every single Undead fish in the lake, her Turn Undead Spell having been among her upgrades that came after beating the Cleaner. Now, she no longer needs line of sight to take control of the Undead, but can now simple capture everything around her.


    Apparently, the Undead fish that her Kappa had accidently made had been very busy while Bug was napping, as now most of the lake is almost full of them as the zombie fish had been killing and eating all their old fishy friends.


    Bug points and commands, ¡°Swarm! Kill! Devourer!¡± as she holds the image of the giant fish in her mind. ¡°But you are not allowed to damage that scale! It is mine!¡±


    Even with the thousands of fish that just fell under her control, Bug¡¯s mana has only fallen by about a third. The fish themselves are all normal, regular, run of the mill fish. As far as the System is concerned, these fish, even up to the largest bass, would hardly even be considered as Level 1. But even still, a thousand fish, no matter how weak, are still a threat. The only reason that Bug hadn¡¯t been aware of them until now is because the fish had no reason to try and bother her, not with her Winter¡¯s Deathly Aura passive making Undead see her one of them. Even when she fell in the water earlier, she was perfectly safe from all the zombie fish.


    No, the only threat in these waters is the golden beast that she now hunts, and Bug will not rest until she has what she desires!


    The Undead fish swarm by the dozens of hundreds. Massive schools of the bloody things swimming though the water as fast as their Undead strength can propel them until they are swarming the massive fish en masse. The water practically erupts as the first school makes contact, soon followed by the second and third, each one smashing into the underwater beast with suicidal abandon. Bug¡¯s remaining Kappa, pushed by Bug¡¯s greed, redouble their own attacks on the fish and fight with everything they have as they claw at its sides and tear at delicate fins and gills.


    But the beast refuses to die. It continues to fight and rampage and writhe under the water as it smashes its tail side to side and bites down on anything it can capture in its large mouth, gobbling down and devouring entire schools of fish with a single bite or breaking them with a slam of its long tail. Even as the dark water¡¯s surface becomes more and more blood stained, and more and more fish are re-killed and their broken bodies float to the surface, the massive golden fish refuses to give up.


    Bug watches it all from what is left of her raft, refusing to look away as her army of aquatic zombies is smashed apart and broken to pieces by the dozens every second. Inpatients is quick to take her along with worry. What if it manages to get away? What if it kills all her Undead and she isn¡¯t able to pursue it, to hunt down and claim HER treasure!? Bug can¡¯t let that happen! It will be Bug''s!


    The treasure MUST be Bug¡¯s!


    Not thinking straight, Bug throws open the Skill Store and quickly buys some Spells and a Skill she had previously disregarded because she didn¡¯t think she would ever really have much of a need for them. They could have been useful later on, she figured, but on land, they would have been largely useless.


    Now though? These spells are the difference between having treasure and losing it forever. And that is simply unacceptable.


    ¡®Swimming Lvl 1. There is no shame in not knowing how to swim. Plenty of people don¡¯t know how. I mean, sure, babies and most animals can swim without ever having to learn how, but you¡¯re an adult, and taking swimming lessons would just be embarrassing. Just take this Skill and make it easier for yourself. You always knew how to swim; other people don¡¯t need to know you bought this. 1 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Respiratory Mutation. [Discounted] Breathe in deep and smell that fresh air! Don¡¯t you just love being able to breathe? To smell? To be able to process oxygen and convert it into life giving energy that you quite literally can¡¯t live without? Yeah, we know you do. And now you can breathe in a bunch of other ways, how exciting! Lungs, gills, cutaneous respiration, maybe you always wanted to be a tree and breath CO2. Grow some leaves then if you want! It¡¯s your choice how to breathe now. [6] 4 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Grow Tails. [Discounted] Tails aren¡¯t for everyone, but they do have their uses. Maybe you just need the extra balance. Maybe you want something prehensile that can grab stuff. Maybe you just think tails are cute and want to give yourself something fluffy or scaley to wave around. We don¡¯t judge, and it is your body. You do you! [4] 2 Skill Points¡¯


    ¡®Bioluminescence. [Discounted] Light up your world in style and become your own light source! Fabulous, beautiful, darling you¡¯re gorgeous! With bioluminescence you will never be without a light and can always be gloriously incandescent. Yes, technically, its purpose is for warning away predators and confusing prey, but we both know you just want to look good. And baby doll, I can¡¯t blame you. Pick this Spell and become a STAR! [2] 1 Skill Points¡¯


    //Notice. Your new Spell [Grow Tails] has fused into Become Weapon!


    Three Spells and one Skill downloading and all her Skill Points spent yet again, Bug ignores the twinge in her brain as the loading bars fill up before her eyes. It¡¯s interesting that she can still feel headaches despite Pain Nullification, but right now she couldn¡¯t care less about that. Refusing to take her eyes off the fight, Bug immediately activates her new Spells the moment they are ready to go.


    Along Bug¡¯s ribs, her scale coved skin splits open on both sides as gills are born and connected to her existing respiratory system. Activating Become Weapon, Bug¡¯s tail immediately heals as the broken bone mends and her rat tail mutates into a scaled and much thicker tail like that of a lizard with membrane connected spikes running down the spine to end in a pair of vertical fins like a shark. Between her fingers and toes, webbing grows to connect her digits and turn hands and feet into tools better built for swimming.


    Diving into the water, Bug continues to change her body further, pushing Grow Eyes to progress the changes she had already made to include thin, transparent secondary eyelids that will allow Bug to see unobstructed underwater, with Bioluminescence kicking in last to fill in the spaces between her scales with glowing emerald, green lights.


    With her body changed and fully submerged in the dark water, Bug has to hold back the urge to try and breathe with her lungs as her new gills wake up and start working. With water flowing over the slits in her sides and pulling oxygen into her body, Bug closes the membranes over her eyes and pushes her light to the max.


    Once her brain is no longer panicking about potentially drowning, she is kicking off into the water and heading straight for the battle, swimming though clouds of blood and floating fish guts, her wings helping to propel her along even faster as a large pair of makeshift fins. With eight limbs and a modified tail propelling her forward, Bug cuts through the water like a shark as she pursues her prey.


    No. Her treasure.

 B2. Chapter 4.2- Fishy Fishy

    Scattered bones and gut spilling corpses of countless fishes scattered through the already dark and murky water, Bug cuts through it all without a care, darting straight for her target. With four arms, two legs, a pair of wings, and a freshly modified tail purpose built for swimming carrying her through the water, Bug is cutting through at an alarming pace, darting straight for the last place she saw the massive fish before diving in.


    Without echolocation or any other advanced forms of detection like an electro-sensory system, Bug has to rely on sight to find her target. With her bioluminescence pushed to the max and every scale on her body glowing green, the darkness of the water is pushed back a fair distance and allows her to see somewhat in the merk.


    With how fast she is cutting through the water and pushing against the currents caused by the battle, she soon finds the golden beauty just as it is tail whips away another of her Kappa, scattering it into bone shards and a sinking turtle shell. Bug doesn¡¯t stop moving. The moment she has sight of her target she is blasting forward with a flap of her wings and slamming into the side of the fish''s side.


    The poor creature is already covered in wounds and is bleeding from all over where the scales on its side had been torn away or bitten through by ravenous zombie fish and sharp Kappa claws.


    Plowing into its bulbous body, Bug and her target are sent tumbling though the water in a cloud of blood as the fish fights to recover its balance. Kicking its tail and shaking its body violently, the fish takes off into the water with Bug latched onto its side, her claws already buried into its scales and holding on with all her strength.


    Swimming away fast and leaving the Undead behind, the fish carries Bug away as it darts and weaves, panicking as it tries to shake off the little predator that already has it in her claws. If Bug could laugh right now, she would, but her respiratory system is still just an ad hawk thrown together solution right now. She can¡¯t open her mouth without risking swallowing a bunch of water or getting it all stuck in her regular lungs. But if she could? She would be laughing manically right now as she slowly climbs her way towards the beast¡¯s head!


    One hand after the other, stabbing her elongated claws into its scales with each advance as she climbs along its side, working her way forward bit by bit and resisting the currents trying to pull her away. With every small advance forward, Bug¡¯s light reveals more of the majestic fish and soon she is reaching one of its fins on its side. Stopping her advance and looking down at the beautiful fin that flows through the water like a banner made of silk and gossamer, she raises one arm and transforms it into a blade. With a mad smile stretched across her face, Bug attacks.


    The motion is swift and clean, the blade of her transformed arm sliding through scale and flesh and bone to remove the fin in a single stroke like a fillet knife in the hands of a fisherman.


    If the fish could scream, it would. With blood pouring out of its side in a thick cloud, flowing over Bug¡¯s body, the fish writhes in pain and flails about. Missing a fin, it is almost immediately sent off balance as it tries to continue to swim, to flee from the little predator latched onto its side.


    The two of them tumble and fall. With the fish made unable to swim straight, their course sends them plummeting down and off to the side, spinning like a corkscrew as they descend deeper and deeper into the lake with a trail of blood marking their path like smoke following a flame.


    Oh, how much she wants to laugh as Bug rides this thing into the abyss of the lake. Riding it to its doom, much like she had the Queen Bee, Bug is reminded again of just how much she actually enjoys fighting. Just how much she has diverted from her supposedly peaceful people¡¯s origins. She loves the fight! She loves making a bigger foe bleed and suffer as they can do nothing to stop her. In this moment, as she is riding a giant to its literal end, Bug feels powerful!


    They reach the bottom of the lake, the fish smashing face first into the bottom as it is moving at top speed. Bug almost gets dislodged by the shock from the sudden stop and the fish is also clearly dazed, though it isn¡¯t dead.


    With one hand still transformed, Bug takes this chance to quickly move across more of its body, refusing to let go should it suddenly try to dart away as soon as it is free. And she makes good progress, getting closer to its head before the fish can manage to shake off its shock from the collision.


    When it does come to, it tries to rub itself against the floor. To try and scrape the little Gremlin off its side and leave her against the rocks and sand. But Bug quickly moves and scurries up to its top, grabbing a fist full of its top fin before stabbing her sword arm down and into its spine.


    Spasms tear through the fish as her blade slides between vertebrae and cuts something important, the back end of the fish going still as it is paralyzed from the fin down.


    Reduced to one usable fin and entirely unable to swim now, the bloodied and dying fish falls to its side, its large bulbous eyes frantically looking around as if in shock and fright. Bug, once she is certain that it isn¡¯t able to do anything, stands underwater and walks on its body the remaining distance to its head.


    With her bioluminescence lighting up the dark waters for the both of them, the fish moves its eye to look up at the glowing predator that had felled it. With fear, it sees the little creature standing atop its dying body, smiling with a mouth full of sharp canines and dark hair that flows in the water behind her.


    The fish isn¡¯t smart enough to understand what it is looking at, but it does know one thing. Land creatures aren¡¯t supposed to be able to fight it underwater. The waters of this underground lake have been its hunting ground for nearly four years now, the beast having become a legend amongst adventurers in this Dungeon. Being responsible for the deaths of several parties and desired because of the golden scale atop its forehead, the Golden Fish has been a local bounty of the Silest Adventurers Guild for quite some time. Again, the Golden Fish is not aware of all of this, but it has always felt some sort of pride at being the apex predator of this lake. Of being able to capsize rafts and get a tasty human treat whenever it desires.


    But even when the humans had fought back and tried to stab it with spears, it had always been able to get away. After all, land creatures can only stay on land. They shouldn¡¯t be able to fight down here¡­


    Bug, smiling like a blood thirsty ghoul and not aware of any of this fish¡¯s history or of its fear, can only see the prize right before her. So, so close. She just needs to kill one big fish to get it, and nothing else matters.


    With fear and confusion in its heart, the Golden Fish watches as Bug elongates her arm blade and then brings it down, spearing it through the side of its head and running her bone and scale covered blade through its brain.


    The Golden Fish spasms and shakes as its mind slowly dies, its vision going dark and foggy as the green light is the last thing it ever sees. With one last spasm, its heart stops, and it dies.


    //Killed lvl 25 Golden Fish ¨C 500 exp gained!Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    //Congratulations! You have defeated the secret Mini Boss, Giant Golden Fish of the Sewers!


    //Notice. A shortcut to the next floor has been opened. A marker has been placed on your mini map!


    Bug ignores the notifications, only caring that they mean that her foe is dead. Without hesitation and with greed filling her every desire, Bug launches herself the rest of the way across the Golden Fish¡¯s head and grabs hold of the scale. Just holding it in her hands has her shivering with joy and wanting to dance and sing. But she can¡¯t, not yet. She needs to secure her treasure first!


    Working quick but trying to be careful as to not damage it, Bug works her blade in behind the golden scale and pries it loose, cutting away at any flesh that tries to hold onto it and pulling it free.


    Once it comes loose, Bug and the heavy scale falls away from the Golden Fish¡¯s corpse, Bug holding the scale in her arms like it is the most precious thing she had ever held. Even as her back hits the bottom of the lake, she can¡¯t help but to smile and kick her legs with joy as she holds the tear shaped scale, almost as big as she is tall, tightly to her body.


    Once she has had her full of hugging her new treasure, Bug lifts it above her to look into its gleaming surface, her green light reflecting off its golden brilliance and reflecting light all around her. She can see her own blushing reflection in its mirror polished surface and marvels at her own appearance reflected in gold.


    I LOVE IT! Mine! Mine! Mine!!! ALL MINE! HAHAAhahahahaHA, yes~!!!


    She just has to give it another hug, tightly giving it a love filled squeeze before finally storing it safely away in her inventory with the rest of her treasures where no one can possibly steal it from her. A quick check of its description has her smile growing even bigger.


    ¡®Golden Scale (Small). The namesake of the renowned, coveted, and even feared Golden Fish. Made from solid gold processed from the metals and minerals eaten by the Golden Fish as it grows larger, this solid and heavy scale is used as a sort of battering ram by the fish for combat and for ramming boats. At larger sizes, this scale become a magic medium for the Golden Fish to cast Lightning Magic through. Very valuable and is prized by fishermen the world over.¡¯


    And now it is mine, all mine! Hahahaha! Finally, the Dungeon has done something right!


    Lovingly looking at all the treasures stored in her inventory, which consist of about a couple dozen mana shards and several bags of copper and silver coins Bug stole off of the people she¡¯s killed, Bug feels herself filling with pride as she takes and moves all her treasures into one corner of her inventory, turning that corner of blocks into her treasure pile/horde, with the Goden Scale as the center piece of her collection.


    Beautiful~


    Eventually, Bug does manage to pull her attention away from her inventory and towards the corpse of the Golden Fish. Might as well check its description while she¡¯s at it.


    ¡®Golden Fish corpse. The corpse of a Golden Fish. Much like their relative, the common goldfish, this monster fish will grow to fit its home. Unlike the harmless house pet however, Golden Fish will never stop growing until they are the largest predator in any body of water. The largest recorded specimen was discovered in the eastern seas, off the coasts of Beast Men territory and is the size of a small island. It continues to evade hunters to this day¡¯.


    There is an even BIGGER one out there!?


    Going back to the description of the scale, it shows that the golden scale only continues to get bigger as the fish does. How big is an island? How big could that fish¡¯s scale be now!?


    I want it! I¡¯m adding it to the list. When I get out of the Dungeon, I¡¯m hunting the island sized Golden Fish! But first, I have to get out of here¡­


    Blowing some bubbles out of her nose, Bug swims closer to the corpse.


    In the meantime, Bob, Sam, Zax, Kappa, hurry up and get over here already. I guess we¡¯re swimming to the other side now. I¡¯ll just stick them in my inventory and then let them back out when I get over there¡­ Hm?


    Reaching out to grab the Golden Fish¡¯s corpse and put it in her inventory, Bug stops as she notices the body shift to the side.


    Became a zombie on its own? I guess I do have the Undead curse now¡­ Or, no? What the heck is going on?


    Bug looks around and finds that the water seems to all be moving one direction and is slowly picking up speed. Before her, the body shifts again as the current pulls against it, the blood leaking from its body all flowing in the same direction. With her claws sunk into the ground, Bug isn¡¯t being moved, but more and more she is feeling as the current is pulling on her.


    What the heck is this? Why is- Wow now, get back here!


    The body gets picked up by the current and starts to be dragged away. Not wanting to lose it, Bug lunges for it and tries to grab it, just needed one touch to be able to store it away, but it slips past her fingers and disappears into the dark waters beyond her light. Having let go of the floor, the currents grab hold of Bug as well and try to drag her away. Swimming desperately against the water¡¯s pull, she tries to get her claws back in the floor again, but the current only becomes stronger and stronger as each second passes.


    Before she knows it, Bug is being swept away and is unable to stop herself. The couple times that she manages to find the floor just ends with her getting slammed into it with Bug protecting her head with her arms.


    She continues to fight though, desperately swimming against the current as zombie fish get pulled past her and other things goes zipping past.


    In a moment of surprise, her skeleton, Sam the Shield Man, ends up entering her perimeter of light and nearly slams into her as he is pulled past.


    Shit!


    Next, she is nearly taken out by a piece of broken raft, the large timber hurtling over her head after one end slammed against the lake¡¯s bottom, only to tumble over her.


    Need to get to the surface!


    Kicking off the floor and swimming up, Bug breaches the surface and is shocked to find herself being caried away towards a whirlpool, the water¡¯s currents only growing faster and faster as the ring of sucking water grows larger and more violent like it is trying to swallow up the entire lake. With her finally having her head above water, Bug takes in a deep breath, filling her empty lungs, and curses.


    ¡°What the hell Dungeon!?!? Are you doing this!!?? I gotta get out¡­ I have to¡­¡±


    Bug looks over her shoulders and suddenly remembers that she has wings...


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ I can fly.¡±


    And she certainly tries, but being in the water, her wings struggle to lift her into the air and she just ends up flapping and splashing around for a bit as she is dragged closer to the growing vortex of turning waters¡­ Looking around for any other solutions, Bug finds her one remaining flying skeleton, who remained up by the ceiling this entire time while she was underwater, just hanging around like a bored bat that was left behind by his friends at the park.


    ¡°You! Get over her and save me, now! Pull me out of the water!¡±


    As Bug continues to be pulled towards the whirlpool, the skeleton takes off and flies over, its clawed hands for feet skimming the water as Bug reaches up.


    Grab.


    Two scale covered hands find two bony ones and Bug is pulled out of the water and up into the air, dripping wet and breathing heavily. The skeleton doesn¡¯t stop to hover in place, instead continuing to fly forward with Bug in its grip and soaring over the lake.


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness. Thank you for that. Maybe I should give you a name now?¡± She asks the flyer as it carries her above the whirlpool.


    Rather unfortunately however¡­ As Bug is looking up at her skeleton who is carrying her and considering a silly name to give to the skeleton, she manages to spot something odd on the ceiling. One of the bricks, completely inconspicuous and looking the same as all the others around it, except for a noticeable lack of moss growing on its surface, opens up to reveal a pair of eyes inside of a mouth full of teeth.


    In her moment of shock at the weird sight, Bug uses Identify on the toothy brick¡­


    ¡®Lvl5 Baby Mimic (Brick Form). Baby mimics will often disguise themselves as bricks, boards of wood, or small rocks, and hide in the walls, the floor, the ceiling, or as part of the stairs. Lacking the lethality of their adult counterparts, baby mimics will instead try to cause accidents by being in the worst places possible. If you ever tripped while going down the stairs, there is a very real possibility of it being a baby Mimic that was the cause.¡¯


    ¡°Mother fucker¡­¡±


    Bug surfaces a couple seconds later, her flyer still held in her hands as she refuses to let it go even with its weight pulling her down. Turning, she sees the mouth of the whirlpool growing closer and closer. Not knowing what else to do, she quickly pulls the skeleton into her inventory, cursing as the water pulls her under and she dragged away into the dark depths.


    Bug surfaces a couple seconds later, her flyer still held in her hands as she refuses to let it go. Turning, she sees the mouth of the whirlpool growing closer and closer. Not knowing what else to do, she quickly pulls the skeleton into her inventory, cursing as the water pulls her under and she dragged away into the dark depths. Can this day get any worse?

 B2. Chapter 4.3- Fishy Fishy

    // You have now left the Eleventh Floor.


    Smashing against the smooth metal walls of the inside of a large pipe and tumbling head over tail, Bug is pulled down and down and down as gravity and water pulls in an unstoppable journey along a curving path of turns and sudden straight drops. Flashes of light dart past as the occasional glow stone illuminates the path, pockets of air opening up on the occasional flat areas where the water doesn¡¯t reach to the top of the pipes.


    After getting the wind blown out of her within the first two turns, being slammed into walls all along the way, Bug had quickly given up on trying to fill her lungs with air when she could and instead switched to just using her new gills. Unable to stop the rapid and violent ride, Bug curls herself up, wrapping her wings and arms around her body and head to take the blows.


    // You have now left the Twelfth Floor.


    A straight drop like falling for seemingly a mile, a sudden turn downward leads to Bug falling down a long pipe in a freefall along with thousands of gallons of water and debris. With her legs kicking in the air and her limbs still wrapped tightly around herself in a death¡¯s grip of fright, the drop suddenly hits a slope that breaks her fall and sends her rocketing down like a bullet through the pipes. Another turn left followed by a curving turn down and to the right.


    Knocked around and dazed, Bug doesn¡¯t even notice the next drop quickly approaching until she is already in the air. Free falling for what almost feels like an eternity and screaming all the way down, Bug splashes into a large reservoir of water.


    Kicking her legs, Bug emerges from the water and takes a deep breath. Looking back the way she came, she finds the water still pouring down as all sorts of debris is dumped in along with her. Slowly filling up with more and more water, Bug looks around inside the reservoir but doesn¡¯t find any apparent ways of getting out. The water just keeps filling in more and more as the ceiling gets closer and closer.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ This is bad, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Closer and closer, fuller and fuller, until Bug can almost reach up and touch the ceiling. Just as she is about to resolve herself to searching underwater for a way out, a large glow stone in the center of the ceiling lights up green and a horn blows from what sounds like the other side of the wall.


    Blinking curiously at this, Bug hears a monotone and maybe feminine voice speak from somewhere in the ceiling by the glow stone.


    ¡°-Flushing reservoir 27.B. Rerouting drainage path to 17W.2N.F13.-¡±


    ¡°He-Hello? Who is that? What do you mean, flushing? Hello!¡±


    Bug banges against the ceiling, calling out to whoever the voice might be, but stops as the glow stone flashes thrice, the horn blowing again from outside the wall. Just as she is about to call out to the voice again, she is interrupted by the sound of what can only be described as the flushing of an incredibly large toilet. In a spinning current of water, Bug is pulled down as the reservoir is quickly drained.


    ¡°Not again!!!¡±


    Getting pulled underwater again, Bug is sucked down and into another tube. Before she can protect herself with her arms, she gets slammed into another wall. Fighting to get control over her tumbling, she doesn¡¯t notice the piece of wood, a chunk from the raft, that ends up smashing into the side of her head, the horn on her right side snapping off as it takes the hit and protects her from getting her temple smashed in. Everything goes black and she is washed away.


    <hr>


    // You have entered the Thirteenth Floor.


    ¡°Ughhh~¡± *Cough, Cough! *


    Waves washing over her body on the bank of some lower drainage area and surrounded by debris, Bug wakes up moaning and coughs up the earthy water in her lungs. If it weren¡¯t for Pain Immunity making her feel no pain, she would be feeling like a sack of rocks thrown over a cliff right now. Letting out another cough, Bug rolls over onto her back and slowly open up her eyes.


    ¡°Today¡­ sucks¡­¡±


    Not wanting to move, Bug just closes her eyes and breathes for a bit. Going down the list of injuries in her head, Bug sighs as her Skill lists off everything that is wrong with her. Her already bruised body that had only just started healing with the boost from drinking that potion had basically been set back to what it was, if not worse. Currently, it would be easier to count where she isn¡¯t bruised rather than where she is.


    Bug¡¯s ribs, of the three that had been corrected and where on the mend, one had broken loose again. A couple of toes are broken, her ankle is twisted in the wrong direction, and her left wing is snapped at where the hand is halfway up its length. Surprisingly, none of her four arms are broken, but they are all bruised up and swollen to hell, and if they weren¡¯t covered in scales and fur, they would be completely colored in ugly red and blue marks. Oh, and for some reason half of one hand is missing? Wait, she just lost another finger and now that she is paying attention, she can hear crunching¡­


    Bug forces her bruised and battered body to move and sits up, her muscles shaking at the effort. Lifting her arm with the wounded hand, bottom one on the left, Bug looks at her hand with dull eyes. She can¡¯t even get mad at what she finds there because she is just entirely done with today and all the bullshit¡­Stolen novel; please report.


    Hanging from her hand and currently munching on her middle finger, Bug finds a brick that is split down the middle, reddish rock somehow turning to grey flesh as a mouth full of sharp teeth is revealed. Even with Bug holding it up in the air, the little Mimic doesn¡¯t stop as it happily bites off her finger and swallows it.


    Bug just blinks at the little thing as she watches it happily eat her. Does it think she is a corpse? Is she food?


    ¡°Oi.¡±


    When the baby Mimic doesn¡¯t stop eating, Bug gives her hand a shake and repeats herself.


    ¡°Oi¡­¡±


    It freezes mid bite, about to take off her ring finger.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    Bug watches it, a frown plastered on her face. The Mimic, slowly, extends one of its eyes out of its mouth and looks up at Bug¡¯s face, its little eye going wide in shock as its gaze meet Bug¡¯s.


    ¡°Hi. You mind explaining what is you are doing? Eating my hand? Do I taste good?¡±


    The Mimic snaps shut in a hurry, biting off what is left of what it was chewing on and half of a finger before dropping to the floor and looking like nothing but an everyday, run of the mill brick that you could find just about anywhere. Even using Identify on it gets Bug nothing but, ¡®Brick. It is a brick.¡¯


    ¡°Become Weapon¡­¡±


    A quick push of magic has Bug¡¯s arms, legs, wings, and even her broken off horn healing back to a pristine state. Now, if only she could do that for the rest of her body¡­


    Oh, wait, that¡¯s right. Bug spent all her saved-up points on hunting down a giant fish for a golden scale. All the points she was saving up so she could buy something that would have fix all her problems. Instead, now she can breathe underwater and glow in the dark!


    Which, admittedly is nice¡­ And it did lead her to her getting that beautiful, gorgeous, and downright majestic golden scale¡­


    Keeping an eye on the Mimic that is still acting like a regular brick, Bug goes ahead and opens her inventory so she can give a loving look at her pile of treasures.


    ¡°Worth it~¡±


    Below her, the baby Mimic opens up on its underside and forms a tongue like muscle. Moving slowly, it tries to sneak away¡­


    A clawed and scale covered foot suddenly steps down on it and pins it to the floor.


    ¡°Oi.¡±


    Unfortunately, even if Bug is happy to have gotten that absolutely amazing and superbly wonderful golden scale, and to see her personal treasure hoard grow, she is still pissed. Today has been just one thing after another. Just one more damn thing after another!


    The boss fight, nearly dying, Hannah and the others leaving, throwing up because of the damn potion making her sick! And now she spent all her points and got flushed down the pipes, she has no idea where her three most favorite minions are, and now, and now!? Now she is apparently being treated as food by a fucking living brick of all things!!! Could this day get any worse?


    Bug looks down at herself, ignoring the squirming brick that is trying to escape the underside of her foot. Her clothes are ruined and torn and soaked with dirty water. Bug¡¯s hair and fur feel matted and sticky, and her scales are dirty with sand and stuck in blood and what she can only assume is fish guts¡­ Bug really, really, needs a bath.


    Why can¡¯t she just find a BATH!?


    The poor little Mimic, feeling Bug¡¯s rage and the weight of the foot stepping down on it only getting stronger, panics and gives up all pretenses of pretending to just be a harmless brick. Splitting open down the middle and turning into a forest of sharp canines, the baby Mimic bites off Bug¡¯s big toe and quickly squirms off as fast as it¡¯s tongue can carry it over the ground.


    Which isn¡¯t very fast at all¡­


    Using its tongue like the foot of a mollusk, or more like a slug honestly, the best it can do is slowly inch across the floor as it threateningly bears its teeth filled mouth at Bug and glares at her with warry eyes. It''s almost like an angry snail, if a snail where to somehow have a brick for a shell and glued a bunch of nails to the top of its shell.


    Growing her big toe back, Bug doesn¡¯t even bother getting up and just reaches over to grab the fleeing slug/snail/mollusk, or whatever the heck a Mimic is, of a brick from where she is sitting. She tries to pull it off the ground, but it is using its tongue like a suction cup and is stuck to the floor tight, refusing to budge even so much as an inch.


    ¡°Hiss~!¡±


    Gnashing its teeth, the little Mimic hisses at Bug and tries to bite at her fingers, but she has it by the sides of the brick and refuses to let go. Apparently, its mouth doesn¡¯t extend to the sides of the brick, is it actually like a shell? Did it grow the brick, or turn the brick into its shell? Is it like a hermit crab maybe? Regardless, Bug is not afraid to get bitten anyways, and she certainly isn¡¯t about to let the critter get away from her. Worst that could happen is losing a finger, and she can grow those back almost endlessly if she were so inclined.


    ¡°Come on, I just want to look at you. Why you trying to run away, huh? You think I¡¯m mad about you eating me? Come on, let me, just, TAKE A LOOK!¡±


    Pulling her dagger out of her inventory, Bug quickly stabs down for the open mouth with an angry scream and murder in her eyes.


    Quickly sealing up and turning back into a solid brick, Bug¡¯s dagger clangs against hard rock instead of piercing into soft grey flesh. Unluckily for the Mimic though, in its fright, it had turned entirely back into a brick and let go of the floor.


    Clicking her tongue, Bug picks it up and looks the brick over. No matter the angle, it just looks like a regular brick. She can¡¯t even find the seam for where it opens, almost like it is somehow able to transform the brick itself, rather than just opening and closing it.


    So, not actually a shell? How does this thing work? Meh¡­Doesn¡¯t really matter.


    ¡°Come on out~ Come on¡­ Don¡¯t be so scared. I just want to stab you, you little finger eating shit~¡± She coos sweetly, like she is trying to entice a kitten to leave its hiding place under the bed after pissing on the couch.


    The mimic refuses to comply, clearly not buying what Bug is selling.


    After a few minutes of the mimic remaining as nothing but a brick, Bug eventually gives up and puts away the dagger.


    ¡°Screw it. Not worth the effort.¡±


    Bug stands up, her body protesting the movement the whole way, and gets ready to chuck the brick into the water, but stops as she looks around and finds that she is all alone. No signs of her lost minions or anyone else. Not even any monsters around to fight and kill. Just alone at the end of a water way with nothing but a dumb brick that ate her fingers¡­


    I wonder how long it lived in that hole in the ceiling, all by itself?


    Lowering the brick to look at again, she asks, ¡°You alone too?¡±


    It naturally doesn¡¯t respond, but Bug shrugs lightly, not expecting it to respond to her anyways. Tilting her head and thinking for a bit, Bug eventually comes a decision.


    ¡°You like food? Guess you like meat, right?¡±


    No response again, but Bug goes ahead and pulls some jerky out of her inventory. Holding up a piece in front of the Mimic, she waves it around where she is pretty sure its mouth should be.


    ¡°Come on, you hungry? Here, have a piece~ I promise I won¡¯t try to stab you again~¡±


    Splitting open a little, the Mimic quickly snatches the hanging meat from her fingers and seals up tight again. Bug smiles as she watches it.


    ¡°Taste good? Do I taste better? I hope I don¡¯t, far too many things want to eat me¡­¡±


    Waving another piece of jerky gets it to eat again and Bug¡¯s smile grows a little bigger.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m taking you with me. At least until I find my minions. Then I¡¯ll decide what to do with you¡­¡±


    Turning away from the bank, Bug heads over to a ladder and climbs up into another waterway, her path leading straight ahead. Walking down the waterway and looking around once she reaches a crossroad, Bug focuses on her connection to her lost skeletons. Surprisingly, they appear to still be active, though that shouldn¡¯t be too surprising considering that Bug did build them to be extra durable. There¡¯s lots of calcium in those bones!


    ¡°Should be this way¡­ Come on, hmm, I¡¯ll call you¡­ Mimmie. You want more meat? Here you go, Mimmie~¡±


    Feeding another piece of jerky to her new pet brick, Bug sets off to go and find her missing minions.


    ¡°I just hope they are ok. I don¡¯t have very many bones left in my inventory for rebuilding them if they are broken¡­¡±

 B2. Chapter 4.4- Fishy Fishy

    Walking along the waterways of the thirteenth floor, Bug having learned that that is where she is now by finally checking her notifications, Bug is smiling down at the brick in her hands, holding a piece of jerky just out of reach.


    She¡¯s been walking along these deserted halls for the better part of twenty minutes now and has yet to run into any other living things, not counting the occasional cockroach or other little creatures that scuttle about and hide in the cracks of the brick walls. Just walking in the general direction of where it feels like her minions should be. No idea how far away they are. No idea what condition they are in. But at least she has a direction and a hungry little Mimic to keep her company in the meantime.


    ¡°Hehehe, almost got it. Oh, oh, come on~¡±


    Wiggling the hanging meat a little closer, Bug giggles as Mimmie tries to snatch it, the tooth filled brick slamming shut like the shell of a clam as the jerky gets pulled away at the last second. Clearly not happy with being teased, Mimmie glares angrily at Bug with its two eyestalks extended and shows off its sharp teeth at the teasing Gremlin that is carrying it.


    ¡°HmhmHeeehe, such an angy little Mimmie. So cute~ Okay, here you go.¡± Coos a happy Bug who is hardly intimidated.


    Dropping the meat, Mimmie blinks in surprise and quickly turns its full attention to the meat falling towards its open mouth. Eyestalks snapping back inside; a long grey tongue quickly darts out to snatch the meat out the air like a frog catching a fly. With a loud clap, the meat disappears inside of the brick and Bug can hear some light chewing noises.


    ¡°Such a hungry little brick. Good Mimmie, good.¡±


    Petting the brick, Bug¡¯s smile grows even bigger as it opens up a little bit again and the eyestalks come out to look up at her. Maybe it wants more treats? Maybe it is wondering about this weird girl that is holding it, about why she is giving it treats and not trying to kill and eat it? Maybe¡­ it could be love? Could Mimmie have developed some kind of attachment to its new master?


    Slowly moving a finger towards Mimmies eyestalks, like she wants to finally be able to pet the softer parts of her new pet, and not just the hard outer brick shell, Bug¡¯s smile only grows larger as Mimmie similarly, slowly, extends its grey tongue to meet her.


    Like monkey and man touching fingertips, finger meets tongue, and Bug is practically aglow with excitement as some connection is made in her heart. No, she really is aglow as her bioluminescence kicks in, and her scales start to glow with a happy light of shifting greens and blues and yellows. As this moment is solidified in her mind as the moment that she made real progress in getting her pet to finally (literally) open up to her. For the first time in her life, Bug is enjoying the wonders of being a pet owner! Is this what it is like to own a dog?


    *SNAP*


    Or maybe a cat would be a better metaphor¡­


    ¡°Oh, come on! Again!?¡±


    For the second time since Bug has been trying to tame this damn brick, she has lost yet another finger to its ravenous appetite! Not counting when she had woken up and found it eating her hand, Bug had lost half a finger when she was feeding Mimmie some jerky and had her fingers just a little too close and underestimated its ability to lunge.


    With Mimmie happily munching on her finger, Bug frowns and looks down at her hand that is currently pissing blood where her pointer finger used to be.


    Should I just throw this brick away? Damn thing just wants to eat me¡­ Become Weapon.


    As her finger regenerates, Bug toys with the idea of chucking the naughty Mimic in the water to see if it will drown or not, but stops as she finds Mimmie peeking out its eyes at her. Is it smiling at her? Mimmie¡¯s eyes do look quite happy¡­


    ¡°Oh, you¡­ You cheeky little brick. I can¡¯t stay mad at you~¡±


    Bug goes to touch it with her freshly regrown finger again, Mimmie reaching out its tongue to meet her again. Maybe this time will be different? Just maybe-


    *SNAP*


    ¡°Hahahahahaha! You missed! Thought I was going to fall for that again, huh? Looking all sweet and innocent. Dummy. Mimmie is a dummy, HaHa!¡±


    Mimmie just claps its teeth angrily at the tasty finger wiggling teasingly in front of its face, Bug looking smug at the dumb brick and its glaring eyes that are hiding inside its shell.


    Again, Bug has only been trying to tame Mimmie for the past twenty minutes or so. So, it shouldn¡¯t be too surprising that she hasn¡¯t already succeeded. A Mimic is hardly a domesticated dog, and it will take more than treats to make it fall in love with her. Even with feeding it meat, it had taken almost the full twenty minutes just to get Mimmie to actually open up its shell most of the way and not just stay hiding inside to snatch treats from a tinny crack.


    At the very least, Mimmie is at least mildly, maybe¡­ certain that Bug isn¡¯t about to kill it at any moment now. No, to Mimmie, Bug is a weird creature that could be best categorized as, ¡®Prey too big and strong to hunt that has tasty fingers that seem to regrow endlessly and for some reason gives me food.¡¯


    Mimmie wants to eat Bug and definitely will if given half a chance to do so. So again, less of a dog and more of a stray cat¡­


    ¡°So hungry, aren¡¯t you? I wonder how much you managed to eat, living in a hole in the ceiling all day? Do you just wait up there until something comes by to eat? Do you eat moss? Eh...?


    Bug suddenly lurches to the side mid step and catches herself on the wall with two arms and a wing, her modified tail bracing her against the floor to help keep her standing.


    Looking surprised, and then annoyed, she reaches a hand back and feels at her lower back.Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Dang it, I just pulled a muscle¡­¡±


    Even though Bug was able to heal all the damage done to her limbs, her body is still bruised and battered. She had already been injured after fighting the Cleaner, but she has only become more injured after going after the Golden Fish and then getting flushed down two floors worth of pipes. As she is right now, she shouldn¡¯t even be able to walk around right now, let alone stand, with how injured the muscles in her back are currently. But due to not being able to feel pain anymore and some weirdness with being Half-Undead, Bug is still able to force her body to move. Even if it means further damaging it¡­


    I really need to stop moving and let my body heal. I¡¯m just going to keep making it worse if I force myself to keep going¡­ Maybe I could drink the rest of that potion? It did heal me at least a little bit... But then I will throw up again¡­ Eugh¡­ No thank you. I don¡¯t want to ever drink a potion again. I just need to take it easy for a bit and stop doing dumb stuff.


    Staying where she is so she doesn¡¯t make it any worse, Bug pulls her remaining skeletons out of her Inventory. Mimmie, who was peeking out of its shell and watching what is going on curiously, immediately snaps closed in fright from the sight of magically appearing monsters. That gets a tired giggle out of Bug, and she pats the brick softly.


    ¡°You, get over here and let me ride you.¡±


    Pointing to the insectile abomination of a skeleton that used to be a very rude and flat-chested girl, Bug has it come over and then fishes out a couple of her few remaining blankets to set on its back to make it a bit more comfortable. Nice thing about robbing so many people is that Bug has, or had, a lot of blankets. Regretfully, most of them got flushed¡­ Still, her best blankets are staying in storage for sleeping. Those aren¡¯t coming out until she is clean.


    Looking at the face of the insect, a human skull with a pair of hands acting as mandibles, Bug can¡¯t remember the name of the girl who¡¯s bones this used be anymore, but she definitely remembers that girl because she almost strangled Bug to death. Even if she can¡¯t remember her name, Bug refuses to forget her. After all, that very rude and very flat-chested girl was the first person to teach Bug that levels really mean almost nothing when it comes to humans. At the time, Bug had maybe twice the levels on that girl and was even assaulting her with Inflict Pain, which should have made her unable to do anything other than screaming in pain and flailing around on the floor. But despite that, she had managed to almost choke Bug to death¡­


    Now she¡¯s an insect. That¡¯ll teach her.


    Casting aside her thought on that matter as she looks away from its emotionless, boney face, Bug slowly sits down on its back and gets comfortable. With a tired sigh, Bug massages her back and tries to get her pulled muscle to stop spasming. It feels weird and is annoying. As she massages her back with one hand, another goes to her neck and tries to work out a kink there, her spine satisfyingly popping as she moves her head left and right and shifts her stiff shoulders.


    ¡°Alright, get walking. You three, up front, the rest of you in the back. Billy, you walk beside me.¡±


    She looks towards the lonely little skeleton, Billy the Retriever, and frowns sadly. Poor little guy is supposed to be with Bob. At least he was safe in her inventory and didn¡¯t get flushed away...


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Billy. We¡¯ll get Bob back. Then you can get back to picking up his arrows for him again.¡±


    The skeleton naturally doesn¡¯t respond to her reassurances, but Bug smiles and nods her head happily non the less.


    It would be nice if they could talk¡­


    Bug blinks and quickly shakes her head, chasing that thought away. She¡¯s not lonely. Nope, she has Mimmie now¡­


    Keeping a smile on her face, Bug lets her escort of marrow filled underlings carry her forward, her muscles finally getting to relax a bit as she sits comfy like a little Queen of Death, petting her evil pet like a villain.


    It takes a few minutes for Mimmie to finally open up again, probably coming to its own conclusions about the skeletons when it realizes that they aren¡¯t attacking it or Bug. A piece of jerky ends up sealing the deal and getting the baby Mimic to relax and look around as it is taken for a ride.


    Mimmie has no idea where it is going and honestly, this is the furthest it has ever traveled since being born.


    Originally, Mimmie was born in a different hole in the ceiling of that room, but it didn¡¯t like that hole as it just didn¡¯t quite fit right, and had moved to a different one that it liked better. That took almost two days. That was a good hole, Mimmie managed to catch a bat there once. It was tasty.


    And now Mimmie is here, being carried along by this weird creature and fed more food than it had ever eaten in its entire life so far combined. Mimmie is going to try and eat the creature¡¯s fingers again. They are tasty and it loves how they crunch between its teeth.


    *SNAP*


    ¡°Hahahahaha! Not fast enough, Mimmie! You missed! You¡¯re just so hungry, aren¡¯t you? Going to eat though all my jerky at this rate¡­ I do have those frogs in my inventory, when I give cooking them a try, I¡¯ll save some meat for ya, ok?¡±


    Mimmie just glares up at the laughing Gremlin, not understanding a single word she just said, but feeling unsatisfied that it missed its chance at getting another one of those oh so tasty and crunchy fingers¡­ Ooh, another piece of meat!!!


    The hungry little Mimic happily munches on the jerky that Bug just pulled out of thin air, not carrying about anything else as it eats. Bug on the other hand, looks up from smiling at her pet and look around at her surroundings.


    Where are the monsters at?


    She¡¯s been on this floor for about half an hour now, and any other floor that would have been enough time for her to run into something to fight and kill. Even if most of the time it just ends up being a big spider or something else not worth mentioning, typically because her minions just stomp them to death and move one, Bug still would have found something by now.


    This floor is quiet. It reminds her of being on the first floor after all the mobs had been killed off at the end of the day¡­


    Shifting most of her focus towards her big and sensitive ears and trying to listen for distant noises, her hearing only having grown better as she has leveled up, Bug manages to pick up on a couple of sounds spread throughout the floor.


    Trying to sort it out through the noise of flowing water, Bug lets her insectile skeleton carry her forward as she homes in on one after the other and tries to figure out what it is she is hearing, her fluffy ears twitching and turning as she focuses.


    Wet noise¡­ A Jelly jumping? Sounds like it. Next is a frog croaking. Too far away in the wrong direction to hunt. What is this one? Something dragging? Fins slapping on stone, maybe? Sounds big, thankfully not where I¡¯m heading¡­ Next one. Clicking? Bones on stone? No, something else. Sounds high up too. Something with claws climbing on the ceiling? Need to keep an eye out for ambushes from above then. Next one is¡­ Hmm¡­ Are those boots?


    A big smile, the happiest one she has had all day, spreads across Bug¡¯s face as realization hits her. She might have just found some humans. And even better, they seem to be in the direction she is already heading.


    ¡°Oh, I hope this goes well! The last group did, and I even made a friend. Let¡¯s just hope that these ones aren¡¯t stupid like those other humans on the higher floors¡­ Meh, even if they are, I¡¯ll just kill them and take their stuff.¡±


    Bug suddenly remembers her current situation and quickly deflates though¡­


    ¡°Humans are rather skittish though. If I show up with all these Undead following me, I doubt they will be willing to talk¡­ Should I put them all away again, like I did last time? No, no, I shouldn¡¯t be walking on my own right now, I need at least this one so I can get around¡­¡±


    Thinking to herself and considering her options as her skeletons continue to escort her forward, Bug tilts her head in contemplation as Mimmie curiously looks up at her, probably wondering when the next treat will come. Thinking that she is distracted, the Mimic tries to bite her fingers again, but Bug pulls her hand away without even looking, the Mimic biting down on nothing but empty air.


    ¡°Mhh, screw it.¡±


    With a shrug. Bug decides to just wing it and see what happens.


    I¡¯m too vulnerable to be doing anything stupid right now. I¡¯ll just approach them with my full guard up and see what happens. If they are smart, they will live. If they are dumb, I will kill them. Simple as that.


    ¡­


    I hope they are smart¡­


    Pulling out another piece of jerky to tease Mimmie with, because it is being a brat and still trying to eat her fingers, Bug orders her ride to carry her forth and take a turn at the next intersection.


    She¡¯s still heading the right way to get to her lost minions. This is just¡­ a slight detour.

 B2. Chapter 5.1- Friend or Food?

    Delving this far into the Dungeon is always a pain in the ass¡­


    For most adventurers, getting to the second layer is good enough. That¡¯s as far as they will ever have to go to be able to make a simple living and enough coin to get by. The forest of giant trees is a massive place with an overabundance of natural resources that are almost always in high demand in the city. If you are part of a team that can regularly delve into the second layer and harvest some goods, you could live a comfortable enough life for yourself without putting your life in too much danger.


    Depending on how good you are, you just wouldn¡¯t go to certain floors and settle with your chosen gathering spots. Maybe you would hunt certain monsters for their parts, or search through the many trees for the occasional treasure chest. The second layer is where most adventurers stop when it comes to Dungeons. After all, beyond that point is where the Dungeon seriously starts.


    It¡¯s not the difficulty of the fights, nor the danger of traps, which do noticeably increase in number down this far. No, it¡¯s the water. It¡¯s time. And it is a sort of¡­ pressure, to put the feeling into a single word.


    Down this far, the Dungeon starts to get to you. In your mind. It wears away at you bit by bit until you are stressed and frayed and jumping at shadows. Maybe you will start to lose your temper with your friends. Maybe you start to see the shadows move in the corner of your vision or you hear voices that no one else does. And to make matters worse, you are always wet. Oh, and the water isn¡¯t safe to drink unless you find a safe room, being basically dirty salt water, so if you don¡¯t carry enough drinking water on you, dehydration is a serious issue. So, you can¡¯t even drink the stuff, and that just makes it even better!


    It doesn¡¯t matter how hard you try down here; your clothes are going to be anywhere from a little damp to straight up drenched at all times. You can¡¯t escape it. Either you get splashed during a fight, or step in a puddle, or you fall in the water, or if not any of that, then it is the moister in the air or the constant dripping of water that falls from the ceiling and from the leaky pipes that run along the brick walls in tangled messes of running iron and copper that seemingly goes on forever as they carry water and steam to untold places deeper in.


    Something of note. Despite being a part of the Dungeon¡¯s walls, which are almost completely indestructible, the pipes are actually breakable and will slowly regenerate as the Dungeon heals the damage. This technically make the pipes an excellent source of iron and copper that can be gathered, but due to the distance that has to be traveled to get down here, people have yet to figure out a method of reliably mining the metal. Regardless, the monster parts and treasures that can be gathered down here are far more valuable, so stealing some piping is only done if you have the extra space to fill before leaving.


    Back on the subject of this layer being a pain in the ass. Besides the pipes always being leaky and dripping water on people¡¯s heads, they also have a tendency to shake and rattle at the worse times, or for steam to erupt just as you¡¯re about to walk past. Maybe you trip and try to break your fall by grabbing a pipe? There is a good chance that the pipe will either snap and make your fall even worse, or you are going to burn your hand on hot metal. Should have worn gloves. Not to mention randomly getting tripped. You could swear the floor didn¡¯t have that bump there before, but next thing you know, you¡¯re tripping on a loose brick and almost nailing your head on the wall. It¡¯s almost like the very brickwork in this place is trying to kill you¡­


    It is almost like¡­ this entire layer was designed just to piss people off¡­


    Regardless. This naturally raises the question. Why the hell would people want to come down this far if everything they could need and want is right in the second layer? Why delve further into the Dungeon if they are just going to suffer?


    Well, for some adventurers, just making a living isn¡¯t enough. Some want more. They want the riches that can be found deeper in these labyrinthine halls. Or perhaps they want glory and recognition of their strength and ability. Or perhaps they are some of the crazy few that dream of conquering a Dungeon and reaching its bottom. Most people don¡¯t fall into that last category though.


    While there are plenty of people that dream of becoming a legend, known for beating a Dungeon and claiming the riches that most likely waits at its bottom. The vast majority of those people are quickly hit with reality when they realize just how hard it is to reach the lower levels. How it isn¡¯t just dangerous, ¨C which it most certainly is, what with all the monsters that want to eat your face ¨C but also just how tedious it can be.


    To just reach the third layer alone, safely, can take most parties upwards of a week of just traveling. That¡¯s not counting the time spent fighting monsters or sneaking around to avoid fights. Unless of course they are in hurry, taking the shortest possible paths, and are throwing caution to the wind. Then it could take a couple of days, but only idiots would do that¡­


    No, delving into a Dungeon takes time. It¡¯s an investment and a dedication, and every time you enter these deep, hungry, holes in the ground, there is a very real possibility that you might not make it back out alive.


    So, combine all these things. The time, the effort, all the traveling and being away from your family and home, fighting monsters, risking your life, eating nothing but rations, sleeping in a hostile place that wants you dead¡­ And then, after fighting tooth and nail against a freaking house sized spider of a boss, you finally get to enter a place that is basically a fucking sewer and enjoy days of walking around with soggy socks and a perpetual case of swamp ass.


    You better have brought plenty of changes of socks and underwear, because if you didn¡¯t, you are in for a shitty time full of rashes and foot pain!


    For most people, this is rightfully more than enough to dissuade them from wanting to go any further.


    Then why bother coming down here at all?


    Excluding the crazies. There are two reasons to come to this place and suffer. One, is to just quickly get through it and hurry to the next layer as quickly as possible. And the second, and why most people stay here for any amount of time, is treasure.


    Compared to the first and second layer, the third layer has far more treasure chests to be found randomly throughout the floors. And even better, if you are lucky enough, you can even find some enchanted gear which doesn¡¯t start to become more common until layer 4, after floor twenty.


    All of this is to explain why it is that the Mad Dogs are here. A party of five adventurers, they are here for treasure and have been down here long enough to already be hating their lives and wishing they were back up on the surface.


    With a clash of steel slashing through tough scales, Gerald hacks through the thick, scale covered shoulder of a Lizard Man, the large bipedal creature letting out a pain filled hiss of a scream as blood erupts from its torn open wound. With the blood spraying out and getting on his armor, Gerald curses and kicks the thing away with his boot in its gut, sending the dying lizard falling into the waterway.


    A splash of water of course just has to hit him, wetting his shirt that had only managed to dry a little since last time.


    ¡°Fucking¡­! Just die already you damn lizards!¡± He shouts as he blocks a thrusted spear with his buckler and then delivers another angry slash, forcing a second creature to back off and block the strike with the shaft of its spear.


    Fel considers telling him to calm down, but quite frankly, she is in just as bad of a mood as he is right now. The water down here is playing hell on her hair and making her scalp itchy¡­ Not to mention that she doesn¡¯t want to tell the guys that she has a rash forming on her thighs that is making walking rather painful right now. But worse of all is the water damage to her bow.


    Fel has been meaning to replace it with a new one for a while now, but it still should have lasted her through this trip. But now, even as she nocks an arrow and fires it into the eye of a Lizard Man, she can see how the string is slowly becoming more frayed and worn. Most of her earnings from this run is probably going to have to go into buying that new bow she wanted a little earlier than intended, but she is still annoyed that she is being forced to hurry with replacing this one already¡­This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    And, if it wasn¡¯t bad enough, for a little while now, Fel has been hearing noises coming from the depths of the Dungeon. It almost sounds like claws and bone clicking against stone, and she swears that she can hear a distant voice talking to itself. Probably just more delusions. This place is getting to her, and it doesn¡¯t help that she can¡¯t pinpoint which direction the noises are coming from, which just further fuels her paranoia. Shaking her head, Fel launches another arrow, but a Lizard Man with a shabby wooden shield blocks it before hissing at her and trying to charge at the archer.


    The Lizard Man is stopped by a large kite shield as Andrew steps in and smashes into the charging reptile. Fel can¡¯t help but to smile at the large back of her boyfriend, feeling giddy at having him protect her. Yes, he is the party¡¯s tank, and so he is actually protecting everyone, not just her. But still, there is something really nice about seeing her lover¡¯s back as he fends off a beast that wanted to harm her.


    A drip of water from a pipe on the ceiling chooses that exact moment to slash on her head, sending a shiver running down her back. Then, causing her to jump, another pipe by the wall pops and a gout of steam blows at her legs, making her let out a startled scream.


    Rage quickly replaces those giddy feelings as she is forced to remember where she is and how miserable she currently is. Turning, she angrily kicks at the offending pipe with her knee-high boots and dents the pipe in against the wall until the steam stops blowing.


    ¡°Fucking Dungeon, I hate this!¡±


    Still feeling pissed, she quickly draws an arrow and fires it at another Lizard Man that wasn¡¯t paying attention to her, sinking the arrow into its temple.


    Normally, a Lizard Man¡¯s skull is too thick for arrows to pierce, much like a gator or a crocodile, but they have their week points where a well-placed shot can break through. Similarly, the scales of the Lizard Men are quite thick and sturdy, making blades ill-suited for taking them on. But the Mad Dogs are better than most. Their sword arms are strong and their hits land true.


    In truth, the Mad Dogs are already at the level of strength where they could have a good shot at reaching the next layer. If they were to fight the Boss on the twentieth floor, they could probably win. Really, they are just here to farm.


    With Andrew holding back the Lizard Man from getting to the backline, a spear stabs out from behind him as Blane attacks the distracted foe. With his spear stabbed through its stomach, he pushes forward and frees up Andrew from blocking, allowing the big tank to charge up a powerful swing and bring his heavy cudgel down on the monster¡¯s crocodilian head. With a loud crack and a hiss of pain, its skull cracks open like a melon and some grey matter spills out as it hits the floor, making an awful mess. Off to the side, Gerald is finishing off the last one, his sword buried in its throat nearly to the hilt. With a twist and a hard pull, he rips the blade out and the last Lizard Man goes down in a spray of blood.


    At the back of the party, watching to make sure they don¡¯t get ambushed from behind, Laz, short for Lazintabinacle, lets out a sigh of relief as the fight ends.


    ¡°You think that was the last one? Shouldn¡¯t be very many monsters left on this floor now, right?¡±


    Gerald looks back toward the little man and nods as he wipes the blood off his sword with a rag. ¡°Yeah, this should be the last one, I think. This floor only spawns a dozen groups of Lizard Men¡­ That was the twelfth group, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup, finally done for today¡­¡± Fel sighs out as she stretches her arms and satisfyingly pops a couple of stiff joints.


    ¡°Finally, so we can get out of here now? Our packs are already stuffed to bursting.¡± Laz asks in a hurry, dark rings under his eyes as he looks around in a hurry.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, this is the last one. Let¡¯s skin them and then get the hell out of here. We¡¯ll spend the night in the twelfth-floor safe room, and then tomorrow, make a b-line for the teleporter and get out of here. Goddess, I could kill for some alcohol right now¡­¡± Gerald assures with a nod.


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Fel laughs as she walks towards the nearest corpse. ¡°Not just a drink. I swear, if anyone gets between me and the bath house when we get up there, I¡¯m liable to murder them.¡±


    Andrew kicks one of the corpses over so he can get to work on cutting open its gut, ¡°Here, here. Hey, how about we go to the shared baths? I can wash your back for ya.¡± He says with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.


    Fel blushes as she sinks the blade into her chosen corpse, working it between muscle and skin, and giving her boyfriend a hungry look. ¡°Throw in a massage and you¡¯ve got yourself a deal~¡±


    Blane and Gerald, trying to ignore the flirting lovebirds, collectively let out a sigh that only lonely men can make. Reaching over and tapping Gerald on his leather pauldron, he asks, ¡°Want to hit up the red-light district after we sell the loot? Those coins are going to be burning a hole in my pocket if I don¡¯t spend them fast enough.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you know I always love to help support the working women of Silest!¡± Gerald jokes with a big smile on his face, already imagining having a lovely lady in both arms as one feeds him grapes and the other holds his drink, their loose, translucent, clothing barley covering their bodies as her gropes them and makes them moan and giggle.


    A dirt coated hand feeling at his chin, he frowns though. ¡°Going to need a shave first¡­ How long we been down here?¡±


    Laz quickly answers, ¡°Two weeks, four days.¡± His head on a swivel as the little man keeps looking around like he is trying to spot something.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Gerald has to ask as he looks up at the worried thief. He knows that Hobbits are skittish little things, but Laz is braver than that. Plus, he is only half Hobbit, so the human half of him gives him more courage than most of his kin. Apparently, Laz¡¯s mom had a thing for shorter men. Gerald still remembers the day he met Laz¡¯s parents and still wants to laugh at how weird it was.


    Laz¡¯s dad was half Gerald¡¯s size and looking like an old man, while Laz¡¯s mother¡­ well, the woman was quite the looker, to put it simply and to keep from being inappropriate while describing a friend¡¯s mother. The lucky little bastard¡­


    Regardless, as a thief, not a rouge, Laz isn¡¯t a fighter. His job is to disarm traps, pick locks, and look out for dangers. And he is damn good at it. Ignoring the fact that he is completely useless in a fight, the little man has saved the Mad Dog¡¯s lives on more than one occasion. So, when he looks worried, everyone pays attention. The couple of times they didn¡¯t, by chalking it up to him just being a cowardly Hobbit, had all ended with them getting injured or into deep shit.


    The others are quick to drop what they are doing as well. Fel and Andrew stop flirting with each other, and Blane stops his work, everyone looking towards Laz and waiting.


    ¡°Laz, what is it?¡± Gerald asks again.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know? Claws, or foots steps? Someone talking, I think?¡±


    Fel perks up, ¡°You hear it to?¡±


    Laz just nods and says, ¡°Can¡¯t tell from where, though. Dungeon is bouncing the sounds around too much¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought I was just hearing things again. Thank goodness, this place was driving me nuts¡­ Or maybe not good. You think it might be an enemy?¡±


    ¡°Possibly? It¡¯s getting more clear¡­ I definitely hear someone talking, has to be a person, but¡­ who are they talking too? I only hear the one voice. But there are definitely several figures walking¡­¡±


    Leaving Laz to try and figure out what he is hearing, everyone else turns to Gerald, their leader, and silently asks with a look, ¡°We staying, or leaving?¡±


    The man just gives it a second to consider before making up his mind.


    ¡°Let''s get out of here. Regardless of who or what it is, there is too much risk.¡±


    The rest goes unsaid, but the others understand. If it is just more monsters, they don¡¯t need to be risking a pointless fight after they already tired themselves out with fighting the Lizard Men all day. And if it is people, then they don¡¯t want to take the risk of whoever it is deciding to try and rob them for their bags full of loot. Down here, this far into the Dungeon, even other people are a serious - if not worse ¨C threat than the monsters are. After all, accidents do happen¡­


    Everyone quickly packs up; the unprocessed bodies being left where they are as the party quickly moves to leave.


    As Fel is grabbing the last of her arrows, pulling it out of an eye socket, Laz curses.


    ¡°Shit, getting closer!¡±


    ¡°Which direction?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! The Dungeon is messing with-¡± Laz tries to say. The words, ¡®with me.¡¯ dying on his tongue as he turns to check the end of the hall at his back.


    Rounding the corner, a beast of bone and scraps of loose drying skin and tusks like lances rounds the corner at a casual gait, its hoofs clicking against the brick stone floor with every massive step.


    And then another creature of bone and another still follows a step behind. The two being demonic looking horrors of bone and claw and horn, like as if someone had excavated the fossils of Demons from some long-abandoned circle of Hell.


    But it doesn¡¯t stop with just the three skeletal monstrosities. A flying, gigantic batlike creature with clawed hands for feet and the skull of a man for a head, flaps it bone and skinless wings to fly into the passage, choosing to land on the ceiling and craw around for a bit before stopping to turn and look toward the humans with dead and empty eyes.


    ¡°a¡± Laz squeaks as he goes wide eyed at the sudden appearance of the Undead. Something that he knows shouldn¡¯t be here and that her has always made sure to avoid as much as possible. After all, Laz is scared of Undead. Always has been ever since his big brother and his older friends took him to that haunted house during a festival some years ago. Especially ghosts. Laz hates ghosts!


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!¡±


    Laz is running now, sprinting with all his might as he pushes and shoves past everyone else and screaming like a little girl. He doesn¡¯t even bother looking to see all the other skeletons rounding the corner, but the others do. The other members of the Mad Dog get to see as more skeletal monstrosities and abominations round the corner. They get to see as an insectile creature of bone and claw and dripping poisons, like some kind of hellish scorpion rounds the corner with a girl riding on its back, a huge smile full of sharp teeth on her face as her joy filled eyes meet theirs.


    ¡°Hello humans, want to be friends!?¡±


    No words are needed. Not even any looks are needed to be shared between the adventurers of the Mad Dog. Everyone just simply and unanimously makes a decision in that moment.


    What decision did they make? Fuck this. Fuck no. Run!

 B2. Chapter 5.2- Friend or Food?

    ¡°Is it still behind us!?¡±


    ¡°YES! KEEP RUNNING DAMN IT!¡± Fel screams as she pumps her legs, quickly catching up to Laz¡¯s fleeing back. The half Hobbit is still screaming his head off and running with everything he has. The lungs on this guy!


    ¡°What the hell are those things?! What the hell was that thing!? Where did it come from!?!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know, just RUN!!!!¡± Gerald curses.


    Looking back, he sees as those things round the corner, still hot on their tail and slowly gaining. The insect is even running along the walls as the horned girl on its back laughs and giggles like she is riding on a pony, holding onto the thing with two of her many arms as her messy black and grey hair flows in the breeze.


    ¡°Ahahahahaha! Come back humans, I just want to talk with you! No need to run! Hahahahahah!¡±


    Bullshit! Is the only thing they can think in response to this cackling little Demon that has been pursuing them for the past couple minutes. Every time, she says stuff like, ¡°Just want to be friends!¡±, ¡°Let¡¯s get to know each other better!¡±, or ¡°I just want to talk! I promise I won¡¯t hurt you!¡± But the Mad Dogs are too smart to fall for anything like that. Such obvious lies won¡¯t trick the Mad Dogs! They want to live, damn it!!!


    And so, they run, and they don¡¯t stop running. Just running with everything they have as they are chased through the halls and waterways of the Dungeon by a psychotic little Demon on the back of a skeletal insect monster that looks like it belongs somewhere in a child¡¯s worst nightmare. Not out here in real life! Not chasing after them as it clicks it dozen blade-like feet against the bricks and runs on fucking walls like some alien creature!


    ¡°If you won¡¯t stop running, I¡¯ll just have to catch you~¡± The little Demon happily calls out to their backs, her lovely sing-song voice full of teasing and delight.


    Gerald hears the sound of air being cut and immediately ducks on reflex, the skeletal batlike creature just barely missing him as its clawed feet grab empty air and it goes flying past. Andrew turns and tries to swat it out of the air with his cudgel, but the thing just flaps its wings and dodges around the blow like a fish swimming through water. It tries to go for Laz next, but an arrow has it dodging again just before it can snatch the little thief by his shoulders.


    Being continually harassed by the flying thing, the adventurers run and run and run, the little Demon laughing all the way as she continues to chase them through every turn and down every slope. They don¡¯t stop running, even as minuets pass and the humans begin to grow more and more tired and desperate, their lungs screaming for air with every breath.


    ¡°She¡¯s fucking endurance hunting us!¡± Fel screams through raged breaths as the party takes another corner at a full sprint, nearly slamming into a wall as they turn hard.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Gerald asks as he tries and fails to smack the flyer out of the air with his buckler, the skeletal thing leaving scratch marks running down the small shield as its claws are forcefully pushed away.


    ¡°What the fuck does it sound like!? She¡¯s ¨C ha, ha, fuck¡­ She¡¯s chasing us till we run out of energy! Those things¡­ can probably go forever! We¡¯re screwed!¡±


    Making it to another crossroad, they turn left, and the Demon practically sings out, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that waaay~¡±


    Up ahead, rounding a corner further up, they spot the shambling, half-skinned corpses of the Lizard Men they had been processing just earlier. The Undead things are already sprinting their way, flaps of hanging skin flapping in the wind as they run. Without them noticing, the Demon must have raised the dead lizards and sent them ahead to cut them off!


    Feeling desperate, they spot a turn up ahead between them and the charging lizards. If they can just make it their first!


    Despite already being winded, a fresh burst of adrenaline pumps through them like fire and the adventurers nearly double their speed, just barely making it to the turn before the Undead Lizard Men can try and tackle them.


    They don¡¯t look back, but behind them, there is a great crash as skeletons collide with zombies and plow through them like so much trash. The little Demon curses as she almost gets hit by a flying body, but this doesn¡¯t stop her chase in the slightest. If anything, it just seems to make her even more excited.


    Rounding the corner in hot pursuit, a still wriggling zombie impaled on the massive tusk of the beast skeleton, she is laughing and practically bouncing in her seat as her skeletons slowly gain on the humans.


    ¡°Catch them! Catch them! Hurry up and catch them, hahahahaha!!!¡±


    ¡°WWWWWhhhhhHHHHYYYyyyyyyyyYY~!!!!¡± Cries Laz as he runs with everything he has, his face as white as a sheet and poring with sweat and tears as he runs for his life from a troop of spooky, scary skeletons. When he nearly trips, Andrew quickly grabs the screaming Hobbit and scoops him up under one arm like a bag of potatoes, Laz still kicking his legs in the air like he is running and screaming the whole way as he is carried by the big tank.


    Looking over his shoulder, Gerald sees how the Undead are gaining on them again, the collision at the turn only having delayed them for a short moment.


    ¡°We can¡¯t keep running like this, we need to fight!¡± Gerald yells.


    ¡°Right!¡± Fel answers back as the others nod. Laz keeps screaming¡­


    Turning on the spot and jumping back as she keeps moving, Fel draws an arrow from the quiver on her hip and fires it in one smooth motion before her feet can even touch the ground. The arrow flies straight and true, cutting through the air like a bullet as it heads straight for the laughing Demon¡¯s face.


    But what happens next has her gawking for a second, Fel¡¯s mouth left open in shock as she lands on the ground and quickly jumps backwards again to keep pace with everyone else as they continue running. Instead of getting shot in the eye like Fel hoped, the little Demon had simply reached up and snatched the arrow, flying faster than most eyes can see, out of the air with one hand.


    The little Demon looks at the arrow in her hand and then frowns, the joy dropping off her face as she looks back up at the fleeing humans.


    ¡°Oi!!! I said I just want to talk; you don¡¯t have to try and shoot me!¡±


    While they are still running, trying to find a good place to turn and fight that won¡¯t end with them just getting ran over, Fel is the only one that is still watching the little Demon as she is about to draw another arrow and fire. Unfortunately, when she sees the angry Demon girl reel back her hand that had just caught the arrow, Fel didn¡¯t immediately understand what was about to happen. Not until it was already too late to yell out a warning that is.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I said, STOP!¡±


    With an angry shout, the girl throws the arrow from her hand and in the next instant, moving almost as fast as if it had been fired from a bow, the arrow is suddenly stabbed through Blanes leg, having shot him through the back of the knee and pierced out the front.


    Scream of pain, the spear man trips and falls forward, clattering and rolling over himself as his momentum carries him forward. Somehow, he had managed to keep his spear in his hands through the entire fall, and relying on years of survival experience, he manages to quickly stop his tumble and roll over onto his back, aiming the spear forward, planting the butt of his spear into the ground so as to impale anything chasing him.


    This all happens in a matter of seconds and is done almost entirely off instinct, and against a living foe, or a dumb animal, it might have saved him. Unfortunately, the enemy is neither of those things.


    In a flash, the insectile abomination of sharpened bone is already on top of the fallen spear man. The near foot long blade of Blane¡¯s spear clangs uselessly against the armored bone plate of the insect that covers it like a chitinous shell. In a flash of white bone, the shaft of the spear is smacked aside with one bladed limb before a second is stabbing down and piercing him through the chest. Layers of thick leather armor and chainmail are run through like a needle through fabric, pinning Blane to the floor.


    With a pained gasp for air and a cough full of wet, hot blood, Blane drops his spear and frantically tries to grab at the bladed limb that is impaling him, to try and pull the heavy thing out of his body. In his frantic attempts to grab hold of the blade, his hands become more bloodied as his palms are torn apart and sharped bone cuts into his fingers, the white of the bladed limb being steadily painted in more red as he continues to struggle.


    ¡°Blane!!!¡±


    The others scream out their friend¡¯s name, their feet dragging on the ground as they skid to a sudden halt and turn to fight. Fel is drawing three arrows and lines them up on her bowstring, firing all three arrows at the same time. The pursuing skeletons don¡¯t even bother trying to get in the way of her shot, instead heading straight for the frontline fighters.


    With a wave of a massive wing, the little frowning Demon simply bats aside the arrows like they are nothing but twigs that got thrown her way, their steel arrowheads failing to pierce her green scales and clanging uselessly like they just hit a solid wall.


    Andrew quickly throws Laz to the back, the poor Hobbit still screaming as he soars through the air. With Garald and Andrew charging forward, weapons raised, they try to reach the Demon and her hellish mount, to try and free their friend, but the beast and two of the large demonic skeletons step in the way and block their attacks with large taloned hands and lance like tusks, frost radiating off of their bodies and chilling the men as they get close.


    Gerald curses as he pulls back his sword and swings again, but the one before him simply takes the hit head on, letting the blade sink into the thick bones of its arm before quickly grabbing the sword with its other hand. Feeling danger, Gerald lets go of the blade and jumps back. A smart decision, as not a moment later, the entirety of his sword is now covered in a frosty layer of traveling ice, growing all the way to the pommel where his hand used to be not a second ago.


    To the side, Andrew isn¡¯t fairing any better. The large beast skeleton is slamming against his shield and knocking him around, his heavy cudgel doing little more than clanging against the things hardened bones and big thick skull. At best, he is leaving cracks here and there as he hits repeatedly, but the Undead is attacking without a single heed for the damage it is taking and firmly keeping him on the defensive lest he get gored by a tusk.


    In the back, Fel curses as she jumps back, one of the skeletons having pushed past the vanguard to pursue her. Dodging its grabs, she tries to fire off arrows at the Demon as quickly as she can, firing one after the other as fast as she can draw them. But the frowning girl, who seems to only be growing more upset as the fight progresses, is too fast. She doesn¡¯t even have to move to defend herself from the arrows, simply snatching them out of the air or blocking with her wings.


    Feeling desperate and quickly losing ground as she is being chased, Fel resorts to pulling out a trick that she has been practicing for months now but has yet to master. The others always told her she was wasting her time with practicing it, but she never gave up.


    If she is going to do it, it needs to be now! Gerald is being pushed back against a wall, nothing but a buckler to fight back with. Andrew is on his knees, a massive hoof pushing down on his shield. Blane is still alive and struggling. And Laz is still being a little chicken shit!


    She needs to do this!


    ¡°Ricochet Shot!¡±


    Fel doesn¡¯t know why she felt the need to shout out the name of her attack in that moment, but when she did, she already knew that she had pulled it off. That it had worked!


    Firing three arrows again, but this time aiming at the ceiling, Fel watches as her arrows unnaturally bounce off of the ceiling at different angles, hitting the walls and bouncing again, and all somehow then flying straight for the Demon from three different directions.


    I¡¯ve got her!


    The Demon certainly looks confused, shocked even, at the unexpected attack. But in a moment that will shock Fel for the rest of her life, she watches as the Demon manages to quickly slap the arrow heading for her head out of the air, while two of her other arms move and take the ones intended for her chest and gut.


    With two arrows sticking through her arms and the palm of her hand bleeding badly, the Demon looks utterly surprised. For a moment, all the fighting stops, the skeletons standing stock still and in mid attack like mannequins positioned on a podium.


    In a heartbeat, just as everyone is about to ask themselves what is happening, the Demon¡¯s look of surprise morphs into one of rage. With a wet tearing noise, she rips an arrow out of one of her arms, the one intended to hit her heart, and then snaps it in half with a clenching fist, the two halves clattering noisily to the floor.


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡±


    With a shout, she explodes with pressure and the cold, dead, Field of a Mage. Suddenly, her presence is filling the hallway and bearing down on everyone like a physical weight on their shoulders. In a wave of chilling cold that feels like Death gripping your bones, ice spreads out in every direction around her, the water running though the waterway in the middle of the hall is instantly turned to serrated ice as angry icicles grow upward like crystalline stalagmites and frost begins to climb up the walls like ivy.


    The humans nearly trip as the pressure of a strong Mage hits their bodies like a hard shove, fear involuntarily filling them as Death itself seemingly arrives to laugh at them and await their demise, his presence wrapping itself around them like an old friend coming up behind you and throwing an arm over your shoulder.


    But they manage to quickly shove it off after a moment¡¯s hesitation. The Mad Dogs have faced death before. They are used to this! With a roar, they fight back. Gerald smashes his buckler into a still frozen skeleton, pushing it over in a clatter of bones, his feet carrying him towards the Demon and ready to tackle her off her mount! Andrew shoves aside the hoof that was pushing down on him and runs around the beast before it can react, his cudgel raised, and kite shield held forward! Fel draws another arrow, her bow string creaking as the frayed thing is stretched for probably the last time! If they can just regroup and come up with a plan. The Demon can be wounded! If they just keep fighting, then they can-


    ¡°Inflict Pain!¡±


    ¡°AAAAAAAAaaaaaAAaaaHHHHHahahhhhhhhhhAAAAAaaaa!!!¡±


    A deep pain. A piercing pain that goes all the way to the very soul. To think that this would be how they would gain awareness of the presence their own souls?


    With the snap of a bow string and the clattering of a dropped shield, the humans collapse on the spot and writhe in complete and utter suffering. Gerald, Andrew, and Fel, rolling on the ground, all they can do is scream as they lose control of all motor functions, their entire bodies feeling like they had been trampled by a cavalry charge of horses wearing spiked horseshoes and then tossed into a pit full of cactuses and snakes and then given a tasteful spritzing of fresh lemon just for good measure. Clawing at their faces as if they could somehow dig the pain out of their flesh, they roll around on the cold hard floor and cry out in utter suffering, begging for it to stop.


    Laz, seeing all of this, with tears in his eyes and his whole body shaking like a leaf, quickly tries to get up and run away from where he was cowering by the wall, to abandon his friends as he sees that everything is lost. With nothing more than a finger pointed at his back by the Demon, he is quick to join the others in screaming on the floor as he trips and lands face first, hard on the ground, busting up his nose.


    No matter how much they scream, and beg, the pain doesn¡¯t stop. Not even as the skeletons descend upon them and pull away their remaining weapons from their hands and tear away daggers from where they hang on their belts can they do anything. Still, they are strong adventurers. They have unfortunately built up a tolerance for pain. So, their suffering lasts for quite some time as the Demon lords over them, pointing down at their writhing forms like a judge declaring them guilty.


    Eventually, it becomes too much, and they all pass out¡­

 B2. Chapter 5.3- Friend or Food?

    Bug looks down at herself, her arms still bloody and one even still having an arrow sticking through it.


    That was too close. I did it again¡­ I underestimated humans and it almost cost me my life. Again!


    The arrows had been aimed for her head, heart, and stomach. If any of these had landed, it could have potentially been her end. The arrows that had pierced through her arms, her arms which are covered in scales that are supposed to protect her from attacks like these, had only been stopped mere inches away from reaching her body, and only because she had flexed the muscles in her arms to stop the arrows from going the rest of the way through. If Bug had been even a moment slower, if her reflexes hadn¡¯t been as quick to react¡­


    Even the arrow that she had deflected with a slap away from her head had torn open her palm, leaving a jagged and horrible wound that ripped away most of the skin to leave muscle and nerves exposed to open air. The area where her thumb meets the rest of her hand is nothing but bone now where the meat had been torn away by the arrow''s head, her hand looking almost like Mimmie had taken a bite out of it.


    That attack. That ONE attack had almost killed Bug.


    Right now, looking down at her bleeding arms, Bug is experiencing a mix of emotions. Surprise and anger being the chief contenders of the mix.


    ¡°I said I wasn¡¯t going to do anything stupid again. I¡¯m supposed to be trying to get better, not get myself killed! I thought I knew better than to underestimate them!¡±


    With a bloody fist, she punches the back of the skull of her mount. The thing she is riding on being a literal, physical reminder of why she shouldn¡¯t have done what she just did!


    Again and again, she punches the back of the insect¡¯s skull, the face of that girl choking her still burned in Bug¡¯s memory. Even as the back of its skull is painted more and more red by Bug¡¯s blood, she continues to hit it, cursing her stupidity with every blow until her hand is aching and her bones are on verge of breaking.


    ¡°Stupid, stupid, stupid!¡±


    One last hit and the bones in her hand finally snap, Bug not caring about the damage in the slightest. With a heavy breath, she sits back and runs her fingers through her messy hair, trying to rake the stress out of her brain with her fingers.


    Mimmie is currently cowering on her lap, sealed up tight and refusing to come out, a light layer of frost having formed over its brick shell.


    ¡°Haaaaaaaaah¡­ Ok¡­ It¡¯s ok¡­ I just need to be more careful in the future. First, let¡¯s figure out where I went wrong and what I can do to get better¡­¡±


    Alright¡­ Clearly, I got a bit too excited when I found some humans¡­ Just a bit¡­ Ok a lot a bit¡­ I need to work on that. And I know why I did it, even if I am not proud to admit it. I miss Hannah and the others already. I¡¯m¡­ I am lonely¡­ I need to accept that¡­


    Geez, I¡¯m a mess. It hasn¡¯t even been a day since they left¡­ Is this just how I am? Did I not know this about myself until they were already gone? Maybe it has something to do with being a Gremlin? Do we not like being all alone? I don¡¯t think I do¡­ Ah, I can¡¯t wait to finally get out of here and catch up to Hannah. I wonder if I¡¯ll meet any other Gremlins on the surface? Real ones, people ones. Not like these feral mobs in the Dungeon!


    Getting mad again thinking about those things, Bug spits to the side. With a shake of her head, she tries to bring her wandering thoughts back on track.


    Focus. Besides my apparently being¡­ lonely¡­ I was definitely having way too much fun chasing these humans around. I could have been smarter about how I handled this. I could have tried approaching them in a more friendly manner, and if that didn¡¯t work, I could have just captured them straight away instead of chasing them down and backing them into a corner. That¡¯s just asking for them to fight back with everything they have. That was dumb of me, and I need to do better¡­


    Bug looks to her bleeding arms again, and finally decides finally to heal herself now that she is calming down, but primarily to also keep from losing too much blood. With a tug, she yanks out the remain arrow from her other arm, her wounds closing up as her magic does its work.


    With arrow in hand, she looks at the thing and then at the woman who wounded her.


    And this is precisely why I shouldn¡¯t back them into a corner. First was that girl, nearly choking me to death even as I had her under Inflict Pain. Now there is this one, pulling out that move, or a Skill? Her arrows definitely weren¡¯t a threat to me until she did that, and then suddenly she became strong enough to break through my scales?


    Curiosity compels Bug to quickly check through the Skill Store, and sure enough, she finds it under the archery Skills.


    ¡®Ricochet Shot. [Req: Bow or crossbow] In a single shot, fire as many arrows as you are able while locked onto a target. The arrow(s) will ricochet off of any hard, non-living, surface as many times as necessary until the target is hit. With each ricochet, the arrow(s) will gain increased piercing power and speed, scaling with Dexterity, up to a limit of ten (10) bounces.


    Warning: Using this Skill will lower the durability of the User¡¯s weapon by a significant amount.¡¯


    ¡°That is definitely the one, but humans don¡¯t have access to the System yet¡­ So how did she use it?¡±


    Bug watches the passed-out woman for a moment, her broken bow and a bunch of scattered arrows laying not too far away from where one of her skeletons is holding her down. She and the others are already starting to stir and should be waking up soon.


    ¡°Guess I can just ask her. I have plenty of questions for them anyways. It¡¯s too bad that being friendly is off the table now¡­ I really screwed that up¡­ Mh?¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Muh¡­ Plea-se¡­¡±


    Bug looks down and over the side of her mount, and finds a man pinned beneath one of its bladed legs, lying in a pool of his frozen over blood, a layer of frost having spread over his body. Despite having a bone blade ran through his chest, the guy is still somehow alive.


    ¡°Must have missed his heart. Probably got a lung though, looks like you''re having a hard time breathing there, buddy¡­ Sorry, I didn¡¯t actually mean for you to get stabbed like this. I thought you would be fast enough to roll out of the way in time, but I guess I was wrong¡­ Again, sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Uhhg¡­ Please, he-lp me. *Cough*¡±


    Coughing up a mouthful of blood, the man looks up at Bug with his desperate eyes, his body growing more and more weak as he slowly succumbs to his wounds. Bug Just watches him from where she sits cross-legged on her mount, not moving to do anything at all.


    Hmmm, I could save him¡­. As long as the internal damage is just to his lung, I could use Respiratory Mutation to heal it, and then the rest of my potion to close up his wounds¡­ I could¡­ But why should I?


    What could I get by saving him? Would these humans suddenly change their opinion of me because I saved someone that I almost killed? I doubt that would get them to start liking me. Plus, I can¡¯t guarantee that I can save him. He already looks like he has one foot in the grave.


    ¡°Might as well just finish him off and put him out of his misery. Level 17, so he is worth some experience at least¡­¡±


    Sending a mental command to her mount, it raises a bladed limb above his head and is about to bring it down on him. But it stops as Bug¡¯s attention is drawn down to her lap, where Mimmie is crawling around a bit, trying to climb up her thigh so it can peek out and see what is going on now that everything seems to have calmed down.


    Bug still has Identify active, so she sees the baby Mimic¡¯s level. Just a weak little Level 5¡­


    This gets her thinking¡­


    Does Mimmie have a System too? How did it get to Level 5? Was it born that way, or did it gain the levels like I did? Obviously, it doesn¡¯t have System User Access like I do, but do the monsters in the Dungeon have some level of access to the System as well? What will happen if Mimmie reaches Level 10? Will it gain a Class like I did?


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Her thoughts go back to the first floor, and there were Level 2 mobs up there. And every time she found them, they had always been around the corpses of their own that they probably killed. So, there is a really good chance that Mimmie can in fact Level-up by getting kills.


    ¡°Mmm, worth a try. Not like I need the Experience from just one human anyways. Mimmie~ You hungy? Does Mimmie want a treat~?¡±


    Lifting up the little Mimic from her lap, Bug holds it off to the side, Mimmie looking around with its eyestalks curiously as it takes in its surroundings with obvious excitement.


    Did Mimmie learn what treat means already? Such a little glutton¡­


    It doesn¡¯t take long for Mimmie to look down, finding a pinned, weakened, and obviously dying human just a short distance below it. With its eyestalks peering over the edge of its brick, Mimmie blinks in surprise at what it finds, looking very confused.


    ¡®What is a human doing down there?¡¯ Is probably the thought that Mimmie would have if it had the required mental faculties to form complex thoughts. But Mimmie is a simple creature.


    Surprise quickly turns into fear for a second as it finds a bigger creature looking up at it, but that fear is quickly replaced when Mimmie realizes that the human is heavily injured and most likely unable to fight back.


    Not a threat¡­


    An opportunity. A once in a lifetime opportunity for a baby Mimic. For a predator that would normally survive off of little critters like cockroaches and maybe the occasional rat or bat if it gets lucky, a baby Mimic would have to get very lucky to get to eat a human. Only adult Mimics are strong enough and big enough to do that! Normally, even if a baby Mimic manages to kill a human by tripping them down the stairs or something, the body usually gets stolen away by a larger predator before they can get to it. That, or the Dungeon ends up absorbing the body first.


    Drooling like a flowing river, eyes going wide as saucers, and exploding with excitement, Mimmie starts to freak the fuck out like a kid that just got handed a gold coin and sent into a candy store with permission to buy as many sweets as they wanted.


    The brick is practically bouncing in Bug¡¯s hand as she holds it over Blane, Mimmie having entirely cast aside its disguise at this point as it is practical entirely split open into nothing but a drooling mouth full of a forest of sharp teeth, a long grey tongue waving around frantically as Mimmie fights to free itself from Bug¡¯s grip.


    Blane, pinned to the floor and very slowly, far too slowly, losing consciousness, can only look up in horror at the writhing creature suspended above him, drool raining down, on, and around his face.


    ¡°Hahaha, Mimmie, calm down. Yes, it¡¯s yours. You can have the treat. Just remember that I am your master, and if you are a good Mimmie, you get treats. OK?¡±


    Bug apparently takes Mimmie¡¯s increasing excitement as a yes, because she smiles happily at her pet. If this thing were a puppy, it would have already pissed itself and dislocated its tail from sheer happiness by now.


    With tears in his eyes, Blane shakes his head slowly side to side.


    ¡°No, no¡­ please¡­ no.¡±


    But Bug isn¡¯t listening to him. She is only focused on Mimmie right now. And regardless. Even if Bug has a desire to befriend humans, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that she is evil. She¡¯s a bad person. And what she wants will always be the priority over the happiness, and lives, of others. And right now, she wants to see her pet be happy, and maybe, just maybe, this treat will be enough to get her pet to love her.


    Without a single care for the poor soul beneath her, Bug turns over her hand and drops Mimmie, mouth side down, right onto Blane¡¯s face.


    In his final moments, full of dread and one last weak burst of adrenaline, he tries to raise his arms and stop the hungry Mimic from reaching him. But he is to too weak. The cold of Bug¡¯s Deathly Ice, and a healthy dose of blood loss reduces his final attempt at survival to nothing but a lethargic wave of his hands before toothy brick meets face, his final view being the dark void that is the back of Mimmie throat.


    Screaming with what little energy and breath he has left, Blane suffers as teeth tear into his face and he is picked apart piece by piece.


    Sitting comfortably on her minion in a seat of blankets, Bug watches with a smile as her cute little pet happily gorges itself on the best treat it has ever had. Like a dog that had just been give an entire flank of cow to devour as it pleases.


    Bug is a good pet owner.


    Off to the side, the humans slowly start to stir. Gerald is the first to wake up, and when he sees what is happening, all he can do is stare with wide eyes in abject horror and shock. Fel wakes up next and promptly screams a high-pitched scream that only a lady (Or an incredibly effeminate man) can make. Quite frankly, it is so loud and high pitched that it ends up hurting Bug¡¯s ears a bit¡­


    ¡°Ouch! So loud¡­ SHUT UP!¡±


    It takes a moment for Fel to stop screaming, a finger from Bug being threateningly pointed at her being more than enough to shut her up.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m glad to see that you two are awake now. As I was saying earlier, I want to talk to you. So, how about we have ourselves a nice conversation? Yes? And if you behave and do as I tell you, I promise not to kill you. How does that sound?¡± Bug asks the two with a pleasant smile on her face.


    Below her, Blanes body shakes as his nerves give out a last few spasms, the sounds of teeth scrapping against bones and human teeth getting crunched being heard as Mimmie works on chewing into the cheeks to try and get at that oh-so-tasty looking tongue it spouted while he was screaming earlier.


    The humans can¡¯t respond. They can¡¯t find the words. So, they do the only thing that they can do as they look up in pale-faced terror at the Demon that is lording over them from atop her throne of bones.


    They quickly nod their heads and silently pray that they won¡¯t be next.


    ¡°Good! I like smart humans. I really do hope that you¡¯re smart.¡± Responds a cheerful Bug.


    *Crunch*


    *Crunch*


    *Crunch*

 B2. Chapter 5.4- Friend or Food?

    Held down by skeletons and lying side by side with the others, Fel desperately gropes around with her hand until she can find Andrew¡¯s own lying beside her, grabbing her lover¡¯s big hand with her own in a death grip. He is slowly waking up now himself, and much the same as Fel and Gerald before him, he is greeted to the sight of Blane¡¯s body being eaten into by a Mimic of all things. The thing is practically just a split open mouth at this point and is tearing into his corpse with the gusto of a starving fat kid at an all you can eat buffet. Having already finished on eating his face and moving onto the neck, Blanes exposed and meatless skull is on full display as his face is still facing towards his friends, the sockets being empty as his eyes had been swallowed and several teeth are now missing to expose the inside of a mouth which is notably missing its tongue. Even some of his scalp and hair is missing, where the thing had seemingly been trying to gnaw it way into his skull, presumably in some failed and now abandoned attempt at reaching poor Blane¡¯s brain¡­


    Andrew grips Fel¡¯s hand tightly in return as tears are running down her pale face, her eyes inexplicably drawn to the lines etched into the skull where the Mimic¡¯s teeth had carved against bone as it scraped off every inch of meat it could reach. With her heart pounding in her chest, and her mind rushing with adrenaline and fear, she finds herself inexplicably staring at a loose hair that had fallen from Blane''s head and is now stuck in some bloody fat.


    On her other side, Laz is slowly waking up last, his eyes going to the scene before them and horror filling his expression at what he finds. Fel, breaking out of her morbid trance, quickly moves her free hand and covers Laz''s mouth just as he is about to scream, muffling his cries as the little thief panics and tries to run away.


    But he can¡¯t. Just like the others, a massive, horned skeleton is pinning him to the floor, its knee pressed into his lower back with a massive, clawed hand holding him by the back of his neck. No matter how much he panics and kicks his legs and screams into Fel¡¯s hand, he can¡¯t get anywhere.


    Above them, resting comfortably on her abomination of bones and nightmares, the Demon waits and watches, her beautiful emerald-green eyes curiously settling on the panicked Hobbit as she watches him for a while. Eventually, she chooses to ask them something.


    ¡°What¡¯s with him?¡± She asks with a finger pointing at the spasming Hobbit, looking like she just asked what kind of weird bug it is that she had just found in her closet.


    Fel and Andrew can¡¯t talk. Fel because she is too scared, and Andrew because he just woke up and is still trying to process everything that had just happened. Gerald is the only one that can right now, and he take a quick moment to swallow down both his fears and some spit before carefully opening his mouth and speaking.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. He¡¯s just scared. The Undead... frighten him, please don¡¯t hurt him¡­ please.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Demon hums to herself as she looks them all other like she is examining some foreign creatures at her feet and thinks for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a Hobbit before. Or I guess, a half Hobbit. Are they all like this?¡± The Demon eventually asks with a nod of her horned head in Laz''s direction, her messy hair shaking with the motion.


    If she¡¯s never seen a Hobbit before, then how does she know he is one, let alone half? I didn¡¯t say what he is though?


    Gerald quickly chases that thought out his head and answers her, not wanting to find out how angry this Demon might become if he makes her wait too long for an answer.


    ¡°No. Well, yes, sort of. Hobbits are a rather cowardly race, from what I know¡­¡±


    ¡°They are?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes. It¡¯s because they are small, and some predators like to try and hunt them. At least that what we learned growing up¡­ I could be wrong!¡± He quickly adds as Gerald realizes that the Demon might take offence to this. She is quite small herself after all. Maybe that¡¯s why she has an interest in Laz?


    She doesn¡¯t say anything and seems to just be thinking to herself for a while, no one daring to interrupt her. The only noise is that of Laz panicking under the skeletons grip and screaming into Fel¡¯s hand, and that of the Mimic tearing messily into its meal, the occasional crunching noise being heard as it breaks some cartilage or snaps a thin bone in half to get at the marrow inside.


    Eventually, she does speak.


    ¡°Guess that makes sense. Plenty of things are always trying to eat me after all¡­¡± That last part being nothing more than a whisper to herself though.


    ¡°Well! For starters, I want him to stop freaking out now, please. It is rather distracting.¡± The Demon cheerfully says with the clap of her hands, like she just called for a change of subject at a dinner party.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that if you just give him some time to calm down, that he will be-!¡± Gerald tries, fearing what might come next. But the Demon just ignores him and addresses Laz directly.


    ¡°You. Stop freaking out and pay attention. If you don¡¯t, I will make you be quiet.¡± She declares.


    This only gets Laz to freak out more, desperately shaking his head from side to side like he is trying to deny reality, his busted nose just spilling more blood all over Fel''s hand as he continues to scream and breathe heavily into it. She fights to keep her grip on his face though, refusing to let go, should his screams just push the Demon into killing him on the spot. Gerald and the others can already see the irritation growing on the Demon¡¯s face though, and they try to speak up for him.


    ¡°Please!¡± They try.


    But she just ignores them and addresses Laz directly, again, her voice full of finality.


    ¡°You will either calm down, or I will make you. Now, be still!¡± She snaps with authority, her Field pressing down on them and promising Death.


    Laz doesn¡¯t listen¡­ His fear is too strong for reason.


    With a sigh and a snap of her fingers, a second, louder snap is soon heard. The skeleton holding him down had grabbed Laz¡¯s left arm and broken it in one quick motion, his forearm now snapped cleaning at the middle and bent painfully in the wrong direction.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm!!!¡±


    His scream of pain is just barely muffled as Fel desperately keeps his mouth covered with her hand, blood and spit escaping through the gaps in her hand as tears fall from Laz¡¯s eyes. But she won¡¯t let him go. No matter what, she doesn¡¯t want to see another of her friends being killed!


    Eventually, his screams come to a stop, and he goes still as if in shock, just staring off into the distance with wide eyes and a pale face. When he finally goes limp like a puppet with its stings cut, the Demon looks away from him, losing interest most likely, and addresses the others.


    ¡°Consider that a warning. I won¡¯t tolerate disobedience. If I say to do something, you will do it. If I ask you a question, you will answer it to the best of your ability and without lies. If you do as I say, I will not harm any of you further. But¡­ if you don¡¯t, or I find you to be telling me lies, I will hurt you. I might even kill you depending on how badly you anger me. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    Gerald, Andrew, and Fel all nod their heads without a word. Laz is still in shock and can¡¯t, but the Demon doesn¡¯t seem to care about him anymore.


    ¡°Good!¡± She says happily as her smile returns to her face, her earlier anger seemingly disappearing like a puff of smoke in the wind.


    ¡°Now then, I have questions, and you, hopefully, have answers. Let¡¯s talk. But first, introductions are in order! Let¡¯s start with you and work our way around, shall we? I¡¯ll go last.¡±


    Gerald, confused and rightfully scared, can only swallow nervously as he tries to think of what to say. An introduction? What is this, the first day at a new job? What should he say about himself, and why would this Demon even care? Better to just keep it quick and simple.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Uhm, my name is Gerald, and¡­ I¡¯m an adventurer. Born and raised here in Silest, and I like collecting trading cards?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Nice to meet ya, Gerald. What are trading cards? No, wait! That¡¯s not important right now. I can find out later anyways.¡±


    She turns her attention to Andrew next and Gerald quickly figures out that his turn is already over. Why the heck did he bring up his hobby!? That was so dumb of him, and apparently, Andrew thinks so too, because now he has to share a hobby of his own, or the Demon might get mad!


    ¡°Mmh, I¡¯m uh¡­ My name is Andrew, and I was born in a little village with no name, to the south-east of Silest¡­ Uhm, hobbies¡­ I enjoy, fishing, I guess?¡±


    The Demon smiles again, her shark tail wagging behind her as she nods happily.


    ¡°Mm, mm, nice to meet you, Andrew. Fishing... Thats with a rod and some string, right? To catch fish? Or maybe a net? Haven¡¯t done that myself yet, unless you count fighting a monster fish under water?¡±


    Andrew just shakes his head no, looking rather rightfully confused.


    ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t think so. I¡¯ll have to try it in the future then. Ok, and you?¡± She says as she then directs her inquiry to the archer.


    ¡°My name is Fel, and I am so sorry for injuring you, please don¡¯t kill me!¡±


    The Demon just blinks.


    ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    Moving on from that, the little horned Demon lastly turns her attention to the catatonic Laz.


    ¡°And you are?¡±


    Laz doesn¡¯t answer, just still staring off into space. The others try to introduce him in his place, but are silenced by a hand from the Demon, clearly telling them to stop. When Laz still does nothing, she somehow pulls a small rock out of thin air and lightly chucks at him. With a bonk, the rock bounces off his forehead. That seems to do the trick and knocks him out of his stupor.


    In pain and clearly panicked, he looks around in a hurry, his gaze eventually landing on the Demon and her horrifying mount. When it looks like he is about to start screaming again, she simply raises her hand like she is about to snap her fingers again. Laz freezes¡­ Without even being told, some part of his panicked brain realizes that if he doesn¡¯t do as he is told, his other arm is going to be getting broken as well.


    ¡°And you are?¡± The Demon repeats herself.


    ¡°Laz¡­¡± He replies simply, his eyes locked onto hers like a rabbit caught at the business end of a crossbow, too afraid to move.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Laz. Sorry about the arm, you just wouldn¡¯t calm down. Now then! You¡¯ve all introduced yourselves, and now it is my turn. My name is Bug, and I am on a quest to reach the bottom of this Dungeon. Well, that¡¯s my main goal, but right now, my goal is just to find a bath so I can clean up. I have been having just one HELL of a day! Anyways, it is just so lovely to meet all of you. When I heard that there were some humans nearby, I just had to come and say hello, you know? Anyways, anyways, not important¡­ OH! This is Mimmie, by the way. Say hi, Mimmie~¡±


    Mimmie doesn¡¯t say hi, and simply continue to feast like it is the end of the world and this is its last meal.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t it cute? No idea if it is a boy or girl though¡­ Any of you know how to tell the sex of a Mimic?¡±


    Everyone just shakes their heads no, slowly, and the Demon, apparently named Bug of all things, just shrugs.


    ¡°Eh, guess that¡¯s not important anyways¡­ Oh, yeah, sorry about killing your friend. I thought he was faster and would dodge that last attack, but¡­ yeah¡­ Sorry ¡®bout that.¡±


    Despite how much they want to curse her out and throw her apologies back in her face, the adventurers wisely choose to keep their mouths shut. Their anger over the death of their friend isn¡¯t worth getting killed over, and they know it. This isn''t the first time someone close to them has died in combat, and they have learned the hard way that rash emotions in the moment will just make things worse for them. If they survive this, they can properly mourn his death later. If...


    She claps two of hands cheerfully. ¡°So, with all of that out of the way, let¡¯s move on to the questions. But before that, do you have any questions for me?¡±


    A question to ask her?


    The humans can come up with several, most of which they imagine would just end with either death or torture. Aside from those, they want to ask, ¡°Why did you do this?¡± but they don¡¯t, as the answer would probably be a simple one.


    Monsters attack humans all the time, often times, it isn¡¯t even because they are hungry. Monsters kill humans. It is as simple as that, and the same applies to Demons.


    Unable to think of a good question, Gerald just asks the first thing that comes to mind.


    ¡°What are you? What sort of Demon are you?¡±


    Bug just tilts her head to the side a bit, looking a bit confused.


    ¡°This is the second time I¡¯ve been mistaken as a Demon¡­ What do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Some kind of Imp?¡± Gerald guesses, hoping that he didn¡¯t just offend her in some way.


    ¡°Imp?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a, uh¡­ The Church teaches us that Imps are small trickster Demons that like to steel people¡¯s stuff and attack them in the night¡­¡± Andrew answers next, being a follower who always attended Sunday school growing up, the old preacher at his village¡¯s rickety little church often teaching the children all sorts of things.


    ¡°The Church again¡­¡± Bug murmurs to herself.


    ¡°What else does the Church teach you about these, Imps?¡±


    Fel answers next, her hand gripping Andrew¡¯s even tighter as her fear grows from what she is about to say next.


    ¡°That- That if a woman has sex before marriage, that an Imp will come and¡­ and rape her for her sins¡­¡± She says as she looks up at Bug in fear, her eyes darting worriedly towards her boyfriend. Her unwed lover...


    Bug just looks down at the woman like she is stupid.


    ¡°That¡¯s stupid. I mean, how would the Imp even know? Why would it care? Why should it care? Also, no, I¡¯m not going to mate with you, don¡¯t be weird¡­ Seriously, what is up with all you humans and¡­ hah, so weird¡­ And no, I¡¯m not an Imp. I, am a Gremlin.¡± Bug says with obvious pride as she raises her scale coated chin and points to herself with four webbed hands, plus the two from her wings, her shark tail wagging behind her as her scales glow with a happy light of bioluminescence, looking absolutely not like a Gremlin in any way, save for her short stature and cute fluffy ears.


    The captured humans gathered before her don¡¯t buy it for even so much as a second.


    Bullshit! Everyone knows that Demons are liars.


    ¡°So,¡± Bug happily starts after she finishes her preening. ¡°how about we start with that, then? I want you to teach me everything you know about the Church, the Goddess, and Demons.¡±


    The Mad Dogs are in for a long rest of the day¡­

 B2. Chapter 5.5- Friend or Food?

    It actually takes a couple of hours of talking and storytelling until Bug is satisfied with the subject of religion.


    For the most part, these humans don¡¯t know much more than what they were taught as children while growing up. Among them, Andrew is the only one that semi-frequently still goes to mass on Sundays, but all of them are still firm followers of the Goddess. Not believers, like some sinners (atheist) like to call it, since the Goddess isn¡¯t some idea to ¡®believed¡¯ in. No, they are followers, because apparently, the Goddess is a real, living, breathing, person that lives in some temple far to the north. Though, only kings and high-ranking members of the Church have ever met her¡­ Bug chooses to keep her thoughts on that to herself.


    ¡°So, if you don¡¯t follow these rules the Goddess set for you, you go to Hell after you die, and if you are a good person, you go to Heaven?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s basically how it works.¡± Responds Andrew who is still being held down on the floor by a skeleton, having to arch his neck to look up at Bug who has switched to lounging on her side, one hand propping up her head as she lazily scratches her leg with her foot.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Well, that¡¯s stupid.¡±


    ¡°Stupid!? How dare y-!¡± Andrew starts, but quickly bites his tongue as he remembers his current position.


    Thankfully, Bug doesn¡¯t look too terribly bothered by his outburst and just shrugs.


    ¡°Apologies, I don¡¯t mean to step on your beliefs, but I just find all of this to be¡­ well, it just seems dumb to me. I mean, that isn¡¯t how death works? Souls don¡¯t go to a good place or a bad place after you die, they just move on and get reborn somewhere else as a new person. I mean¡­ You¡¯re telling me that every person that dies will go to these two places. That would mean that these places would have to be big enough to hold an infinite number of souls and be able to properly keep all of them either suffering or in perpetual happiness? Not to mention, where would all the new souls come from when new people are born? Where would they even come from?¡±


    Andrew looks mad, but he just keeps his answer simple.


    ¡°The Goddess makes them.¡±


    ¡°¡­ The Goddess makes an infinite number of souls, and maintains two places with infinite capacity and resources? Is she all powerful?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Andrew practically shouts.


    Bug just thinks for a bit and then asks, ¡°But if she is all powerful, then why isn¡¯t she saving you from me? Why does she allow the Demons to threaten humanity? Why does she allow evil to remain in the world, if she wants you all to be happy?¡±


    ¡°The Goddess likes to test us.¡±


    ¡°Your Goddess sounds like a bitch.¡±


    ¡°You take that back!¡± He screams, trying to lunge forward. But the skeleton holding him down just pushes down and shoves his face to the floor.


    Still lounging comfy and lording over them, Bug cringes a bit as she watches that. Seeing how someone can suddenly get so angry just from having their beliefs stepped on. It surprises her, though only for a bit. Honestly, she really doesn¡¯t care about this whole religion thing. Why should she want to dedicate herself to some god a reward that she can¡¯t even enjoy in this life? It¡¯s just dumb¡­


    And besides, thanks to the System, Bug already knows what happens to souls after death. There are even several Spells in not just the Death school of magic that involve manipulating this process, but even in Life, Space, Time, Soul, and even a little in some of the other elements, like Water, Earth, and Nature. And in all of them, they have the same stipulation. They can¡¯t be used on any soul that has already fully entered the Cycle of Reincarnation, a process that takes about three days after full bodily death to occur. After that, trying to say, use a Life spell to bring someone back from the dead, will simply just fail. Their soul has already moved on and been reborn by then. They are already a new person.


    It is because of this knowledge, partly, as to why Bug doesn¡¯t care so much about killing people. Sure, it¡¯s a mean thing to do and she would hate to have it happen to herself or to someone close to her, but at the end of the day, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s destroying their soul. They¡¯ll be back, and hopefully, their next life will be a better one.


    So, Bug just relaxes for a bit as she watches the angry human try to get himself back under control, the woman next to him desperately holding his hand and whispering to him. Bug can clearly hear her whispers, but doesn¡¯t comment on what is being said.


    ¡°Love, please calm down. Please don¡¯t give her a reason to kill you. We¡¯ll get through this. I love you, please-¡± and such things.


    Bug decides to let them cool down for a bit and mull over what she has learned so far. Regardless of her personal opinions of the human¡¯s religion, it is still good to know as it could help her in the future when dealing with them.


    For one thing, they have a list of ten important rules that they are supposed to follow, which makes them to be considered, ¡®Good People¡¯ in the eyes of the Goddess.


    <ol>


    <li>Don¡¯t lie.</li>


    <li>Don¡¯t rape.</li>


    <li>Don¡¯t steal.</li>


    <li>Don¡¯t murder other humans (including the other races that the Church likes, example being the Dwarfs) except in self-defense or on the orders of your ruler in war.</li>


    <li>Don¡¯t have sex with a married person¡¯s lover.</li>


    <li>Don¡¯t have sex before marriage.</li>


    <li>Don¡¯t have sex with people of the same sex.</li>


    <li>Don¡¯t have sex with anyone that isn¡¯t human. (Or again, not a race that is liked by the Church. Hobbits are kosher.)</li>


    <li>Don¡¯t disobey your parents.</li>


    <li>Worship only the Goddess, and no other gods.</li>


    </ol>


    Ten rules, and most of them are just to tell you who you can and can¡¯t have sex with¡­ Why the Goddess would care, Bug has no idea about that, but at least the other ones make some sense. After all, it is bad to kill and rape each other, and stealing is bad. Not that that will stop Bug from killing and stealing. She¡¯s not interested in rape though, which is a good thing.


    Don¡¯t lie. Now that¡¯s a rule Bug can get behind. She hasn¡¯t really put much thought into why it is that she personally refuses to lie, herself, but Bug can certainly say that she would like it a lot better if others wouldn¡¯t lie either.


    Disobeying parents? Bug doesn¡¯t have those. She was born from a plant¡­ Does the Dungeon count as her parent?


    Screw that rule¡­


    And the last one, well¡­ Bug doesn¡¯t much feel like following that one either. And if anything, it just worsens her opinion of this Goddess person. Like, she only cares about amassing a bunch of followers and having them pray to her.


    For instance, some of what Bug was taught is the unofficial rules that aren¡¯t a part of the big ten, but are still important enough to follow to where if you don¡¯t, you will be considered a sinner. Like, contraceptives are bad and shouldn¡¯t be used, because if you are going to have sex, it should only be for the purpose of having children and nothing else. Especially not pleasure. And have lots of children and raise them to be loyal worshippers of the Goddess. But don¡¯t enjoy it! And a bunch of other stuff that Bug quickly lost interest in while she was listening to Andrew spew on about this and that¡­


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Though, the thing that was the nail in the coffin for her feelings on the Goddess was when Bug learned about Sunday mass.


    The people, all these worshippers that the Goddess wants to keep making more kids that will also all grow up to be more worshippers. They are supposed to give their MONEY, to the Church!


    It¡¯s all just a way to get rich and have everyone love her while behaving! And, it, is, brilliant!


    This Goddess person, who Bug is pretty sure is just some lady, probably a pretty powerful Life or Soul Mage or something like that, is just manipulating all these dumb, gullible humans into giving her treasures and doing everything that she says. And their reward for their obedience?


    Oh, you get to go to this nice place after you die. But if you are bad¡­


    And the funniest part? The part that has Bug wanting to laugh as she looks down at this angry little believer? The humans have no real way of proving it wrong. After all, what are they going to do; die and come back after they see it was all just a big fat lie? Even Bug can come up with a believable excuse for why even that wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t see Heaven. You weren¡¯t meant to go there yet, silly. You did come back to life, didn¡¯t you? It¡¯s just not your time yet.¡±


    Wish I thought of that. Just relaxing in a palace all day as people give me their stuff. And all I would have to do is bring back the dead and show off my power occasionally? So jealous¡­


    Bug doesn¡¯t even consider explaining any of this to the humans. She already knows that her words will just fall on deaf ears, or they will pretend to agree with her just she won¡¯t kill them. Plus, she just doesn¡¯t care enough to try. Why should she? Besides, they are free to believe in whatever they want. If it makes them happy, then why should she care to change their minds, or beliefs for that matter?


    With a shrug, Bug decides to move this along and clears her throat, getting her captive audience¡¯s attention.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough about religion; I think I learned everything I need to about that subject¡­ Let¡¯s move onto Demons. Earlier, you called me an Imp. Are there other kinds of Demons?¡±


    Gerald responds to her question with open confusion.


    ¡°How do you not know about Demons? Everyone does.¡±


    Bug just shrugs again. ¡°I don¡¯t get out much¡­¡±


    Figuring that the Demon claiming to be a Gremlin isn¡¯t going to elaborate, Gerald decides to just tell her what he knows.


    ¡°We¡¯ve never seen any Demons before, so this is just what we have learned from the Church-¡±


    ¡°Of course it is.¡±


    ¡°- and¡­ Uh, well. I¡¯ll just tell you what I know. Is that all right?¡±


    ¡°So long as you tell me no lies, I will gladly accept all you know. I don¡¯t expect you to know everything, after all, none of you are even literate¡­¡±


    Still can¡¯t believe that the Church doesn¡¯t bother teaching children how to read. Instead, only the wealthy families get to have that privilege. Probably just more ways of keeping control¡­ Smart, I like it.


    Bug chooses not to comment on the fact that she herself didn¡¯t have to learn how to read, and that the System gave her that knowledge for free¡­


    Gerald takes Bug¡¯s following silence as permission to speak, swallowing down any complaints he might have about Bug making fun of his inability to read. Who needs to read anyways? The time spent learning how can be spent on earning money instead. You don¡¯t need to read to be able to swing a sword after all. As long as he can do his maths, that¡¯s all he needs to get by.


    ¡°Okay, well, you already know about Imps,¡± Which the Mad Dogs are still certain that Bug is one. ¡°so, I will tell you about the other types I know of¡­ Aside from the Imps, which are small and sneaky¡­¡± He stops to look up at Bug and make sure she isn¡¯t mad. She isn¡¯t.


    ¡°Aside from them, there are the Fiends, which are giant Demons, about twice as tall as any man and are strong enough to destroy whole buildings with their bare hands. Supposedly, they struggle with magic, but they are still incredibly dangerous on the battlefield. Then there is¡­ I think they were called, Jimms?¡±


    Gerald looks over at the sulking Andrew who has calmed down some by now.


    ¡°They¡¯re called, Jinn.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Jinn! Right¡­ Uhm, they are supposed to be powerful magic casters. None of us here are mages, so¡­ we don¡¯t know how strong they are. Are you one, maybe?¡±


    Bug just gives him a stink eye.


    ¡°I¡¯m a Gremlin.¡±


    ¡°Right, right! Sorry¡­ Ah¡­ next is¡­ sorry, it¡¯s been years since I learned these. I never thought I would run into a Demon, not with their land being so far away¡­¡±


    Bug chooses not to say anything about him still implying that she is a Demon and instead just glares slightly. Maybe she needs to remind them of their place? It has been a couple hours since she last hurt them¡­


    Seemingly getting a hint of what Bug is thinking, Gerald hurries up.


    ¡°Ah, ah! Uhm¡­ Succubus! That was the next one! They are winged lady Demons that prey on men and suck their souls out by¡­ having sex with them¡­¡±


    He slows down a bit there, at the end, his eyes going up to Bug¡¯s wings and then down her body to her large and bountiful chest and then even further still to those full and round thighs that are barely covered by her short shorts. Even being covered in dirt and in much need of bath, Bug is still admittedly quite the looker¡­ if he were to die, death by those thighs wouldn¡¯t be a bad way to go¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not a Succubus either. I. am. a. Gremlin. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡±


    He quickly looks away from the lounging Gremlin, who is most certainly a Gremlin and absolutely nothing else, and tries to pretend that he finds this brick in the floor to be very interesting¡­ Better to look at the floor anyways, since the only other thing to look at is the corpse of his dead friend¡­


    He quickly reprimands himself mentally and moves on, not wanting to further anger the little De- Gremlin. He doesn¡¯t want to anger the Gremlin.


    ¡°Uh, aside from them, I only know one other one, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, go on, tell me already. And whatever it is, you better not mistake me as being one.¡± Bug says, waving a hand to hurry along the nervous human.


    But Gerald is quite confident that Bug isn¡¯t one of what he is about to name. If she were, he is certain that they would all be dead already anyways.


    ¡°Devil.¡± Gerald says with apparent fear, his eyes darting to the shadows as he if expects to see them suddenly spring to life. Beside him, Andrew is already silently praying. He can¡¯t see what Fel or Laz are doing, but he imagines that it is much the same.


    Bug, much to Gerald''s amazement, doesn¡¯t look bothered in the slightest at hearing that word. Almost like it is her first time learning about it.


    ¡°Devil¡­¡± Gerald repeats himself. But Bug still looks the same.


    She just raises an eyebrow and says, ¡°Yes? Go on, tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­? Devil, that¡¯s what the Demon Queen is. How do you not know this?¡±


    ¡°Again, I don¡¯t get out much. I do know about the Demon Queen though, but not much about her. So, what¡¯s a Devil?¡±


    ¡°¡­ The strongest of the Demons. Effectively the Demon¡¯s god and the only being that can threaten the Goddess. They say that the Kobolds can bargain with her, and that wherever she shows up, Death always follows in her wake. Entire cities have been destroyed simply because she was mad.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then why doesn¡¯t your Goddess just kill her then? Is the Demon Queen stronger?¡±


    ¡°No! The Goddess is stronger! It¡¯s thanks to the Goddess that that Devil can¡¯t kill us all. She protects us all!¡± Andrew quickly pops up and shouts, pushing against the skeletal hands that are holding him down.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± It is the only response she gives him, though she does silently order her skeletons to shove him back into the floor as punishment for yelling, the grip on the back of his neck growing a little tighter as a sharp claw scratches at his throat. Andrew quickly gets the message and calms down.


    ¡°Is that everything about the Demons?¡± Bug asks Gerald.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry, but that is all I know¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ok. Thanks for sharing.¡± Bug thanks the bewildered human.


    Hmm, this doesn¡¯t really change my plans any. After I get out of here, I should make way for the lands of the Demon Queen. I doubt that I can live a very peaceful life here in the human lands, what with the Church. And regardless of my opinions on the Goddess, she probably is very powerful, and I don¡¯t want to risk making her an enemy. Looks like my idea to see if I can get the Demon Queen to take me in is looking even better. As long as I am treated well, I don¡¯t mind using my power for her and killing some humans or whatever¡­ Wonder if she pays well?


    Putting her thoughts aside for now, Bug returns her attention to the humans.


    ¡°Alright, next subject. You will teach me about the outside world and ¨C¡±


    Bug spends the next couple of hours asking and learning about anything that can come to mind. Fulfilling her curiosity about different subjects that she couldn¡¯t when she was trying to fit in with the Green Scarves. Eventually, night slowly arrives, and it comes closer to time for the Dungeon¡¯s restock to occur. The humans, not wanting to endure the Mana Wave and the sickness that would leave them ill afterwards, plead with Bug to allow them to return to the Safe Room for the night.


    Considering that that is where Bug will be able to finally take a bath, it doesn¡¯t take much for them to convince her.


    Though they offer to show her the way, Bug isn¡¯t dumb enough to let them just walk as they are. A long length of rope appears in her hands as she smiles, and after some work, the four humans are tied up and finally permitted to stand, the ends of their ropes being held like a leash by a team of skeletons as they lead the way towards the Safe Room.


    What is left of Blane¡¯s mutilated body disappears with just a touch from Bug¡¯s wing, the Mimic having long fallen asleep in her arms after eating its fill a while ago.


    Finally, Bug can get herself a bath! She can continue searching for her skeletons in the morning. It¡¯s not like they are going anywhere without her anyways.

 B2. Chapter 5.6- Friend or Food?

    ¡°So, you guys have a favorite food?¡± Bug randomly asks as she lazily lays on her belly, her legs lightly kicking in the air behind her as she holds a sleeping brick in two of her hands, close to her chest. The other two arms are propping up her head as she watches the bound humans walk in front of her.


    This isn¡¯t the first time she has asked them a question like this since they¡¯ve started walking, and each time, it ends up being an entirely innocuous question of very little importance. Especially when compared to her earlier questions.


    Gerald and the others have no idea what she is thinking, or what her objective is with all these questions, but not answering doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea.


    ¡°I like¡­ uh¡­ My ma always made a really good shepherd¡¯s pie.¡± Gerald eventually decides to answer with. He had considered a couple of other answers, but¡­


    It¡¯s been a while since I last visited; I haven¡¯t seen them since that fight we had. I hope ma and pa are doing well¡­ I hope I¡¯ll get to eat ma¡¯s cooking again.


    Pulling on his wrists, he tested the bindings, but they are tight and sturdy, and the skeleton that is holding his leash has an iron grip on the rope.


    Fel and Andrew give their own answers in turn; pasta, and garlic fried mushrooms. Bug just nods and smiles as she gets her answers, her attention shifting to Laz last.


    The poor Hobbit is shuffling along like the dead, looking drained and close to passing out. His face coated in dried blood from his broken nose, and his broken arm is cradled to his chest, he slowly walks along with dull eyes that only look forward insomuch as he is looking where he is going, but not really seeing anything. Bug hadn¡¯t even bothered with tying his wrists together, instead just binding a rope tightly around his waist like a belt.


    It takes a bit, and Fel is just about to nudge him, thinking he didn¡¯t hear, but he does eventually respond.


    ¡°Cheeseburger¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, nicenicenice! Cheeseburger! I¡­ I have no idea what that is.¡±


    Fel quickly speaks up for Laz and explains what the food is, Bug seemingly all too eager to learn all about something as mundane and normal as regular city food. Seriously, how it is that someone can seemingly be so interested in learning about cheeseburgers of all things. The Mad Dogs are starting to think that Bug wasn¡¯t kidding when she said that she doesn¡¯t get out much¡­


    ¡°Cool, I¡¯ll have to try those in the future. So exciting! Cheeseburger¡­. Cheese~buuuurrrrrgerrr~ That¡¯s fun to say. I haven¡¯t had cheese yet, I wonder if I¡¯ll like it¡­ Anyways! My favorite food is cookies, I want to say, but I¡¯m not sure if those count as a ¡®food¡¯ really, but more as a snack, sweets? I think I just like sweets in general. I have these honey candies I made with my friend, but they aren¡¯t done hardening yet. I¡¯ll have to let them sit out and finish later¡­ Oh, favorite food¡­ Hmm, if I had to pick a favorite food food, then, I think it would currently be soup. I like how it makes me feel warm as I drink it, ya know?¡± Bug rambles on toward the bound human¡¯s backs.


    ¡°Ah, ahah, yes¡­ Soup is rather nice. Uh, especially on cold days! That¡¯s when it¡¯s best, right?¡± Gerald comment and then nods to the others.


    They all return affirmatives of their own on how great soup is, with Andrew saying. ¡°Especially on snowy days.¡±


    That gets a round of yes¡¯s out of everyone, except Laz who just slowly nods his head along with the conversation, looking more and more like a little zombie with every step he takes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen snow before, what is that like?¡± Asks an excited Bug, her shark tail wagging excitedly behind her as another new subject about the outside world strikes her interest.


    ¡°We can tell you all about it. All of us probably have plenty of stories to tell about winter¡­¡± Gerald says as he keeps his attention on poor Laz, who is looking worse by the moment. ¡°But, could I make a request?¡±


    Bug¡¯s excitement seems to deflate a little bit, shrugs and responds, ¡°Sure, make all the requests you¡¯d like. But I can¡¯t promise that I will fulfill any of them.¡±


    Gerald will take what he can get.


    ¡°We will keep answering all your questions and telling you whatever you want, but please, let us tend to our friend. Laz isn¡¯t looking so good.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, no.¡± Bug answers simply after thinking for a second.


    ¡°Please! If we don¡¯t do-¡±


    Bug, feeling lazy and not wanting to use her arms which are occupied with her lounging or petting a stuffed and bulging brick, instead uses a hand on one of her wings to signal the human to be silent. Tilting her head to the side and looking off into the distance, she sighs.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to be mean or cruel here. I would actually be very happy if we could get along, you know? But I can¡¯t trust you. It¡¯s as simple as that. Right now, all I want is for you to guide me to the Safe Room. But I¡¯m not going to take any chances of you all somehow escaping right now. You want your friend taken care of? How about this. If you get me to the Safe Room, I will heal him. Is that an acceptable deal?¡±


    They stop walking, the skeletons all stopping a step later as the humans look back at the lounging Bug, her emerald eyes watching them curiously in turn like she is trying to read their minds or something.


    ¡°Can you actually heal him?¡± Gerald eventually asks, looking nervous.


    ¡°I promise that I can.¡± Bug lazily answers with a wave of her wing¡¯s hand, like it¡¯s an inconsequential thing. Which admittedly, for her, it is.


    But the humans are more skeptical. After all, healers are a rare thing for commoners like them, so Bug being able to heal others is a big surprise. Especially, when considering that everything they know about her so far suggests that her magic is all about, well¡­ Death. After all, even if they know very little about magic, a mage¡¯s Field never lies. And Bug¡¯s Field carried the promise of an icy cold end and the sickly-sweet taste of poison.


    They have to hold their tongues from asking her again, their indecision causing them to flounder. But what Bug says next has them all quickly make up their minds.


    ¡°Regardless, you don¡¯t have much of a choice in the matter anyways. You can either get me there, or I can start killing you one by one. After all, I only need one of you alive to guide me. Now, stop lollygagging and hurry it up. The sooner we get there, the sooner I¡¯ll heal your friend.¡±


    How she can switch from being sweet and happy to suddenly cold and dangerous is jarring, and the Mad Dog¡¯s nerves quickly heighten as a cold sweat runs down their back.


    Swallowing nervously, Gerald speaks for the group.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be much further now. We¡¯ll arrive at the Safe Room shortly¡­ ten, maybe fifteen minutes¡­¡±


    Bug just looks up and to the corner as if she is checking something only she can see.


    ¡°Good, that should get us there before the restock happens. Cutting it close though, I would recommend hurrying unless you want to get hit by the mana wave."


    Pushed forward by that warning and the possibility of Laz getting healed, they quicken their pace. The rest of the walk is an awkward and tense one, Bug having finally stopped asking questions so they can focus on getting there, but once the Safe Room comes into sight, they can¡¯t help but to let out a sigh of relief, the tension already starting to slowly drain from their bodies as they walk in. Turning to watch Bug and her minions enter, the humans have to hold down some surprise, and plenty of disappointment, at the fact that she and her minions actually can enter the Safe Room.


    After all, it¡¯s supposed to be a safe place for humans to rest that monsters can¡¯t enter. Unless of course that is just a lie designed to make people drop their guard¡­ But the Dungeons would never do that, right?


    ¡°Ah, finally!¡± Bug cheers as her boney mount carries her into the large room after a very long day.


    Much like every other Safe Room, this one is the same in that the center of the room is dominated by a large, forever burning hearth that keeps the place nice and toasty warm. Off to the side, built into the wall, is a big fountain that flows with sparkling clear fresh water, spilling out from the mouth of a stone lion head. In the back of the room is the raised steps of stone floor that make for seats and allow those in the back of the room a clear view of everything going on up front.


    Bug only has eyes for that beautiful fountain right now, her every desire screaming at her to just strip off all her clothes and cannon ball into it at top speed. Her skin, scales, fur, hair, her EVERYTHING is just feeling disgusting right now! The desire to bathe in that crystal clear water and scrub herself down with so much soap and to work these damn tangles out of her hair, as the dirt and all sorts of nastiness falls off her body and she is finally left squeaky clean. Bug has never wanted for anything more in her life than she wants this, right now!


    But unfortunately, she currently has company to entertain, and she has no intention of entertaining them with a private show. No matter how desperate she is to finally be clean.


    No, she has to finish up with them first, and she still has some questions that need to be answered.


    Ripping her longful gaze away from the fountain, Bug turns her attention back to her prisoners.


    ¡°Alright, I still have some questions for you, and then after-¡±


    ¡°Please, what about Laz!?¡± Fel quickly interrupts, her face going pale as she realizes that was probably a bad idea.


    Thankfully, Bug doesn¡¯t do anything for being interrupted and just shifts her attention to the wounded Hobbit with apparent disinterest. Almost like she had forgotten all about him.


    ¡°Oh, right. Gotta keep my promise. Give me a sec¡­¡±


    Not wanting to let the humans see that she is injured, and quite frankly feeling too lazy to get up from her seat of blankets on her mount¡¯s back, Bug directs her insectile horror to approach Laz. Reaching over with her wing, the long limb having more than twice the reach of her arms, she lays it on the little man¡¯s shoulder.


    Bug doesn¡¯t bother with saying the words out loud, casting Become Weapon and Respiratory Mutation both. With Laz not being a mage, and not even much of a fighter for that matter, his body can¡¯t resist her magic¡¯s invasion of his flesh and bones for even a second, her spells taking hold nearly instantly. The things she could do to him right now¡­


    But thankfully, while she may be evil, Bug isn¡¯t a monster. She promised to heal him, and that is all she will do.


    With a snap, his arm moves unnaturally back into pristine condition, the bones in his forearm mending as if time is running in reverse. Similarly, his broken nose straightens right up, leaving nothing but the bruise around the rest of his face and a mess of dried blood.


    With a startled cry, he recoils as a burst of pain hits him, but that quickly passes, leaving just a startled, but healed, Hobbit looking down at himself.


    The humans are similarly looking on in surprise, their expectations being blown out of the water after what they just witnessed. Similarly, their threat assessment of Bug has just skyrocketed in their heads. After all, if she can heal Laz¡¯s injuries this fast, then just how hard would it be to kill her? As far as they know, and are concerned, Bug is someone that they can¡¯t beat. As simple as that. But there is something important that they are realizing. She kept her promise. Even though she certainly didn''t need to, she kept it.


    It also takes them a moment to remember their current situation. They are prisoners. Their lives hanging by the whims of this mysterious person, who it should already be noted, had ¡®accidentally¡¯ killed one of them already. If they hadn¡¯t run away and just stopped like she told them earlier, would Blane still be alive right now?


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    They get pulled out of their thoughts as Bug clears her throat.


    ¡°Ahem, well. Your friend is healed now, just as promised. Now, I have some final questions for you all.¡±


    They give her their full attention, with Laz being the last as he is still mentally recovering from everything that has happened. No one dares to ask what might happen after Bug runs out of questions, and they dread to learn the answer, though they do have hope.


    ¡°Alright, first is you, Fel. That Skill you used against me, Ricochet Shot. How did you do that, and no lies.¡±


    Fel couldn¡¯t lie right now even if she wanted to. She has no desire to find out what happens to liars around Bug, or if this demonic girl has some power to detect them. She tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry, but I don¡¯t know! I¡¯ve never been able to pull it off until now. It always failed when I tried practicing it. That was the first time it ever actually worked. I swear!¡±


    Bug watches her eyes, but determines that she isn¡¯t lying.


    But how could she use a Skill without the System? Unless that is something that can be done without it? How the heck would you make arrows acts like that without some kind of magic to guide them? And she¡¯s no mage, so¡­


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t know how to do it, then why did you try? Why were you practicing it? Where did you learn about it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Do you know about how powerful warriors and fighters can do things that seem to defy reality? Like a swordsman cutting three times despite swinging once. Or, a rogue being able to jump twice, despite having no ground beneath their feet. Stuff like that?¡± Fel asks as she is starting to blush a little, looking embarrassed.


    Bug thinks for a bit. She wants to answer with a no, but that wouldn''t be entirely true, wouldn''t it?


    ¡°I heard a story about a swordsman that could cut through Stone Golems with his sword. Is it like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Just like that. Humans doing supernatural things despite not being mages. Through nothing but the power of their own body!¡± Fel says excitedly before switching back to looking a little embarrassed.


    ¡°Ok, what about it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I heard a story about an archer that could do that¡­ that could bounce arrows off of walls and have them all find their target without fail. She was famous¡­ a hero¡­ And I, well, I wanted to be like her¡­¡± Fel stammers out as her face grows redder with her blush. She then grows excited. ¡°I never thought I would actually be able to pull it off, but then I did! I don¡¯t know how, but it just finally¡­ clicked! Like my body just knew how to move to make it work! And it did! I did it!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, yes, you did. Good job.¡± Bug congratulates her with a flat face and a slow clap.


    Fel remembers where she is and the fact that she injured Bug with that move¡­ She probably shouldn¡¯t be getting too excited about that right now, right in front of her¡­


    Fel deflates a bit.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you were always shooting arrows at brick walls¡­¡± Andrew says as he gives his girlfriend a side-eyed look.


    Fel goes back to looking embarrassed. Almost enough so as to be able to forget her current situation.


    ¡°Hmm, so even without the S%$#3&, humans can use Skills¡­ Is it just a matter of practice, or do they have to have a certain level of strength or power, potential? Maybe if they''re special in some way? Hmmm¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ Anyways, thank you, Fel. This has been a learning experience for me. I now know to be even more careful around humans in the future.¡±


    Bug¡¯s thanks are genuine, and it takes Fel by surprise, the girl blinking before all she can say is, ¡°Thank you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Moving on, my next question is about the Dungeon. What is the Boss on the twentieth floor and how do people typically defeat it?¡±


    Gerald answers this question.


    ¡°We¡¯ve never been that far, but we have learned about it, should we ever decide to go that far. The Boss isn¡¯t a typical fight, like in other Dungeons. In this one, it is a race.¡±


    ¡°A race?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you have to ride a raft to the end of a tunnel and the further you get, the more difficult it becomes. Enemies will attack from all sides and at the end, I heard that a giant alligator or something will try and eat your raft if you are too slow. We don¡¯t have the specifics though, because that information would have cost us much more. Figured we would buy the rest if we ever decided to try and go that far¡­¡±


    Gerald leaves the rest unsaid. Now that their team has lost a member, it will be a while before they ever even consider trying. And, that¡¯s only if they manage to survive this encounter.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Ok, thanks for the info. So, it¡¯s not something I can just brute force my way through then. I¡¯ll have to think about a strategy for this one. Need to practice with the rafts more too¡­ Hope I don¡¯t get flushed again¡­¡± Bug says with a face like she just ate a bug.


    Bug goes silent as she thinks for a while. Outside, the Dungeon shakes as the restock begins, a moment later a wave a mana so thick it can be seen is crashing through the halls and leaving the brick walls and floor glowing as the energy is absorbed like water into thirsty sand. Bug doesn¡¯t even blink at all the noise going on outside. Eventually, it passes, and the Dungeon becomes safe to enter again. For as much as a monster filled hole in the ground can be considered safe, that is.


    The humans don¡¯t dare to interrupt her while she is thinking and just silently stand at attention while they wait for her next question. After a bit, they notice Bug looking over her shoulder with longing at the fountain.


    ¡°Ok, last thing then.¡± Bug says as her skeletons walk up behind them. With a snap of her fingers which has the humans flinching, Laz especially, the skeletons cut the ropes binding them with a single swipe of their claws.


    Surprised at being released from their bonds, they look up at Bug as they rub at their wrists.


    ¡°You have two choices, you can leave¡­ or¡­ you can hang out with me and head deeper into the Dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Gerald has to ask after a long moment of stunned silence.


    Bug just looks away like she is nervous or embarrassed, maybe some mix of both. Is she hopeful?


    ¡°I mean¡­ we know so much about each other now¡­ It could be fun¡­¡±


    ¡°We refuse. If you are letting us leave, then we going. Now.¡±


    The others agree with him, not even willing to entertain the idea of hanging out with their friend¡¯s killer any longer than they have to. Bug deflates a bit and looks sad, but doesn¡¯t stop the humans from stepping away from her and her minions, carefully approaching the exit as if they expect Bug to stop them at any moment. Laz is holding his arm, scared that it might get broken again.


    Tiptoeing their way towards the door, Gerald looks towards the two skeletons that are holding their gear and bags. Two weeks¡¯ worth of loot, what¡¯s left of their rations, and of course, their weapons.


    Swallowing nervously, Gerald wets his lips and asks the question.


    ¡°Can we¡­ please, have our stuff back?¡±


    That was a mistake.


    Bug looks up, her sad eyes moving from the humans, to their stuff, and then back to them again.


    ¡°You¡­ want your stuff back?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes. Yes, please.¡±


    Bug thinks for a moment, her eyes going back to their stuff¡­


    ¡°No. If you want your stuff, you have to stay. But if you''re leaving, it will be without all of your possessions. Choose.¡± She says with finality as her eyes return to them, having lost their sadness and becoming serious, a hint of greed playing behind those green irises as an evil little smile starts to slowly grow on her face.


    They all become worried. There is no way that they have any intention of staying, not when as far as they know, Bug might snap and murder them all at any moment. Does she seriously think that they are going to risk their lives for their stuff?


    A quick glance towards each other is all they need to communicate their collective decision.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t staying with you. We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Bug just sits back on her mount and smiles even more, her entire demeanor shifting.


    ¡°Fine, you can leave. But all of your stuff stays with me.¡±


    ¡°Ok, come on guys, let¡¯s get out of here before she changes her mind.¡± Gerald says to his party as they all turn to leave.


    ¡°Nuhuhuh~ Not yet~¡± They hear Bug tease behind them as they grind to a halt.


    They turn and find Bug looking down at them with an evil glint in her eyes, lording over them all despite the fact that she is still shorter than all of them, save Laz, even while sitting on her mount.


    ¡°I said, all of your stuff.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Andrew nervously asks as Fel and Laz reflexively move to cover their pockets.


    ¡°You heard me, all of your stuff. You want to leave me? Fine. Go right on ahead. But you will leave with nothing.¡±


    Reaching out into open air, Bug pulls an empty bag out of nothing and hands it off to a little skeleton that comes running out of the group of much bigger skeletons, the bottom of the old backpack flopping to the floor and kicking up some dust as the little skeleton opens it. They all take an involuntary step back as the little skeleton, probably from a Gremlin or a Goblin, walks up to them and holds open the bag. They all look like they are worried that it might try and bite them or something, the other skeletons in the room all taking a step to match them as they retreat, sending a clear message of what will happen if they run.


    ¡°Your stuff, everything, put it in the bag.¡± She declares as the smile drops off her face and she becomes serious.


    Should they run? They already saw how that worked out last time. No, if they want to live, then they have to do as she says¡­


    ¡°Or, you could always stay¡­ Who knows, maybe we could become friends some day? In the future we could all look back on this moment and laugh, no? Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ We¡¯re not staying with you. We need to leave. Please, just let-¡±


    ¡°Then put all your stuff in the bag, and then you can leave. It¡¯s your choice.¡±


    Gerald swallows his words, knowing full well that he can¡¯t convince her. Hell, if she wanted to, she could just kill them or have her minions mug them and take everything by force. They don¡¯t have a choice¡­


    Slowly, starting with Gerald, they all start removing items from their pockets and belts and putting them in the bag. Little pocketknives, canteens of water, small rations of food, a pouch of delicate lock picking tools, bags of coins and all sorts of other things on their persons.


    As they are working, Bug watches them and notices a hint of silver on Fel¡¯s wrist, peeking ever-so-slightly out from beneath her sleeve.


    ¡°What is that, on your wrist, a bracelet?¡±


    Fel freezes up, halting a motion to cover her wrist with her hand, before slowly nodding and pulling back her sleeve to reveal the shiny piece of jewelry.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice bracelet you got there. That silver?¡±


    ¡°Please, no, i-it was my grandmother''s¡­¡±


    ¡°You wanna try me? I¡¯ll turn you into a skeleton so fast, you won¡¯t even know you were dead yet, punk! Now put it in the bag!¡±


    Fel cries as she takes the bracelet off and drops it in the open bag, the silver links clicking as they land inside.


    With all their stuff taken and Andrew consoling his crying girlfriend, Gerald speaks again.


    ¡°There, that¡¯s everything! We¡¯re leaving now. At least we still have our dignity¡­¡±


    Bug just scoffs and smiles, her sharp teeth showing from behind cruel lips.


    ¡°Haha, no, I¡¯ll be taking that too. When I said ¡®Everything,¡¯ I meant, everything. Your clothes, take them off and put them in the bag.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°I said, your clothes. Put ¡®em in the baaaaaaaaaaag~¡±


    They don¡¯t even have the words necessary to process their shock, just staring at Bug in despair. When they take too long to start undressing, the skeletons start to slowly stomp forward, pressing them to hurry.


    Moving as quick as they can, belts are undone, and pants are dropped. Leather armor and chainmail and shirts are quickly pulled over heads and shoulders, everything getting dumped in the bag as the little skeleton holds it open for them.


    Reduced to their underwear and boots, Bug just shakes her head no as she looks at them, the word, everything, hanging unsaid in the air between them.


    With tears in their eyes and much shame, the rest comes off and is placed in the bag, the little skeleton seeming to struggle to hold it all up. With a silent order, the little guy closes the bag and runs back to Bug¡¯s side as she looks the naked humans over.


    Hiding themselves with their hands and giving her wilting glares full of unspoken death wishes, Bug observes them, her eyes going over their naked bodies with open curiosity.


    Huh, so that¡¯s what they look like without their clothes on¡­ I guess they look alright? Still don¡¯t see what the appeal is yet though. I guess Fel looks nice? Is that the sort of thing Hannah is into? Can¡¯t say I¡¯m particularly interested in those things between the guys'' legs though, they look weird and hairy. I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not important right now anyways¡­ That''s for future me to figure out when I actually have the time to take interest in stuff like this...


    Putting aside her thoughts on their bodies, Bug scoffs at her angry and embarrassed audience, the humans looking like they are two steps away from tossing everything aside to try and murder her.


    ¡°Well, looks like that is everything. It was your choice; you are free to go. Safe travels, and I hope you make it back to the teleporter safely.¡± She says with a wave of her hand like she is saying goodbye to a departing friend going on a trip.


    Gerald, hiding his nuts with his hands, has to hold back his curses. Eventually, a thought hits him, and he speaks.


    ¡°I thought you said that you wouldn¡¯t kill us? You made a promise!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Bug hums back with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Yes, I promised not to kill you. And I have fulfilled that promise to the letter.¡±


    ¡°But you have killed us. If we go out there, like this. No armor, no weapons, no food or water. We are dead before we reach the teleporter! You¡¯ve killed us. You¡¯ve broken your promise!¡±


    ¡°The agreement was that I wouldn¡¯t kill you. That has nothing to do with me after you leave my side. And let me remind you that I gave you a choice. Stay with me and keep your stuff, or leave and lose your stuff. You chose. After this, anything that happens to you, is on you. Not me. You can still change your minds, you know¡­¡± Bug offers with a tilt of her head and a gesture of her hands towards the bags full of all their stuff.


    Standing there, naked as the day they were born, they look towards those bags and seriously weigh their options, sharing looks with each other as they cover themselves.


    ¡°Can I at least have my underwear back?¡± Tries Fel, desperately covering herself with her arms. She¡¯s not doing a very good job at it though, and Bug can clearly see a nipple slipping over her arm. She quickly tries to hide it when she notices what Bug is looking at.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m keeping them. I could use some spares...¡±


    Stewing in embarrassment and despair, they all look toward each other and try to decide what to do. It takes a while, but they eventually come to a decision. One that they will probably regret.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t going to stay with you. We can¡¯t trust you. Plus... we just don''t like you...¡± Gerald says for the group.


    ¡°So, you would rather try your luck, naked in the Dungeon, than stay with me?¡± Bug asks one last time, for final clarification. And the humans can tell that this is her closing the deal. Even if they were to change their decision later, she won''t change her mind. They will be on their own.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Haaaaaaaah¡­ Ok.¡± Bug sighs as she deflates.


    With a gesture toward her skeletons that has the humans tensing, she silently gives them an order. Watching, they see the skeletons take out four daggers, canteens, and a few bags of food from their stolen goods.


    With one of the skeletons depositing the items in Andrew''s arms, Bug gives another sigh and speaks her final and last words to the Mad Dogs.


    ¡°I will be keeping everything else, but you are right. If I release you into the Dungeon with absolutely nothing, then I might as well have killed you myself. A dagger for each of you, for protection, and enough food and water to reach the next Safe Room. Now, if you die, it will not be because I left you with nothing, but because you failed. Now leave, and don¡¯t come back.¡±


    They obviously don¡¯t thank her. Without a word, they take this chance to run away and leave the Safe Room, their pale naked butts being the last thing Bug ever sees of them.


    Feeling an odd mix of emotions at them leaving, Bug turns away from the entrance and carefully dismounts the insect, her battered and bruised body protesting every little movement, though she doesn¡¯t feel the pain, thankfully.


    With a wave of her hand, and a sleeping Mimmie held tight to her chest, Bug issues her order.


    ¡°Guard the door, kill anything and anyone that tries to enter. I¡¯m going to take a bath¡­¡±

 B2. Chapter 6.1- Dungeon Living

    ¡°Haaaaaaa, finally~¡±


    Lifting a leg out of the water and crossing it over the other, her toes wiggling in the air, crystal clear water and soap suds run down the length of her leg, running over lightly glowing scales before finally returning to the fountain. Emerging from the water and splashing back in, a shark tail happily moves about, leaving small waves of soapy water and bubbles rippling over the water¡¯s surface.


    Blessedly clean, finally clean, Bug lounges in comfort as she runs her hands slowly over her body and checks that every scale is free of grit and sand and anything else. That the fur on her arms is clear of debris and dried blood. That her hair is tangle free and smelling of fruity shampoo.


    Bug is clean, and she is in bliss.


    Even her sore muscles are slowly unwinding and relaxing as she soaks up to her chin in the fountain, her head resting again a towel in place of a pillow on the rim of the fountain.


    Switching legs and letting one dip back into the water as the other emerges, Bug can¡¯t help but to smile as she sees her shiny scales glistening it the light of the hearth¡¯s fire. The bottom tip of her shark tail¡¯s fin parting the water beyond her legs as she happily wags it back and forth.


    An interesting feeling that. Being able to wag her tail.


    Being so busy, Bug hadn¡¯t really any time to familiarize herself with the recently changed limb. Plus, her old rat tail never really did much, not that she ever really noticed. Honestly, most of the time she would sort of forget that it was even there.


    It¡¯s nice like this. Pretty big though, but it looks cool. I think I will leave it like this for now, especially if I have to do anymore swimming in this layer.


    ¡°Mmmmmm~~~¡±


    Giving a big stretch, Bug sinks lower into the water until she is almost completely submerged, with only her eyes above the water. She stays like that for a long while, not worrying about breathing as her gills are taking care of everything. Just enjoying being clean and submerged in water and letting all the stress of a long day slowly leave her body like so much filth to be flushed down the drain.


    And it has been a long day. In fact, it almost feels like this one day has taken weeks, if not months, to finish. And it is finally done and over with. Bug has her regrets about how some of today¡¯s events concluded, but in the end, it is finished, and she is finally enjoying a nice bath.


    Looking over to her side, Bug finds Mimmie where she left the little Mimic sitting on the side of the fountain. Spit open at the top, Mimmie is peeking out its eyestalk and watching Bug with a pair of sleepy eyes, slowly blinky as it looks like it is moments away from falling back asleep again.


    ¡°Hey, Mimmie~ How you doing?¡± Bug asks the sleepy brick.


    The only response she gets is a slow, drowsy, blink. The sort you would see from a relative that ate too much during the holiday and is about to pass out on your couch.


    With a smile, Bug reaches her arms out of the water and sits up, the water in the fountain splashing and flowing off her body as she moves and sending ripples in every direction. Picking up Mimmie, Bug places the little Mimic on her chest and gives it some pets, her smile only growing bigger as Mimmie actually allows her to pet the grey skin of one of its eyestalks with her finger. She makes sure to keep her finger away from the actual eye of course, not wanting to hurt it, but she is actually getting to petting it!


    It feels just like skin. It¡¯s so smooth; I thought it would be more leathery. It¡¯s nice.


    ¡°Hehehee, Mimmie letting me pet~ Such a good, Mimmie. Is it because you love me now? Or is because you just ate too much to care about anything right now?¡±


    Picking it up again, Bug lifts it up and down, Mimmie¡¯s eyestalks lazily wagging with the motions.


    ¡°Definitely feel heavier.¡±


    Peeking into the opening of Mimmie¡¯s brick, where the red rock transitions into a grey mouth full of sharp pointy teeth, the insides definitely looks like it is bulging a bit, whatever it is that Mimmie has for a stomach in there is most certainly full to bursting. Which shouldn¡¯t be surprising after seeing how much it had eaten. Where it put all that food, Bug doesn¡¯t have a clue, because Mimmie definitely ate more than a brick¡¯s worth of meat.


    ¡°Mimmie is such a little glutton~ Dirty too. Hold still, I¡¯ll give you a wash¡­¡±


    Returning the fat brick to rest on her breasts, Bug takes palmfuls of water and washes Mimmie¡¯s brick of any dried blood and other dirtiness. Using her claws, she gets in the little spaces and scrapes out anything that isn¡¯t washed away, just happily working away at cleaning her cute little pet as she hums a happy tune.


    Mimmie, for its part, just watches her with sleepy eyes as it is cleaned and loved on, Bug cooing over it like it is a little puppy or something.


    Mimmie has no idea what to think about this weird Gremlin. Honestly, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that it is so full that it couldn¡¯t possibly eat another bite, it would be trying to eat her fingers right now. Less so because it doesn¡¯t want to be touched by her, and more so because her fingers are just so gosh darn delicious.


    But that¡¯s the thing. Mimmie is full. Mimmie, for the first time in its life, is not hungry¡­


    It has never experienced this before. It doesn¡¯t know what to think about this. The feeling of having its stomach filled to the point of being painful is just such a new sensation for it. But it¡¯s a good pain. Compared to the pain of an empty stomach, the pain of one that feels like it about to tear open from the inside from being too full is¡­ nice.


    For the first time in its life, Mimmie doesn¡¯t have to fear starving to death. It¡­ It doesn¡¯t have to fear anything. Not with this strong Gremlin here and these bone creatures that obey her. Mimmie is, as far as it knows, safe¡­


    It doesn¡¯t know why, and being just a dumb baby, it legitimately lacks the intelligence necessary to comprehend. But for some strange reason, this bigger creature with really tasty fingers is protecting it¡­ Feeding it even!


    Mimmie has safety.


    Mimmie has food.


    And it is all because of this strange creature that is currently grooming it¡­


    Mimmie doesn¡¯t know what to think about this. Again, it is too dumb to even be able to do so. But¡­ What if it were to stay with the tasty fingered creature? Mimmie would be kept safe, right? Mimmie would be fed, right? Mimmie could eat those fingers again, right? Most certainly!


    Maybe, just maybe, Mimmie should try and get this creature to want to continue these actions? But how would it go about doing that?


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Watching with sleepy eyes as Bug continue to wash its outer shell; Mimmie does the only thing that its simple mind can think to do. It gives the back of her hand a lick. In other words, it attempts to wash Bug in return. To return her grooming, with grooming.


    ¡°Haaaaaaaaah! Mimmie gave me a kiss! Awh, such a good Mimmie~ I love you toooo, yes I dooo~ Who¡¯s a good little brick? You are!¡±


    Mimmie let¡¯s Bug pet it to her heart¡¯s content, its sleepy eyes growing heavier as her scratches actually start to feel honestly pretty good, getting it at a spot at the base of its eyestalks that it normal struggles to reach with its teeth and tongue. Just a bit to the left and¡­ ah, that¡¯s the spot.


    Narrowing its eyes and feeling good, Mimmie relaxes even more and returns the occasional ¡®kiss¡¯ to Bug¡¯s hand as she loves on it.


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s right. I don¡¯t need those mean old humans to be my friends. What was I thinking, trying to get them to stay? I don¡¯t need them anyways, I have Mimmie. Although, I am still looking forward to seeing Hannah again¡­ Oh! I wonder if she would like to meet you? I think you would like her, she¡¯s nice, you two would probably get along great! Just no trying to eat her, ok? She can¡¯t grow back her body parts like I can, plus, she feels pain. I¡¯ll be very mad if you hurt her, understand?¡±


    Mimmie just blinks, not understanding a single word she just said.


    ¡°Good. Haaaah, I can¡¯t wait to get out of here¡­ No more caves, and moss, and all this Dungeon bullshit. Just me and you and Hannah, going on a journey and hanging out. Doing stuff and eating all sorts of different food¡­ Get to see the sun and the mountains and the ocean¡­¡±


    Bug lays back further, submerging her mouth and blowing bubbles as she thinks about all the things she wants to do on the surface.


    Mimmie, held safely above the water on a pair of soft islands, just watches this weird creature blowing bubble curiously. Is she drowning herself? Oh, no, wait. It came out of the water again.


    Bug gives Mimmie a big smile.


    ¡°Mhm, I decided. You¡¯re sticking with me after all. At least I have you to come with me to the bottom of the Dungeon, right? And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to feed you plenty of food. And best of all, you can even level up! Isn¡¯t that great? I wonder what will happen when you reach level ten¡­¡±


    Bug give¡¯s Mimmie another look with Identify, reconfirming her discovery.


    ¡®Lvl6 Baby Mimic (Brick Form). Baby Mimics will often disguise themselves as bricks, boards of wood, or small rocks, and hide in the walls, the floor, the ceiling, or as part of the stairs. Lacking the lethality of their adult counterparts, baby Mimics will instead try to cause accidents by being in the worst places possible. If you ever tripped while going down the stairs, there is a very real possibility of it being a baby Mimic that was the cause.¡¯


    Hmm, let me think¡­ At Level 17, that human was worth eighty-five Exp. At Level 5, the requirement was for me¡­ forty? I think so, and then to get to Level 7 from Level 6 was sixty Exp if I¡¯m not mistaken¡­ I have no idea how much Mimmie had before killing that guy, but even if it was zero, Mimmie should already be close to getting another Level, assuming that Exp requirements are the same per level between us. So, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to get the next one. I already confirmed that the kill counts even if I weaken them first. I just have to catch a monster, beat it half to death, and then let Mimmie finish it off. Sucks that I don¡¯t get any credit for the kill though. The System didn¡¯t even mention anything when he died. Regardless, this can be a little side project. Let¡¯s level up Mimmie and see what happens.


    ¡°I¡¯m a make you big and strong, yes I am~ Big strong, Mimmie~¡±


    Speaking of levels.


    //Congratulations! You have reached lvl 29! ¨C Your stats have been increased!


    //You have earned 4 Free Stat points!


    //You have earned 2 Skill point


    ¡­


    Bug looks over at her notifications, the text scrolling by as more kills start to pour in one after the other. Her Cleaner and spider boss zombies are finally starting to bring in the kills upstairs. Bug can only imagine how far the mushrooms have already spread in the second layer by now, but for the next couple of days, she can expect a nice income of passive Experience Points to be rolling in. After the fungus is no longer considered hers, she will only be getting it from whatever her Undead up there manage to kill, but they should still be useful after that for slowing down any bounty hunters that might have manage to get that far. After all, if they are capable of getting through the mushrooms, then the only other obstacle would be the Undead.


    If anything, they should serve as an early warning system. If I manage to get any human kills over the next couple of days, it could mean that I have pursuers. I should keep an eye on my notifications, just in case.


    Shifting her position in the bathtub (Fountain) and gently petting Mimmie, Bug goes ahead and spends her Stat Points so the adjustment can hurry up and finish.


    <hr>


    Stats


    Name ¨C Bug


    Age ¨C 0


    Race ¨C Half-Undead Gremlin


    Class ¨C Little Bodily Horror


    Level ¨C 29


    EXP ¨C 13/9000


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Heath ¨C 278/330 [Health loss from internal damage greatly reduced by 70%]


    Stamina ¨C 108/108 [Stamina consumption reduced by 50%] [Stamina drain: Sunlight]


    Mana ¨C 261/265 [Total = 550] [-285 From Control Upkeep]


    Vitality ¨C 55 [+1 From Equipment]


    Endurance ¨C 36


    Strength - 35


    Dexterity - 51


    Magic - 55


    Intelligence - 51


    *Luck ¨C N/A


    *Note: Luck is a work in progress stat. Points cannot be put into this stat at this time.


    <hr>


    She had considered spending them on strength, her weakest stat, but in the end, Bug went ahead and spent them all on Magic, bringing the stat up to tie with Vitality as her highest at fifty-five. With the Undead Cleaner singlehandedly eating up so much of her total mana on maintaining her control over it, the extra mana is certainly needed. Luckily though, with Bug getting a little stronger, the cost for maintaining the Cleaner actual ended up going down a little. A nice little bonus.


    With a big stretch and a tired yawn, Bug stands up and climbs out of the fountain after her stat adjustment finishes and her body cools down. Dripping with water and Mimmie half asleep and buried in her chest, Bug walks over to the fire to grab a dry towel and dry off. Setting Mimmie close to the hearth so it can warm up, she gets to drying herself off by the fire, the heat from the fire warming her half-dead body pleasantly.


    Once she is dry, Bug takes some time to brush her hair out and then sets to work on getting some laundry done. Not bothering with getting dressed, as all the clothes are dirty, and just working with nothing but her towel draped over her shoulders. Dumping all her clothes in the still soapy fountain, plus all the new clothes she just got, she gets to work on scrubbing.


    Shirts, shorts, pants, underwear, even the new leather armor she just stole. All of it gets a good scrubbing until the smell of dirt, blood, and sweat is faded enough to be made wearable again. A lot of it is torn or worn in places, but it is all still usable, and while her recently acquired outfits aren¡¯t exactly in her size, that can easily be fixed later with the System¡¯s assistance. Just need to gather some more points first. She is sort of broke after buying that potion¡­


    Each piece that gets washed is then set aside by the fire to dry. With the laundry taken care of for now, Bug sits down next to Mimmie and digs out some food to eat, just happily munching away at some trail mix.


    ¡°Oh, can¡¯t forget¡­¡±


    Rubbing her hands together to get rid of some crumbs and salt, Bug quickly digs into her Inventory, stopping for a quick moment to gaze lovingly at her treasure hoard, and then takes out her unfinished jars of candies.


    Carefully, like the jars are full of delicate gems, Bug sets them out in the room on an outcropping along the wall. Admiring their golden splendor, she can¡¯t help but to lick her lips in anticipation of finally getting to try one. Maybe tomorrow.


    Lastly, as she is stifling a yawn, Bug digs out her blankets and the good bed roll, meticulously working on setting up a perfect place to sleep for the night.


    About ready to crawl into bed, Bug gets an idea.


    I wonder if Mimmie would like to sleep in bed with me?


    Picking up the brick that had fallen asleep while she was working, it wakes up again and looks around with drowsy eyes, curious about why it is being disturbed.


    Giving its eyestalk a pet, Bug asks, ¡°Mimmie, wanna sleep together? There is plenty of room~ Come on, let¡¯s go to~¡±


    Mimmie has no idea what she is saying, but that finger is awfully close¡­ Sure, Mimmie is stuffed to bursting, but¡­ Just one, tasty, finger wouldn¡¯t hurt, right?


    *SNAP*


    ¡°~bed. OH, YOU LITTLE FUCKER!!!¡±


    Bug has to stop herself from throwing Mimmie across the room. Her hand bleeding all over a corner of her sheets from where her finger used to be.


    ¡°Haaaaaaaah¡­¡±


    With a long sigh and a quick cast of magic, she regrows her finger, again¡­ and then carefully sets Mimmie on the floor. The little bastard, having stolen a midnight snack, has already sealed back up again and fallen asleep like nothing at all just happened.


    ¡°Ok, guess I still have some work to do¡­ Apparently, I need to find a way to keep this little fu-mrm~ A way to keep Mimmie from eating me in my sleep¡­

 B2. Chapter 6.2- Dungeon Living

    Morning arrives to find Bug tucked into her bed and looking warm and snug as a, well, a bug in a rug. She is comfy. She is warm. She is safe. And besides having a few tasks to focus on today, she doesn¡¯t exactly have much to worry about.


    Sure, her three most favorite skeletons are still missing and need to be retrieved. But it¡¯s not like they are going anywhere¡­ They can wait five more minuets¡­ Or a couple more hours¡­


    They¡¯re skeletons anyways! It¡¯s not like they care.


    ¡°Mmmmmmmm~¡±


    Rolling over so she can sleep on her belly, Bug hugs her pillow like it is the love of her life and falls back asleep without a single care in the world. Besides, she is healing right now. Her poor bruised body needs, no, deserves the rest.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    *Grind* * Grind * * Grind *


    ¡­


    ¡­


    *Grind* * Grind * * Grind *


    ¡­


    ¡°MMmm, be quiet¡­¡±


    ¡­


    *Grind* * Grind * * Grind *


    ¡°Ah, shoosh¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    *Grind* * Grind * * Grind *


    ¡°Just five more minutes¡­¡±


    *Grind* * Grind * * Grind *


    *Grind* * Grind * * Grind *


    ¡°MMMMMMMmmmmmm! I¡¯m trying to sleep¡­¡±


    *Grind* * Grind * * Grind *


    *Grind* * Grind * * Grind *


    ¡°AH! Stop it with all the noise!¡±


    Getting up with a yell, her blankets falling away from her naked body, Bug chucks her pillow at the one responsible for disturbing her blissful slumber. She was dreaming about flying over a field of flowers, damn it! It was fun!


    I mean, sure, the flowers did turn into monsters and start trying to eat me if I got too close to the ground at the end there, but¡­


    Sending an angry glare at the one responsible, she finds Mimmie gnawing on the bars of its cage. The naughty little brick had woken up at some point to find itself not free, and now it apparently wants out.


    Rubbing at her eyes, Bug waves her hand to beckon something over to her.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    The sound of bones clicking on stone sound in the room as the thing approaches her bedside, Bug sleepily half-sitting-half-lying there with one arm propping herself up.


    What arrives before her is a walking, four-legged, cage of bones. The desecrated remains of poor Blane¡­


    Having taken the arms and all of the collar bone, Bug turned them into a makeshift pair of front legs. With the rib cage set spine down and resting on the pelvis and collar bone, the head turned into a front facing ornament, his body has become like some twisted, vaguely, dog-shaped creation. With the legs placed in reverse, facing opposite the hands, this mobile cage walks like a person crab walking, its gait awkward and constantly shifting side to side with every step.


    Bars are still holding up well, thankfully. Should be good enough to keep Mimmie from eating me in my sleep¡­


    The bars of the cage are made from the ribs of the, well, rib cage. Worrying that they might not be able to hold up well against Mimmie¡¯s powerful bites, Bug had gone ahead and dipped into her bone reserves to thicken them up and make them much harder to break.


    Now, Mimmie, who is a naughty little finger eating brat, is in brick prison.


    Gnawing on the bars and trying to get out, it has left plenty of teeth marks all over the bones, but thankfully, it doesn¡¯t seem to be strong enough to get out on its own.


    ¡°Open.¡±


    With a single word, the mobile cage cracks open, the rib cage splitting down the middle where the sternum used to be, the bars of the cage being like so many curved spikes as they move apart and open up.


    ¡°Mimmie, stop trying to eat your cage. You hungry? Gotta poop? Do Mimics poop? I don¡¯t see a hole¡­¡±


    Scooping Mimmie out of the cage, basically having to pull it off of one of the bars, Bug picks it up and give it some tired scritches, her sleeping mind still slowly working on fully waking up. Unsurprisingly, Mimmie tries to eat her finger the second it gets the chance, but Bug just pulls her hand away in a split second and nods her head knowingly.


    ¡°Mhm, definitely hungry¡­ One second, Mimmie. Let me get you your brea- *Yawwwwwwwwwn~* breakfast¡­¡±


    Setting Mimmie down on the floor to do as it pleases for a bit. Bug climbs the rest of the way out of bed and lazily stretches. Her poor, stiff, muscles protest at the movement, but she forces them to work as she gets her blood pumping.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Another tired yawn and she is moving over to the hearth, her bare feet slapping on the cold bricks until she gets closer, and everything becomes much warmer by the fire. A quick check shows that her clothes are dry, so she tries to get dressed.


    Eh, screw this. Too much effort¡­


    Apparently, putting on clothes the old-fashioned way is difficult, or even outright impossible, when you have an assortment of extra limbs to factor into the process. The wings make it hard enough, but the new shark tail is just too thick. And now that Bug is examining her shorts, she finds that the old tail-hole is now torn due to the rapid increase in girth.


    These are going to need fixed¡­ I don¡¯t know how to do that¡­


    Thankfully, it isn¡¯t so bad as to be to the point of showing off her panties, but with how damaged it is, if it gets any worse, that fate shouldn¡¯t be too far off in the future.


    And that brings up the panties situation. It was fine when she just had a rat tail, the underwear just going up to the base of her tail and fitting just fine. But now, due to how thick the base of her tail is now, she can¡¯t bring them all the way up anymore¡­


    Should I just change my tail back to how it was? I sort of like it like this though, and not to mention, I¡¯m probably going to have to do more swimming down here whether I like it or not¡­ Hah, fine, how much to adjust them?


    Thankfully, it only ends up costing a single Store Point to have the System change her panties to accommodate her new body shape. With a semicircle taken out of the back of them, they are finally able to be pulled all the way up, a string being used to tie a knot atop her tail to help hold everything up.


    With that taken care of, Bug uses her Inventory to get the rest of her clothes put back onto her body and then stores everything else away. She can get their sizes adjusted later after she earns up some more points.


    Off to the side, Mimmie is just watching her curiously, occasionally throwing looks towards its cage. It probably doesn¡¯t like the cage.


    ¡°Go wait over there.¡± Bug says as she waves away the twisted, mobile desecration of human bone, not needing it right now.


    ¡°Here you go, Mimmie, breakfast time~ Come eat.¡±


    A small pile of bloody meat and skin plops on the floor by Bug¡¯s feet. Mimmie, witnessing this, goes wide eyed with excitement and quickly moves as fast as it can to get to the food. Which, as mentioned previously, is not very fast at all.


    Smiling as she watches her pet brick sprint at a slug¡¯s pace, Bug leaves it to its meal once it finally reaches the pile. After all, she doesn¡¯t feel like watching it eat human meat.


    Even if she herself isn¡¯t a human, the idea of eating them still makes her feel sick, as if considering cannibalism. Oh well, more for Mimmie.


    With Mimmie enjoying a hearty breakfast, Bug moves her stiff body over to the other side of the room to check on her candies. Picking up one of the jars, she shakes it a bit and enjoys the sound of the little golden balls clinking against each other.


    ¡°Are they finished? Let¡¯s try one~¡­ MmmmmmHHhhh! So sweet! I love this!¡±


    Her mouth full of sweetness and the taste of honey, Bug enjoys sucking on her hard candy as she works on replacing the cloth covering on the jars with actual lids. Gotta keep them nice and fresh.


    ¡°There we go¡­¡± Bug says as she looks around the room, soon finding a pile of bags in the corner. ¡°Now for the loot.¡±


    Storing away the candy jars safely in her Inventory, Bug heads back over to her bed and carefully sits down. With a wave of her hand, Bug orders her skeletons to bring her the bags and dump them out on the floor. With a loud clatter, a mess is quickly made before her as items and pouches of things spill everywhere.


    Reaching for the nearest of the pouch, she unties it and fishes out some of its contents.


    ¡°Claws? Is this from those Lizard Men they were fighting? Hmm, I wonder why they collected these?¡±


    Not having much interest in claws, Bug returns it to the pack and sets it aside. Reaching for another one, she finds teeth. Again, not very interesting, but they must have had some reason to collect them.


    Taking note of the bundled-up rolls of leathers, Bug figures that a lot of her pilfered loot is probably just going to be monster parts. As she continues to investigate, anything like that just gets placed off the side.


    Can sell it all for points at least. So, not useless¡­ OH, finally some treasure!


    With much excitement, Bug finally finds a pouch full of what she was searching for this whole time.


    ¡°Mana shards! Ah, so pretty~ And they had so many, too. Into the treasure hoard you go, my pretties~¡±


    After that is digging out the coin purses. More copper and silver coins, all of which Bug happily stores away after dividing them into their respective piles. Apparently, these humans had been carrying a good amount of money on them. Do they not have somewhere safe on the surface where they could keep their money? Oh well, more for Bug.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­ More monster parts, boring. A dagger? Looks fancy, very wavy~wavy blade. Is this one better than mine though? Some potions? No¡­ low quality antidotes. Useless, next. Why does this glove only have three fingers? An archery glove, it¡¯s used for¡­ oh, ok. Don¡¯t need that. Next¡­¡±


    Sorting through the pile and scanning it all with Identify, Bug works her way through everything, item by item. If it is something she can use or is worth keeping, it goes in the keep pile. Otherwise, it goes in the sell pile. Treasure on the other hand¡­


    ¡°Oh, a ring! Yes! Enchanted? No¡­ but still pretty though. You¡¯ll go on this finger~¡±


    If she can wear it, it gets put on. If she can¡¯t, it immediately gets stored away safely into the treasure hoard. And these adventurers had found a good bit of treasure apparently. Rings, necklaces, bangles. All made in copper, brass, iron, and occasionally in silver. Bug even manages to fish out the silver bracelet that she stole from Fel. But with her four arms all hanging with shiny stuff already, she decides to take the pretty bracelet, made from little chain links, and dress one of her horns with it.


    Now with it hanging in the corner of her vision, Bug just has to shake her head a bit and she can see it jingle.


    ¡°Pretty, thank you, Fel. I keep this as a reminder to not underestimate humans again.¡±


    Once she has finished fishing out all the shiny things from the loot, Bug goes on the search for food and other supplies. Things like cooking pots and utensils, bowls and silverware made from wood and iron, storage containers and more jars, some full, most empty. A lot of what is left of their food that Bug didn¡¯t return to them is just rations like granola bars and hard bread that is so hard it might as well be Mimmie¡¯s brick.


    It all gets stored away and sorted.


    Finaly, there is just some miscellaneous stuff that Bug doesn¡¯t particularly care about. Little keepsakes and such that probably had some value to their original owner, but are useless to her. Unfolding a piece of paper, Bug finds a sketch of naked lady with a kiss mark on the corner made from red lipstick. Written on it is, ¡°Come again, cutie <3¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s this? Meh, sell.¡±


    It gets dropped in the sell pile and Bug moves on.


    ¡°Ooh, more blankets! Yes, always need more of those! Pillows, keep!¡±


    By the end of it, everything is sorted and then stored away in her Inventory, Bug happy at having her stock grow. Everything else is sold off and disappears to wherever the heck it is that the System takes sold items.


    ¡°I finally have some points again. Finally, I¡¯m not broke anymore! Maybe I¡¯ll actually be able to get that bed I want some day¡­¡±


    Looking towards the door, Bug knows exactly where she can go to get more points. And plus, she still needs to go save her skeletons.


    ¡°Mimmie, you done eating? Yeah? That¡¯s a good, Mimmie. Alright, time for us to go for a walk, come on, in the cage you g-¡±


    ¡°Hissss!¡±


    ¡°No, bad Mimmie! It¡¯s time to go in the cage. Be a good Mimmie, please. Just get in the-¡±


    *Snap!*


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to bite my fingers off! Just be a good Mimmie. Come on, you have to get used to riding in the cage. I can¡¯t always be carrying you!"


    *Snap!* *Snap!* *Snap!*


    ¡°AAHHH! You little brat!¡±


    Bug ended up carrying Mimmie in the end. Cage training will just have to happen some other time¡­

 B2. Chapter 6.3- Dungeon Living

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, I think I left them somewhere around this area, right? I should have collected them yesterday¡­¡±


    Riding on her insectile bone mount through the Dungeon¡¯s halls and past waterways flowing with brackish water, Bug keeps an eye on her mini map as she retraces her steps from yesterday. Up in the corner of her mini map is a handy little marker that she placed so she can easily find her way back to the Safe Room, and by extension, the stairs to the next floor. Though, Bug has no intention of traveling deeper into the Dungeon until she gets her lost minions back.


    With her other skeletons sprinting behind her, Bug leads her forces in a charge through the Dungeon. Without the constraints of stamina to hold them back, the skeletons can run almost endlessly if Bug so desires, her mount carrying her forward so fast that her hair is billowing behind her and that she has to keep her wings tucked in, lest she end up catching too much air and getting lifted off.


    Mimmie is just enjoying the ride, held in Bug¡¯s lap, eyestalks pressed forward and squinting against the current as its long grey tongue flaps in the air like a dog going for a ride. For a creature that is used to living at a snail¡¯s pace, going fast like this is a novel and fun experience. If only Mimmie could move this fast on its own, then it could catch its own food!


    Rounding a corner at speeds, the Undead boar boss leading the charge, Bug spots a band of Lizard Men milling about. They don¡¯t stop and Bug simply points forward, issuing a silent order.


    Tusks lowered, claws extended, weapons raised, Bug¡¯s small war band of the Undead quickly barrels down on the bipedal lizards like a cavalry charge out of nowhere. By the time the Lizard Men notice them coming and try to bring their makeshift weapons to bear, the boar is already making contact and goring the first lizard.


    With a loud crash and a guttural scream like a crocodile attempting to roar, the Lizard Man is ran through the gut and lifted off its feet, a trail of blood flying in the air as it is carried forward and the boar smack aside a second with its bloodied tusk, sending the poor Lizard Man smashing into a wall with enough force to break bones, before continuing to charge through the group unhindered like it just burst through a brick wall and found the wall to be wanting.


    Their formation already broken, they can¡¯t even fight back as Bug¡¯s mount jumps forward and nails the next one with three spear-like legs, bringing it down to the floor and tearing into it with claws and teeth and mandibles, ripping into its large muscular throat and making a mess on the floor.


    Behind her, the rest of skeletons arrive and quickly overwhelm the remaining Lizard Men with claw and weapon both. Sheer numbers and Undead aggression being far too much for the last couple of them to endure for more than a scant few seconds.


    Up ahead, the boar comes to grinding halt, the Lizard Man impaled on its tusk gasping and wheezing as it claws at it in desperation, trying to free itself. But it quickly grows weaker and weaker as more of its life bleeds out into a trailing puddle on the floor, eventually going limp as it slumps over and lays across the boar''s bony face like some gruesome trophy.


    ¡°Raise Undead. You two, help getting him unstuck from that tusk.¡±


    Raising the freshly killed monsters, Bug ignores them for a second as she continues to check her map.


    ¡°It should be around here, I think? Maybe it was this hallway there, after that intersection¡­ Should be close. Let¡¯s keep moving, the rest of you, fall in line and keep up!¡±


    They keep moving from there, the new zombies following from behind in the back with heavy footsteps as they move their big reptilian bodies faster than they ever could in life. Bug could have had them run in front, but she doesn¡¯t want to smell their dead bodies. They have a tendency to release their bowels after death after all¡­


    ¡°Getting closer, I can feel them. Turn left.¡±


    Following the feeling of her mana connecting her to her minions, Bug continues to follow it in the general direction until the feeling grows stronger and clearer, until she knows exactly where she is going.


    One more turn and she finds them.


    She finds the zombie Lizard Men that she turned yesterday. The very same ones that she had used to try and pincer the humans she was playing with chasing after¡­


    They had been left behind and promptly forgotten about until earlier, left to just stand around like a bunch of idiots with no orders to act on. When Bug had left the Safe Room and tried to lock onto the direction of lost minions - Her favorite ones, not these zombies ¨C she had run into an issue due to the extra signals she was getting out here. With zombies in the way, she couldn¡¯t pinpoint where her lost minions are.


    ¡°Good, now I can focus on finding the others. Get moving, we aren¡¯t stopping until we find Bob and the others! Forward!¡±


    I could have just cut off my control of these zombies, but then I would have wild Undead wandering around and killing everything on this floor. I don¡¯t need them stealing my kills. I¡¯ll ruin this floor when I am good and ready to do so, but not before.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The zombies of yesterday, still with their half-skinned meat suits flapping in the wind, join the others at the back of Bug¡¯s Undead proception, her little army growing yet again as she pushes them forward into the Dungeon¡¯s wet depths.


    Running past veritable rivers where fish swim and Kappa hide away at the sight of them. Past waterfalls that fall into lower areas or even just into bottomless pits full of darkness. Past rooms with monsters hanging out inside and presumably guarding a treasure, who shy away from fighting so many and wisely decide to stay in the room and let her pass. Past side passages and locked doors, that would require one to solve a puzzle or find a missing key/lever to enter. Past labyrinths. Past spike traps and pit falls that only serve as mild inconveniences for the Undead. Past and over, and through quite frankly everything and anything that tries to get in her way.


    It takes hours. The Dungeon is massive after all, and even riding on an Undead, untiring, mount, it still takes some time to get where she is going. But eventually, she does get there. She arrives at where she feels her lost minions to be.


    Bob, Sam, Zax. All three of them, together and in one place. All three still in one piece and functional.


    Bug finds a wall¡­


    ¡°They should be here, how do I¡­ go around, quick.¡±


    Wall. More wall.


    Turn a corner and turn again.


    Wall.


    Turn, turn, down a hall, another turn. Quickly kill a handful of Spiked Frogs that blocked her way. Another turn! She is back in the same hallway!


    There is nothing but a wall in the way!


    ¡°How? How do I¡­ I¡­¡±


    She checks her map, but the image is clear as day. Hallways wrapping around a blank space in the map. No doors leading in, no room to fill this space. Nothing!


    I know they are in there. I can feel it. The direction changes as I go around them. They are in there, somewhere. Move around. Try to move towards me!


    Getting off her mount and walking over to the wall in a hurry, Bug presses herself against it and tries to listen through the bricks.


    ¡­


    Nothing. Even with her hearing that is so far superior to that of a human¡¯s, she can¡¯t even hear the slightest noise on the other side. Not even as her minions grow closer, and she can feel that they are just a scant few feet away from her.


    ¡°How could¡­ there has to be some way of getting out of there. There has to be. Uh¡­ Continue to move towards me, follow!¡±


    Bug moves along the wall, her minions on both sides of the wall following along as she carefully moves, keeping a close eye on her connection. At some points, they get stopped inside, Bug having to carefully command them to get them unstuck from whatever it is they ran into so they can continue following. Wherever it is that they are trapped in, it doesn¡¯t follow the same outline as the space in her map. And by the time she reaches the corner, she finds that her trapped minions must have hit a wall of their own as they are unable to follow any closer.


    Around she goes, carefully testing the walls as she moves to see if any secrets passages, or hidden doors can be found. If a loose brick and be pressed or pulled, but the walls all the way around prove to be quite sturdy and still. Not a single brick will shift, and no walls disappear as if they were just illusions. There is no way inside.


    Feeling desperate and not knowing what else to do, Bug goes around again, a second time. But this time, she pays closer attention to the positions of Bob and the others, painstakingly mapping out the shape of their prison inside of the walls.


    It is a perfect square of what Bug measures to be about fifteen or so meters wide on all sides. No exits, at least none that her skeletons can figure out how to open. And inside is the occasional obstacle along the walls, though they are simply able to walk around them.


    ¡°Where are they? How did they¡­ Oh¡­ OH! The pipes! They are still inside the pipes!¡±


    She remembers the water reservoir that she had been dumped into before getting promptly flushed. Right before getting knocked out and waking up to find Mimmie munching on her hand.


    The reservoirs. They have to be trapped inside of one! But how do I get them out? Why haven¡¯t they been flushed out yet? It¡¯s almost like¡­ It¡¯s almost like they are being held in there, on purpose.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    She punches the wall as hard as she can, bones in her fist cracking from the force of the blow. Mimmie hides its eyes quickly in fright as Bug continues to curse and hit the walls again and again.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Shit! Shit eating Dungeon!!! Give me my minions back!¡±


    One punch after another rains down on the wall, the bricks slowly being painted red with her own blood as skin and scales crack and bones break. But the bricks don¡¯t budge and inch. Not even a single grain is lost from them as they weather a storm of fists. The Dungeon¡¯s walls are nearly indestructible, and even if Bug were to break her body in trying, she can¡¯t get though. She just isn¡¯t strong enough.


    With her Field spreading with her anger, deathly-cold ice growing on every surface, and her breaths coming out as white vapor, Bug punches the wall once last time and them collapses forward, leaning against the wall on her knees as she keeps hitting it.


    ¡°Give them back! Give them back, they¡¯re mine! Give them back, you damn Dungeon!¡±


    But it doesn¡¯t. No unseen doors in the wall magically open. They don¡¯t just reappear before her. The Dungeon doesn¡¯t even respond to her calls, nor attempt to gloat at her. They just remain trapped and the Dungeon remains silent.


    She sits their for a long while, wracking her brain on how she could get them back. Mimmie, for its part, just silently remains where it and watches her, Bug having left it to sit on her mount while she walked.


    Eventually, not knowing what else to do, and feeling rightfully depressed, Bug starts to stand as she heals her hands, one still held against the wall to support her.


    ¡°I should get going¡­ I know where the stairs are. Sooner I reach the bottom, the sooner I can kill the Dungeon¡­ I don¡¯t want to, but I guess I¡¯ll sever my connection. I¡¯ll miss them, they were my favorites¡­¡±


    She turns to return to her mount, but stops as she feels a slight vibration coming from the wall. Almost imperceptible, but it is there.


    ¡°Hm?¡± She turns and looks, but can¡¯t see anything happening. But she can feel something happen through her connection to her minions. She looks down, and then¡­ left, very, very fast to the left. Gone and speeding away.


    ¡°A¡­ Wai-wait!!! Wait, wait, wait, wait, come back!!! Where are you taking them!? Ahhhh! Quickly, after them!¡±


    Bug runs back to her mount, scoops up Mimmie into her arms, and then they are off, moving as fast as a dozen boney legs can carry them.


    ¡°Give them back, they are mine!!!¡±

 B2. Chapter 6.4- Dungeon Living

    ¡°I better not get flushed again.¡± Bug says to herself as she glares over the side of her raft, watching the murky black waters and half expecting something to jump out and attack at any moment.


    Freaking Dungeon, kidnapping my minions. I¡¯m going to get them back! I can¡¯t believe it would do something this petty. So childish!


    Looking around her raft, Bug doublechecks that her team of Lizard Men zombies are still dutifully doing their jobs. This time, not a single one of her favorite skeletons are out of her Inventory. This time, if the Dungeon is going to cheat again, she will only have to risk losing some zombies she doesn¡¯t care about.


    With the zombies working the oars in perfect rhythm, the raft is practically cutting through the water at top speeds. A team of eight of them, working in tandem to row four oars. For even more speed, some more of them are in the water and pushing the raft forward as they swim with their powerful legs and tails.


    Good speed, it shouldn¡¯t be too much longer till we get to the other side of this lake. And this time, no taking naps. There are no zombie fish in the water either this time, so I don¡¯t need to worry about pissing off any secret bosses. Let¡¯s just get across and keep moving.


    Settling down in the middle of the raft, Bug gives Mimmie a hug and holds it tightly in her arms, because she is taking NO chances of dropping the fat little brick in the water. This little chitter, who has been noticeably putting on some weight and getting heavier would, well¡­ sink like a brick. Bug has no idea if Mimics can breathe underwater or not, and right now is most certainly not the time to try and find out.


    I should have tested during my bath. I will next time.


    Mimmie for its part is seemingly just enjoying the ride. Reaching its eyestalks up above her arms, the weird little extensions being able to stretch a surprising distance, it just happily looks around and takes in the sights as the raft speeds over the water. To keep it from trying to munch on her as mid-ride snack, Bug had made sure to fill it up with another small pile of bloody meat before setting off.


    Bug gives her pet some scratches and smiles as it seems to enjoy it.


    Much more docile on a full tummy.


    ¡°Good Mimmie, good.¡±


    Leaving Mimmie to enjoy the ride, one hand absentmindedly giving it some scritches, Bug checks over her map of this floor, which has been getting steadily filled out during this impromptu side quest. Going over the layout of the floor, she tries to get an idea for how large it is and how long it will take to catch up to her minions.


    It feels like I¡¯m getting closer again. Let¡¯s just hope I will actually be able to get them back¡­


    Closing the map, Bug digs into her Inventory and takes out a couple of the granola bars that she recently stole. Unwrapping them from their wrappers, she sells the paper and then enjoys her simple meal.


    Not the best thing I¡¯ve had, but not too bad. Still better than moss.


    Mimmie looks up at her when it notices her eating. Offering it a bite, Mimmie just looks at the offered food like it is trying to figure out what it is. Quickly losing interest and not even bothering to give it a try, Mimmie looks away and back towards watching the water speed by.


    ¡°Not interested, huh? Meat only then.¡± Bug says to herself as makes a mental note for future Mimic caretaking.


    ¡­


    Still speeding across the lake, the trip is a mostly an uneventful one until an encounter occurs to help break up the monotony. A trio of fish monsters with elongated fins like four legs jump out of the water to land on the raft.


    *HISS!*


    Mouths full of needle-like teeth and lumpy, ugly bodies like a bulldog, the things hiss and gurgle out their aggressions as they take the stage, clearly looking for a fight.


    Bug just looks at the three of them from where she is sitting and playing with Mimmie, not impressed in the slightest.


    The fish monsters, Garmolds, as Identify informs Bug. They look around a bit with their big bulbous eyes when they realize that no one is freaking out or getting ready to fight. Not what is supposed to happen¡­ Still hissing, they grow confused by the situation and actually start to take in their surroundings. Now that they aren¡¯t underwater, they can actually see what all is up here on the raft.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    They had landed in the middle of the raft, near the front, and are already surrounded on all sides by several zombie Lizard Men.


    The rowing stops, the boat slows, and the Undead carefully stow the oars away.


    *Hiss?*


    What follows is a brutal, one-sided fight where the Garmolds attempt to quickly flee back into the water, only to be stopped and torn apart by the relentless Undead. One almost makes it past their legs and to the water, but the quadruped fish, about half the size of a grow man, just gets grabbed by the tail and dragged forcefully back onto the raft before being brutally beaten half to death.


    Left as a bloody mess on the floor of the raft and desperately trying to crawl to the safety of the water, the poor fish doesn¡¯t even notice as Bug walks over to it, a brick held in hand.


    ¡°Mimmie, treat~¡±


    The Garmold looks up at the shadow covering its vision, fear filling its simple mind as it finds a smiling Gremlin and a salivating brick looking down at it in return.


    Sure, Mimmie had already eaten before getting on the raft. But Mimmie is a glutton. Mimmie always has room for dessert.


    ¡­


    The raft reaches land, and Bug departs, riding on her mount with a freshly leveled-up Mimmie resting on her lap, looking sleepy after overeating again and enjoying some nice scritches. This is the first time that Mimmie has gotten to enjoy tasting fish, so it got a bit too into it. While certainly delicious, Mimmie is currently of the opinion that human is tastier. Bug¡¯s fingers are naturally in the number one spot though. Those are definitely still Mimmies top favorite food.


    ¡°Forward, we are almost there! I can feel them; forward my minions!¡±


    And they ride! Or, at least Bug does. The rest of her Undead just sprint behind her as they move through the halls. Occasionally, a pipe might blow some steam at Bug or water will try to get her wet by dripping from the ceiling. All of it is just the Dungeon trying to get on her nerves, and she knows this. She doesn¡¯t let it bother her.


    After all, she is close to reaching them again. And just one more turn and she arrives at her destination.


    Another wall¡­


    But Bug doesn¡¯t let it get to her. After all, she was half expecting this to happen again. She honestly isn¡¯t surprised. Angry, most certainly, but not surprised.


    Still, she takes the time to carefully go around and check if there is any way of getting them out. Any hidden doors, any secret switches, any way of getting her skeletons to figure their own way out. Because the skeletons are more than capable of opening doors themselves with just some simple commands from Bug. So, if there is a way out in there, they might be able to open it.


    None of it works, and Bug just steps back to angrily glare at the wall. Mimmie has long fallen asleep by this point, just snoozing away on the insect¡¯s back. Pushing aside her anger for a bit and smiling at the cute little brick, Bug goes ahead and takes this chance to scoop it up and place Mimmie in its mobile bone cage.


    ¡°Little silly, ate so much that you can¡¯t even close up your shell anymore, haha. So cute~¡±


    Giving Mimmie one last pet, she closes the cage and then returns to angrily glaring at a wall. Eventually, she gives up.


    After all, what the heck is she going to do? She can¡¯t break the walls. And considering how things just went, chances are that the Dungeon is just going to do it again.


    I seriously doubt that it has any intentions of giving them back. If I let it, the Dungeon will probably just lead me on a wild goose chase or something¡­ Goose¡­ I¡¯ve never seen a goose before. Why would I want to chase a goose? Weird phrase¡­


    She shrugs, lets out a long sigh, and then looks up towards the ceiling. Bug doesn¡¯t know why, but whenever she wishes to address the Dungeon, looking up towards the ceiling always just feels like the right thing to do.


    ¡°You win! Fuck it, they¡¯re yours. As much as I hate to admit it, you win this round, keep them! I¡¯ll cut my connection to them and move on. I¡¯m heading to the next floor. And you better prepare yourself, because now, I have even more of a reason to want to kill you, Dungeon!¡±


    Almost predicably, seemingly as a response, Bug¡¯s minions get flushed from behind the walls again and get carried off into the distance.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to chase them. I know you are just messing with me. If you want me to go after them, I have to actually be able to get them ba-¡±


    She stops talking as she had been continuing to follow their movement through the Dungeon, tracking to see where they are being taken. They had just been split up¡­ Sent off in three separate directions¡­


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not going to¡­ If I¡¯m not actually able to get them back, then¡­¡±


    Why would it separate them? Surly it knows that I¡¯m serious. If it comes down to it, I will let them go. But then¡­


    She grits her teeth, looking back and forth between the different directions where she senses her minions to be now.


    ¡°Fuck! Alright, listen up Dungeon! This is the last time! I¡¯m going to go check, one more time. Only once! But if I can¡¯t get them back, that will be it. You hear me!? I better be able to get them back, or else I am heading straight for you! So, no funny business!!!¡±


    The Dungeon doesn¡¯t respond. Not that it can, since it was blocked from sending her messages by the Admin. That was its fault anyways. You shouldn¡¯t send messages telling people to kill themselves in chat. That goes against the TOS.


    Taking out a piece of honey candy to suck on, Bug tries to get her anger back under control by enjoying some sweetness. Playing with the hard candy on her tongue, she looks towards her three options and chooses to go left for now. The other two would have her heading back across the lake again, and she would rather do that later.


    Hopefully, this one will be Bob. I want to get him back the most¡­


    Directing Mimmie¡¯s cage to climb onto the back of the insect and grab on, basically turning it into a backseat baby carriage, Bug climbs on after she is sure it is secure and gets comfortable. An extra pillow gets added to her seat, propped up against Mimmie¡¯s cage so she has a backrest.


    Getting comfy, Bug gives the order, and her skeletons take off into yet another sprint through the Dungeon.


    Bug is probably going to be spending a bit of time on Floor 13¡­

 B2. Chapter 6.5- Dungeon Living

    ¡°The answer is simple. What is 14 x 3 ¨C 7? Ok¡­¡±


    Bug looks down at her fingers and starts counting.


    14, 28, 42, minus 7, so¡­


    ¡°Thirty-five?¡±


    *BIINNNNGGGGGG!*


    With a loud, negative buzzing sound that has Bug holding her ears, a red light flashes a bunch of times, clearly signally her answer as wrong.


    ¡°What!? But I, holy shit!¡±


    A hatch in the ceiling swings open and out pours a bunch of water. Acting quickly, Bug moves her wings up and spreads them wide, covering her whole body like a big umbrella. With a splash, the water hits her and continues to flow, cascading down to the floor for a long few seconds like she is standing under a waterfall.


    The trap door closes, and with water filling the floor as puddles and flowing into little drainage pipes at the base of the walls, Bug peeks out from behind her wings and curses.


    ¡°What the hell? I got that correct, didn¡¯t I!? Maybe it didn¡¯t hear me right?¡±


    Clearing her throat with a little cough, Bug repeats herself, speaking clearly and evenly.


    ¡°Thirty, Five.¡±


    *BIINNNNGGGGGG!*


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±


    Holding off another torrent of water splashing down on her, Bug screams. As soon as the water stops, she runs forward, splashing through a puddle, and give the stupid door in front of her an angry, wet kick, leaving a wet footprint on the metal door.


    ¡°I know that was right! I Have Mathematics level 1, damn it! So I know that it is multiplication first, then subtraction. Fourteen times three is forty-two. Forty-two minus seven is thirty-five! The answer is thirty-five!¡±


    *BIINNNNGGGGGG!*


    Another splash of water leaves Bug standing ankle deep in water, feeling rightfully pissed. After all, she got it right! Didn¡¯t she?


    Instead of immediately giving the same answer again, Bug just rereads the door¡¯s dumb riddle again.


    ¡°The answer is simple. What is 14 x 3 - 7? What if the Dungeon did the math wrong? Maybe it subtracted first¡­ But how would that work? Three minus seven, you would have to go lower than zero. Can you do that? Or maybe, it¡¯s seven minus three? So, four times fourteen then¡­ Fifty-Six?


    *BIINNNNGGGGGG!*


    ¡°¡­Ok, so it wasn¡¯t that. Let¡¯s try the seven minus three way. Can you go less than zero? I¡­ guess? So, four less than zero¡­ minus? Is the answer minus fifty-six?¡±


    *BIINNNNGGGGGG!*


    ¡°OH, fuck you, I¡¯m trying my best here! Ooh, I leveled up Mathematics, nice. Huh¡­ negative numbers. So, you can go less than zero, cool. Still, the correct answer should be thirty-six. Oh no, wait, I wasn¡¯t giving an answ-!¡±


    *BIINNNNGGGGGG!*


    ¡°Mother fucker! The answer is your mother!¡±


    *BIINNNNGGGGGG!*


    ¡°Hah, hah, hah¡­ Ahhhhhhhhhh!¡±


    Glaring at the door like it just personally insulted her, Bug reads it over again.


    ¡°The answer is simple. What do you mean!? I gave you the right answer and clearly it isn¡¯t simple! If the answer was so simple, I would have found it¡­ already¡­¡­. The answer is simple¡­ I swear, I am going to murder someone for this.¡±


    ¡°Haaah¡­ Is the answer, simple?¡±


    *Bing Bong!*


    With a happy sound effect like she just won a game, and a green light flashing, the large metal door opens up.


    Bug doesn¡¯t say anything, just standing there in a puddle as she tries not to curse. Taking out a piece of candy, she pops it in her mouth and then gets walking.


    ¡°Ok¡­ that was annoying, but I made it through. Now I just need to get the rest of the way and find my minion. Please be Bob, please be¡­ Oh, mother fu-mrmr~! Ahhh!¡±


    Turning a corner, she finds another door.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me. Alright, what¡¯s the riddle this time?¡±


    Walking up to the door, she gives it a read.


    ¡°If you have one of me, you will be fine. If you have two, you are in danger. Three, and you will die. What am I?¡±


    Bug takes a while to think over her answer, reading over the riddle a couple of times.


    What am I? Maybe it is like the last one, and I just have to ignore the rest of it?


    ¡°Door?¡±


    *BIINNNNGGGGGG!*


    The red light flashes and Bug quickly raises her wings, fully expecting to get splashed again. Instead, the corridor behind her slams shut as a large stone slab slides down from the ceiling, locking her in.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ ok. That¡¯s not good, is it¡­¡±


    One of me, you will be fine. Two, you are in danger. Three, you die¡­ What could it be? Not money, or treasures. You want lots of that. Food, no. Friends? Always want more. Minions? I want mine back. It has to be something bad, right? Three of something that could kill me¡­ Sickness, disease, injures¡­ oh, enemies! That could work, right? What else¡­ I guess I could just try that one.


    ¡°Enemies?¡±


    *BIINNNNGGGGGG!*


    Again, the red lights flash and this time, the walls to her left and right start to shift. With a loud shake and the sound of moving gears, the walls on either side of the hall start to move inward. With the hall growing narrower, Bug quickly looks around and tries to find anything she can do to stop it.


    But there is nothing she can do to stop the walls from moving. Even ordering all her Undead to push against the walls doesn¡¯t even slow them a bit.


    Starting to panic a little, Bug is about to blurt out her next answer to the door when the walls suddenly stop moving on their own. The hall is now half as wide as it used to be.


    ¡°Well, that was close¡­¡±


    She looks at the slab blocking her way out and then towards the walls. Each one having happened in response to getting an answer wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that one more mistake will get me killed then? I¡¯ll have to think extra carefully about my next¡­ wait¡­ Haaaaaaah, I hate riddles. The answer is mistakes.¡±


    *Bing Bong!*


    Green light flashes and the walls return to where they were, the slab sliding back up into the ceiling. With the door opening, Bug walks through, her Undead following through. Mimmie hadn¡¯t even stirred from its sleep despite all the noise, just snoozing away inside its cage with its long grey tongue lolling out the side of it mouth. The little critter isn¡¯t even bothering to close up its brick while it sleeps, just happily snoring like it is sawing logs.


    Or maybe it can¡¯t close up? Mimmie is looking a little chunky now. Am I overfeeding it, maybe? Hm, but it just looks so happy and content when it is full¡­ Still, maybe I should cut back a little on its feedings.


    Bug watches as Mimmie lets out a little burb and then licks one of its eyes in its sleep, drool slowly spilling down the side of its smiling mouth.


    Probably dreaming about eating¡­ Cute little glutton~


    Any thoughts of putting Mimmie on a diet falling away from her mind, Bug smiles and returns to the task at hand. Nothing quite like some cuteness to help get your mind off of almost being crushed.


    ¡°Alright, is there another stupid riddle? What¡¯s next?¡±


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    They proceed through the now open doorway, Bug climbing back onto her mount to save her bruised body from any more walking. Progressing down a long hallway and then a set of stairs, Bug finds yet another door at the end, with lit braziers standing at both sides.


    There is no riddle written on the metal door this time, and instead, there is just a wheel for unlocking it. Sending a skeleton forward to open the door, Bug is let into a large square room with four more blazing braziers, one set in each corner of the room.


    ¡°Ok, what am I supposed to do in here? I don¡¯t see anything¡­¡±


    There is no door on the opposite side of the room, so unless the walls are supposed to open in some way, this is clearly the end of this route. Looking around the room, Bug directs her minions to enter ahead of her, zombie Lizard Men out in front, and then directs her mount to carry her in as well.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing in here? What is the point of th-¡±


    *Slam!*


    Bug spins around, the door she just entered from having slammed shut and several metal bars sliding down in front of the door to further show that it will not be reopened.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Rushing back to the door, she looks it over, but it is obvious that she won¡¯t be able to open it. Behind her, the braziers¡¯ fire grows in intensity and more light fills the room, drawing Bug¡¯s attention back around again.


    Turning, she tries to find what is about to happen, but can¡¯t see anything. Nothing but her zombies milling about as they spread out through the room.


    *Drip*


    With Bug¡¯s acute hearing, she hears something drip from the center of the room. Looking up at the brick ceiling, she finds what seems like blue water seeping out from between the bricks, droplets falling with increasing frequency as more and more of the ceiling is becoming layered in the liquid.


    It continues to build and grow larger as if fed from some unseen source, somehow holding onto the ceiling like an extra-large and fat raindrop.


    Watching with amazement, Bug forgets to react as it finally grows large enough to where it can¡¯t hold onto the ceiling any longer. With an audible plop, it detaches and falls. Bug half-expects it pop and explode when it hits the floor. But the thing just lands and jiggles like a giant thing of gelatine.


    ¡°Oh, woops.¡±


    Trapped inside is three of her zombies, who had been in the center of the room. Being zombies, they obviously don¡¯t panic or anything, just awaiting further orders. And honestly, Bug doesn¡¯t care about her zombies all that much yet, so she just sits there and watches them with interest.


    It takes a moment, but slowly, the zombies start to dissolve and fall apart inside of the liquid, turning into skeletons over the course of a couple of minutes as Bug watches and the jiggly liquid happily eats.


    ¡°Identify¡­¡±


    ¡®Lvl20 Slime. The larger cousin of the humble Jelly, Slimes are omnivorous predators that will eat everything and anything in their path, save for inorganic materials. At larger sizes, Slimes become capable of devouring entire villages whole; literally eating all of the buildings and leaving almost nothing behind. It is recommended that these creatures be exterminated on sight, before they have a chance to grow and multiply.¡¯


    ¡°Huh¡­ It really does look like a bigger Jelly. I wonder if the skin is usable for candy making, like Jelly skin is? Can you guys move?¡±


    Inside of the Slime, the zombies-turned-skeletons try to move around and walk, but they are floating in the Sime¡¯s viscous fluids now and don¡¯t seem to be able to escape. The bones are holding up well enough to the digestion though, so they will probably survive for a while in there.


    Once all the meat has dissolved off of their bodies though, the Slime stops happily jiggling and then goes still. It stays like that for a few moments, little vibrations running through its body as it seems to be doing, something?


    Still, even faced with a nearly house sized Slime, Bug isn¡¯t particularly worried. After all, she kills Jellies all the time. She has a whole stack of their skins in her Inventory. The little buggers are so numerous on every floor of the Dungeon, that it just isn''t worth even mentioning every time that she kills one. Heck, often times, they get killed on accident just by her minions stepping on them while walking. Just how dangerous could a Slime be?


    Pulling a spear out of her Inventory, Bug tosses it over to another Lizard Man zombie.


    ¡°Here, go and pop it.¡±


    The zombie lets out a crocodilian''esc moan, and then walks over to the vibrating Slime. With a powerful stab, it pierces the side of the Slime with the spear¡­


    And nothing happens¡­


    ¡°Ah, so not as weak as a Jelly. But that¡¯s fine, I¡¯m sure that it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to kill.¡±


    The Slime stops vibrating, and in a sudden and lightning quick motion, two tentacles of slime extend out of its body and snatch the zombie, quickly pulling the Undead into its body before it can even so much as fight back.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡±


    Taking out a bunch of swords and daggers (All stolen) from her Inventory, Bug throws them on the ground and orders her minions to wield them.


    ¡°Kill that thing! Make it pop!¡±


    Lizard Men and skeletons run forward, their weapons held high as they charge in and slash at the Slime from all sides. But their weapons just harmlessly pass through the thing as it happily jiggles and eats the meal it caught. It doesn¡¯t take long until the Lizard Man inside of it is reduced to nothing but a clean skeleton, still stabbing away with the spear inside of it, even as the wood of the shaft is dissolved into nothing, leaving a floating spear head.


    Once that meal is finished, the Slime promptly snatches another two zombies, quickly pulling them into its body as they continue to swing their swords. None of it works.


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t good¡­¡± Bug says to herself as she watches her minions be turned into skeletons two at a time.


    Still, she isn¡¯t too worried, yet. After all, it¡¯s not like her minions are being destroyed. All the ones that got eaten are still functioning properly. All it is, is that they had all the flesh dissolved off their bodies¡­


    Bug looks down at herself.


    I have flesh¡­


    She looks around the room.


    No way out¡­


    She looks back to her dwindling supply of flesh covered zombies¡­


    Bug finally starts to panic.


    ¡°Quickly, get away from it! To the walls, hurry! Spread out, spread out!¡±


    They scatter, zombies running in every direction, and Bug¡¯s mount carrying her back to the door. Only the skeletons remain, still attacking the Slime. It completely ignores them, simply allowing them to continue attacking it jiggling liquid without a care.


    Once its latest meal is digested and reduced to bones, it starts to vibrate again. Just sitting there and vibrating for a while as Bug watches it with both curiosity and concern. Watching for the moment that it will do something, anything.


    And eventually, it does. It starts to move.


    Oscillating like a living puddle, the Slime slowly moves across the floor, heading towards the largest gathering of zombies.


    Bug starts to calm down a little. The big thing isn¡¯t all that fast. Still, there is only so much room in here, and the Slime is already taking up about an eighth of the room just by itself.


    ¡°Keep on the move, don¡¯t let it get too close. No groups larger than three. Skeletons, continue to attack it, let''s see if anything will work on it.¡±


    Observing the battle, if it can even be called that, Bug hears a loud, fear filled hiss sound out from behind her. Turning around, she finds Mimmie having woken up from its nap, looking frightened.


    The poor little thing is looking wide-eyed at the Slime and desperately trying to close up its shell. But it can¡¯t. No matter how much it strains itself, the fat little critter just can¡¯t seem to turn back into a proper brick anymore. The mouth part of its body is visibly bulging out from the safety of its brick, and even as its grey skin turns back into red rock, fighting like a fat man trying to put on some tight pants, the best that Mimmie can manage is to make itself look like a brick with a cracked open protrusion on one side, like someone added too much material when making this one.


    Bug, despite the situation, has to actually keep herself from laughing as she watches this.


    Ok, I have definitely overfed Mimmie. Poor little guy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mimmie. The Slime isn¡¯t going to get you. I¡¯ll kill it¡­ As soon as I figure out how¡­¡±


    Bug¡¯s reassurances don¡¯t help Mimmie very much, and it continue to try and hide, and fail. Bug isn¡¯t aware of this fact, but Slimes are a natural predator to Mimics. Being a creature that doesn¡¯t move around much, Mimics are largely defenseless against a hunting Slime. When a Slime finds a Mimic, it will completely cover them with its body so that there is no way out. And then, it waits. The Slime can effectively wait forever, but the Mimic cannot. Eventually, it will have to open its shell. And when it does, the Slime will flood in through even the tiniest crack to get at the Mimic¡¯s delicious, soft insides. And much like a tasty clam on the sea floor being preyed on by a starfish, it will be eaten and left as nothing but an empty shell, completely unable to fight back.


    For Mimmie, its every instinct is currently screaming that it is about to die. Poor Mimmie.


    Leaving Mimmie to have a panic attack behind her, Bug focuses on the Slime. The blades don¡¯t seem to be doing any damage at all. She¡¯s just thankful that the Slime doesn¡¯t seem all that interested in the skeletons. As long as they stay out of its way as it slowly chases after the zombies, it seems like they will be safe. And thankfully, the Undead have limitless stamina.


    Probably part of the design for this fight. You can outrun it easily, but there is nowhere to go in this room. For a human, eventually, they would tire out and it will catch them. That won¡¯t be a problem for me, luckily. Now, what else can I try. Poison?


    Taking a throwing knife out, Bug uses Create Deadly Poison and coats the entire blade in the green liquid. With a casual throw, the poison covered knife flies across the room and into the body of the Slime.


    She watches and waits¡­ Nothing. The poison just floats there in its body as a green cloud, the Slime seemingly not even noticing at all.


    ¡°Well, was worth a try. Next¡­¡±


    Bug looks around the room, leaving the Slime to its chase and Mimmie to its panic attack. It has apparently given up on bricking and is now chewing on the bars of its cage to try and escape. Does it think that it can outrun the Slime?


    "Hmm, ice? Looks like my hoarfrost skeletons are freezing it a little, but it isn''t doing much. Maybe if I use my ice aura at full power? But I don''t want to get too close in case it tries to grab me..."


    Eventually, Bug¡¯s eyes settle on the braziers in each corner of the room.


    They were by the entrance too¡­ Some kind of hint, maybe?


    Deciding to test it, Bug takes a lit torch out of her inventory and chucks it at the Slime.


    *Pop!*


    With a loud pop, a small part of the Slime explodes the second it comes into contact with the fire. It quickly heals right after though, the blown off section just refilling instantly.


    Looks like that made it a little smaller, I think? So, fire could work. The torch went out though, so it will need relit.


    ¡°Pick up that torch and light it in the fire over there¡± Bug orders the nearest skeleton.


    Holding the torch in the flames, it takes a bit to relight, but when it does, Bug has the skeleton run over and poke the Slime with the torch.


    *Pop!*


    Again, it explodes a bit and blue liquid goes flying. The torch goes out however, and Bug has to order the skeleton to run back and light it again.


    ¡°This is going to be a while¡­ Hey, the rest of you, lead it to the fire, see what happens!¡±


    While the skeleton is busy running back and forth, blowing up small chunks of the Slime, the zombies run and hide behind the braziers. The Slime follows, but stops a good distance away, clearly not liking the fire.


    ¡°Looks like fire is the trick, but this is going to take forever. At this rate, Mimmie is going to have a heart attack before this thing dies¡­¡±


    With the zombies safe and out of reach, the Slime eventually turns its attention to the only available source of meat that it can reach. It turns and starts heading towards Bug. But by this point, all her fear of the Slime has fallen away. She just orders her mount to carry her behind one of the braziers. With all the food having moved out of reach the Slime just sits there and vibrates as the skeletons continue to assault it and pop it with torches.


    Looking like it is thinking, it takes a long while for the brainless thing to decide what to do next. It chooses to attack everything around it. Maybe losing too much biomass has made it start to worry? Or maybe it finally figured out that the skeletons are actually enemies, and not just meatless piles of bones? Bug doesn¡¯t know, but the giant Slime has started to swing it slimy tendrils all over the place and is smacking skeletons aside left and right.


    Still, it doesn¡¯t seem to be doing much¡­


    Against a tasty human, these attacks would end with someone getting grabbed and eaten. But for Bug¡¯s big thick boney boys, the attacks are just throwing them around and maybe knocking off a head or two, which are just promptly picked back up and reattached like a dropped hat.


    This fight is just a bad match up honestly. It¡¯s just a matter of time until the Slime is dead.


    Still, Bug has places to be, and she wants her minions back. She doesn¡¯t have time to sit here and wait for this thing to die. With how slow this is going; it could take hours!


    And then, suddenly, inspiration hits!


    If the little fire from a torch isn¡¯t enough, then what if more fire?


    With a big smile, and feeling like an absolute genius, Bug issues her absolutely amazing order that is sure to end this and have no negative consequences whatsoever!


    ¡°You! Light yourself on fire and jump into the Slime!¡±


    The zombie that got singled out, without a single complaint, happily flops its reptilian body onto the brazier and lets the flames engulf its body. Once the zombie is properly on fire, it gets back up and sprints for the Slime. The big thing seems to recoil at the big fire charging towards it, but it is too slow to stop the suicide zombie from fulfilling its final task.


    It jumps, and Bug cheers.


    ¡°Yes, die you stupid Slime, die! Hahahahaha-¡±


    *POP!!!*


    Slime goes flying in every direction, Bug still mid laugh and pointing victoriously. With a splat, every surface in the room is promptly, and utterly, covered in blue, sticky, slimy juices. Including Bug¡­


    ¡°- Ahhhhhhh!!! It got in my mouth! Ughhh, my clothes, it¡¯s in my hair! Nonononono, wait, my clothes, my clothes are melting?! Why!? Ah, stop, no!¡±


    Little did Bug know, but Slime fluid, while largely harmless to a person outside of a Slime¡¯s body, having lost its ability to digest meat, it does have the strange, magical property of dissolving fabric for some strange, yet to be fully understood reason. Within moments, Bug was not only covered in slime, but was also naked, save for her leather chest guard and her jewelry.


    ¡°Why!?!?¡±

 B2. Chapter 6.6- Dungeon Living

    The door unlocks and open, the bars blocking it audibly sliding back into the walls. In the center of the room, a chest appears out of thin air, about a foot off the ground, and falls to the floor, landing in a pile of slime with a wet slap.


    Bug is just sitting there on the back of her Undead mount, dripping with slime, and looking like she is completely done with dealing with today. Wiping some slime off her face and shaking the blue stuff off her hands, she lets out a long, tired sigh.


    ¡°I hate this¡­¡±


    Looking down at herself, Bug is incredibly thankful that no one is here to see her like this, right now. Hannah would probably be enjoying it though¡­


    And I just cleaned my clothes too; and now they¡¯re gone... Ah, I need a bath again. Hell, I will even take dirty water right now if it means getting even just a little clean.


    Taking a canteen of water out of her Inventory, Bug dumps it on her head and tries to scrub the slime out of her hair, the stuff falling out as fat globs of blue that splat on the floor in big gloopy clumps.


    Behind her, Mimmie is still gnawing on its cage, but nowhere near as frantic as it was when it thought it was about to be eaten. Now it just wants out because it hates the cage. Turning around in her seat and cringing at how her blankets and pillows are all either half-digested or soaked in slime, Bug open up the bone cage and lifts the fat little Mimic out, pulling it close and giving it a hug.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mimmie, I killed it. I probably should have thought of a better way to do it, but¡­ yeah, it¡¯s dead now¡­ I guess you and I are taking another bath when we get back to the Safe Room.


    Mimmie got hit with its fair share of blue as well. But the dumb little brick doesn¡¯t seem bothered in the slightest by being dirty. It just blinks at Bug curiously and then licks some slime off the side of its brick with its long tongue. Apparently, it doesn¡¯t mind the bad taste.


    Looking at the chest in the center of the room, Bug tries to get excited again. Maybe she will get something nice.


    ¡°Bring me closer. Still, I had hoped that this route would have brought me to my lost minion. Knew I should have taken that lower path instead. But that bridge was just calling to me, right Mimmie? Especially with how it goes over that waterfall¡­ Open the chest and show me what¡¯s inside.¡±


    A skeleton trudges over through the piles of slime and grabs the chest for her. Opening up the lid, it reaches inside and hands over its contents.


    ¡°Mana shards, nice! What else, what¡¯s in this bag? Little glass balls? Let¡¯s see¡­ Spell orbs. Single use items containing a low-level spell. These are, smoke screen, huh? That could be useful, keep. What else, a red key¡­ Used to open a red lock. Ok, well, if I find a red lock, I guess I¡¯ll use this.¡±


    Bug stores everything away in her Inventory, and interesting thing happening when she deposits the key.


    //Key Ring slot added to Inventory. You can find all your keys located here. To use your keys, hold your hand over the corresponding lock and say, ¡°Open.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that will be handy. But I wish I could have gotten back one of my minions instead of a dumb key¡­ Oh well, I should get going. It¡¯s already too late to get back to the Safe Room, so I¡¯ll have to find somewhere to camp for the night. I¡¯ll jump in a waterway or the lake first¡­¡±


    Bug turns her mount to leave the room, but Mimmie starts to freak out in her hands and draws her attention.


    ¡°Mimmie, what¡¯s up with you? Calm down.¡±


    But the little Mimic refuses to relax, its eyestalks fully extended and peering past Bug back towards the chest as the insect continues to carry them away.


    ¡°What is it? Are you hungry again? Mimmie, I don¡¯t need you getting any fatter; you already can¡¯t even close your brick. Mimmie!¡±


    Mimmie is positively freaking out now, gnashing its teeth, and trying its hardest to jump out of Bug¡¯s grip. And the entire time, it absolutely refuses to take its eyes off the chest.


    Bug makes her mount stop and looks back at it too.


    ¡°What, is there something you want with that chest? Ok, ok! Hold on, chill! I¡¯ll let you see it, relax. Here, you happy?¡±


    Bug brings Mimmie back over and hold it out closer to the chest. By this point, Mimmie is stretching its entire grey body to the point where its mouth is extending out of its brick, it tongue is fully stretched out even further and clearly attempting to grab the chest.


    Curious, Bug goes ahead and leans forward, finally allowing Mimmie to touch the chest.


    The tongue makes contact and sticks fast. With surprising force, Mimmie rips itself out of Bug''s grip, brick flying through the air like a rubber band let loose and smacking against the side of the chest. Like a slug, Mimmie moves dawn the lid and towards the rim, happily chittering as it gets closer and closer. When it does, it wiggles open the lid, nothing more than a crack, and then Bug hears a sucking noise as the brick, sitting flush against the side of the chest, shakes like something is happening inside.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    A second later, with Bug not being able to see what just happened, Mimmie¡¯s brick falls to the floor and the lid of the chest slams shut.


    Reaching out with her wing, Bug picks up the brick off the slime covered floor and looks it over.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ empty? Mimmie?¡±


    The brick is nothing but an empty shell of red rock, the surface of where Mimmie¡¯s mouth used to be and the entirety of the brick''s contents, now simply missing. The brick almost looks like someone had used a spoon to scoop it all out like an empty tub of ice cream.


    Looking up from the empty brick, she watches the chest. It is shaking a bit, and after a moment the lid starts to creek. Grey flesh begins to seep out from the rim, flowing over and covering the iron hinges, hasps, corner reinforcements, and even the decorative bands and straps, and handles. Grey even seeps out from between the wood to seal all the gaps and cover even the small decorative elements like studs and the heads of nails. With the grey shifting into a silver/metallic sheen, a final part grows out from the front, forming into a sturdy latch and lock.


    The shaking stops, and the chest, which looks like an absolutely normal and completely inconspicuous, although certainly nice and fancy looking, chest, goes still.


    ¡°Mimmie?¡±


    Two slits on the lid, which would have been impossible to notice previously, open and blink a couple of times in response to hearing its name. With much surprise, Bug finds herself staring into Mimmie¡¯s eyes as it stares back into hers. And then it smiles. The chest¡¯s lid impossibly opens at the corners as wood and metal turns to grey flesh, and Bug gets to see a big smile full of sharp and crooked teeth, a big grey tongue quickly darting out to lick the lid and one of its eyes.


    ¡°Mimmie, you got bigger! So exciting! Identify, let¡¯s see here¡­¡±


    ¡®Lvl8 Adolescent Mimic (Treasure Chest). Not many Baby Mimics manage to reach adolescents. As the requirement for doing so isn¡¯t a matter of age, but of success as a hunter and of being able to find a new, adequate shell to house their growing body. Most simply starve to death before reaching this point, their corpses forever remaining as whatever they had disguised themselves as, with no one being the wiser. It is believed that at least one in every hundred homes has at least one dead Mimic built into its construction. As adolescents, the Mimic¡¯s available options for prey have increased, but so to have the chances for failure and of being discovered. If your cat or dog ever suddenly goes missing in your attic or basement, it might have been eaten by a Mimic disguised as some old furniture. It is recommended that any found adolescent Mimics be killed on sight, before they manage to reach adulthood and become a true threat.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, so exciting! And here I thought that this was going to just be a bad day. Look at you; in such a pretty new shell~ Your metal fittings look so shiny and freshly polished, yes they do~ Who¡¯s a good Mimmie? Are you a good Mimmie?¡±


    Bug reaches out to pick up Mimmie, who is giving her a big toothy smile with its tongue hanging out the side of its mouth.


    *Slam!*


    Bug looks down, the smile dropping of her face like a brink into slime.


    Her entire hand is currently in Mimmies mouth, and when she pulls her arm back, it comes away with a bloody stump¡­


    ¡°OIiiii!!!!! Will you stop eating me!?!? Wait¡­ I had rings and a bracelet on that hand! Hey, give those back! Open up!¡±


    With three hands trying to pry open its mouth, soon joined by a fourth after it finishes regrowing, Bug fights to open Mimmie¡¯s mouth/lid, but the Mimic refuses to comply like a dog that has something in its mouth and doesn¡¯t want to give it back.


    ¡°No, my treasures~!!! Give them back, you brat! Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Mimmie didn¡¯t give them back¡­


    <hr>


    Climbing out of a waterway, dripping with brackish water and not smelling all that much better, Bug pulls out a towel and gets to work on drying herself off. A little way''s down, her small army of Undead minions are busy bullying some dumb monsters that thought to interrupt Bug¡¯s bath, if it can even be called a bath¡­


    At least she isn¡¯t covered in slime anymore. That¡¯s all that matters.


    Getting dry and working on getting her hair into a manageable state again, Bug goes through her Inventory and sorts through her recently acquired(stolen) clothes. Thanks to Fel, she has some spare underwear to wear after Bug¡¯s just got destroyed.


    Not as nice as mine were, but I can¡¯t complain too much. It¡¯s better than going commando. And the guys had such big underwear. These things are practically shorts!


    Paying the fee to get some of the clothes adjusted to perfectly fit her body, Bug gets dressed into a black pair of formfitting cotton and leather padded pants, with a simple, white button up t-shirt. After that there is leather armor on top. Her chest guard, some simple pauldrons for her shoulders, and then some extra armor for her legs and thighs. With the belts holding everything together, Bug adds some pouches. The System is more than happy to add them on with no trouble, so she doesn¡¯t even have to bother with trying to run the belts through their straps or anything. They just pop into existence, right where she wants them to be. She had considered putting on some chainmail, but honestly, Bug just doesn¡¯t like the idea of wearing it, and besides, her scales are just plain better. Especially when considering that leveling Vitality increases the durability of natural armor. If she keeps going like she is, Bug¡¯s scales will eventually be tougher than even the strongest of steel plate armor. It''s just a matter of time at this point.


    That does raise a good question though. Just how strong is Mimmie¡¯s bites? Little brat can bite right through my scales, and it isn¡¯t even half my level yet. I wonder how strong it will get¡­


    Leaving her mind to wander, Bug¡¯s hands go over her body as she works on the finishing touches.


    In the pouches and where she can, throwing knives and other useful things are added, like the recently acquired spell orbs so she can quickly access them in a hurry. A fancy curvy dagger gets strapped to one leg and her original dagger to the back of her belt, sitting just above her tail. As for most of the jewelry, it is now safely stored away in her Inventory, save for the Vitality boosting ring, and Fel¡¯s shiny silver bracelet, which is still wrapped around one horn. Bug isn''t going to risk anymore of it getting eaten by Mimmie...


    Looking at herself in her Build Menu, Bug can¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°I look just like an adventurer now. So cool! Mimmie, what do you think? Cool, right?¡±


    ¡°Hiiiissssss!!!¡±


    ¡°Mmh, I dooo look cool now. Thank you, Mimmie.¡±


    Mimmie is currently grounded to its cage and is very upset. Good Mimmies don¡¯t eat their master¡¯s jewelry. Only bad Mimmies do that. So, Mimmie is grounded to the cage until tomorrow morning. Without treats!


    Bug nods to herself as she gives one last look over herself and closes the menu.


    ¡°Alright, this is much better. Still need a proper bath, but that can wait until we get back to the Safe Room later. Let¡¯s find a spot for the night and then pick up the search in the morning. The Dungeon is going to pay for wasting my time like this!¡±


    Mounting the insect, which has been scrubbed clean of slime and redressed with new blankets and pillows to replace the ruined ones, Bug heads out deeper into the Dungeon, a very upset Mimmie thrashing in the cage behind her and cursing the unjustness that is being inflicted upon it. After all, it''s not Mimmie''s fault! Mimmie was hungry. Its stomach was making the rumblies that only hands could satisfy!


    Mimmie is innocent!


    But alas, Mimmie can''t talk, so it can''t plead its case. Life is just so unfair...

 B2. Chapter 7.1- Survival of the Fittest

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that someone could do something like this¡­ at least it looks interesting.¡± Mikey says to himself as he peers out from behind the cover of some massive mushrooms, watching as a flock of Undead birds go flying past. They leave a trail of colorful spores floating in the air in their wake, the spores falling to the ground like a rainbow of snow to carpet every surface in this part of the seventh floor.


    ¡°It is sort of pretty.¡± Agrees Carther. ¡°You know, in a, will kill you instantly without protective gear sort of way¡­¡±


    Some loud buzzing can be heard drawing near and the two quickly duck back into cover. Some distance away, a beetle with horns like a rhino and large enough to pull a carriage, goes buzzing by and lands on a nearby branch. Its shell is covered in scrapes and lines and spores, but they have yet to take root through its shell. Still, it looks like it is weakening, and must have been fighting for its life for a while now. Unfortunately, it is too large and conspicuous, drawing attention to itself almost immediately.


    A swarm of Undead move to attack it almost as soon as it lands, the poor beetle not even getting the chance to fully retract its wings before the first wave is falling on it.


    Swinging its horn around and kicking like a mule, the beetle fights off dozen of Undead, throwing the rotting things around and crushing them underfoot.


    ¡°Move, move!¡± Dale orders in a loud whisper, pushing on people''s shoulders to get them running to the next piece of cover.


    Behind them, the beetle is rampaging and tearing through groves of mushrooms like a bull through a teashop, drawing even more attention to itself by the moment. The hazmat suite clad adventurers of the Golden Mare are more than happy to take this chance to gain some ground and sprint for the cover of the next tree, running in through the open doorway.


    Getting inside, Carther and Mikey turn to watch the fight unfold. Dozens of Undead birds and other best are scratching and pecking away at the hard shell, but their attacks are ineffective and only serve to further infuriate the beetle into crashing into its surroundings, reducing everything that gets crushed into puddles of gore and explosions of even more spores.


    Just as they are about to look away and leave it to its fight, something big comes crashing though the canopy of mushroom laden branches. With a heavy impact, a large snake that is almost nothing but bones and mushroom flesh collides with the beetle and sinks its fangs into the beetle¡¯s back, easily breaking through its tough shell.


    A pair of skeletal, malformed wings extend and retract, stretching from the back of the snake as it feeds on its meal and forcible swallows it whole.


    The humans find it hard not to watch the horror of what is going on before them. To watch as the snake closes it mouth down on the massive horn of the beetle, stop, and then for their flesh to start to bubble and move. Soon enough, the beetle¡¯s horn is piercing out through the skull of the snake as mushroom flesh moves to seal everything together.


    In a matter of moments, the winged Undead snake had absorbed the beetle and used its part to enhance itself.


    The humans quickly turn away and leave. The last thing they need is to have that thing hunting them down. Especially after what they had to deal with on the sixth floor where they lost another man due to underestimating one of those things.


    The evolving Undead. Whatever it is that is going on down here, some of the Undead, those that are noticeably stronger than the others, seem to be able to grow and advance themselves by absorbing other beings. And unlike on the first layer, where it had just been the boar boss and the Rose of Death, trapped in its room, these things are free to wander and hunt as they please. To grow as they continuously prey on any freshly spawned monsters.


    ¡°Fuck this place, fuck this¡­ Why the hell did I even sign up for this?¡± Mikey hears someone asking themself.


    Mikey honestly wants to agree with him. This is entirely not what he was expecting when he signed up either. And quite frankly, it probably isn¡¯t what anyone else expected. They probably all imagined just fighting some zombie and some bitch in black robes with some poisonous mushrooms in the background. Not this horror of twisting and melding flesh bullshit!


    Still, Mikey doesn¡¯t need his comrades freaking out on him. Enough people have already died as is. Normally, it would be Dale keeping everyone in line, but he is far too busy leading the way and making sure everyone doesn¡¯t get ambushed.


    So, he walks over to the guy, one of the archers that he doesn¡¯t remember the name of, because it¡¯s not like he knows everybody in the clan. Not when it has over four hundred members across three kingdoms. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he tries to lighten the mood and laugh. But not too loud. Being too loud draws attention.


    ¡°You signed up for the money, remember? A thousand gold! After we get out of here, we are going to be rich!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ a thousand. A Platinum coin¡­ I¡¯ve never seen one before.¡±


    ¡°Neither have I. Hey, what you planning on spending your money on first? You going to blow it on some pretty ladies, right? Hahaha!¡± Mikey laughs as he pats the guy on his back, his quiver full of arrows shaking with the hits.


    He just turns a bit and looks back at Mikey, returning an awkward laugh. They can¡¯t see each other through their tinted visors, but Mikey can easily imagine the guy blushing.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Haha, ah, no¡­ I, I¡¯m planning on using the money to move my family to a big city in the east. Maybe Gally, or somewhere in the Cantson Republic. Use the money to buy a nice place and retire from adventuring, maybe open a little business or something. Treat my parents right, for once¡­¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a great plan. Just remember that that is why you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re right. And after that, will be a nice visit to the red-light district! Gotta treat myself, hahaha¡­¡±


    Mikey slaps his back again and laughs.


    ¡°There you go, hahaha! Now you¡¯re speaking my language! Maybe I¡¯ll open a brothel wherever it is you¡¯ll end up at, so you can spend your money there.¡±


    ¡°Can I get a discount?¡±


    ¡°Hah! Sure, but only if you bring plenty of customers with you!¡±


    They share a laugh for a bit, because they really need it to keep sane, even if that laugh is more of a loud giggle. Still, it seems to have helped the guy calm down a bit. Get his nerves back under control.


    Just as Mickey is about to ask him what his name is, they get interrupted by Dale calling everyone forward.


    They quickly move to catch up, joining everyone else by a window to peek out the side of the tree.


    ¡°Listen up, we are nearing the stairs to the next floor. We are doing well. We just need to keep it up like this, and we should be able to safely make it through. Our goal is that tree over there.¡± Dale says as he points to a rotting tree in the distance, easily a couple of kilometers away. With how rotted it looks; Mikey wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the thing were to fall over at any moment.


    ¡°We will follow the route in your maps, just like planned. Stick together, don¡¯t get separated. If you do, stick to the route and try to catch up with us. If you can¡¯t¡­¡± He doesn¡¯t say it, but everyone knows. Anyone that gets left behind is as good as dead.


    It¡¯s a good distance to their next bit of cover; they¡¯ll have to move fast.


    Dale nods, and finishes. ¡°Stick together, stick to cover, and move when the coast is clear. We can do this.¡±


    He gets a series of nods and yes in approval. And then everyone is on their way to the exit, all silently huddling up by the doorway and waiting for the orders to move.


    Minutes pass by in silence as Dale they watch everything going on outside. Minutes quickly turn to almost an hour, but no one complains. They are used to it by now. After all, it is only because they have been sneaking around like this that they are all still alive.


    Hard to imagine that we are following the same route that that party took with the Necromancer. I still can¡¯t believe that those idiots let themselves get tricked like that¡­ Let¡¯s just hope that it is true that this is the fastest route down.


    Eventually, an opening shows itself and Dale waves everyone forward. Mikey watches as everyone rushes out in a crouching sprint. Up ahead he can spot Susan helping the little healer, Elaine run, one hand held on her shoulder and the other holding that curved sword of hers. Mickey elects to wait so he can run with Carther. After the two of their four tanks have already died, Mickey has no intention of being too far from his friend¡¯s side so he can try and keep him alive.


    Aside from Dale, Mickey isn¡¯t particularly close to or really know anyone else here. And even then, Dale is more of a boss than he is a friend.


    With their hearts pounding in their chests, they run out in the open, a line of yellow-green suits scurrying across a rotting branch as fast as they can while remaining stealthy. As they move, they leave trails through the spores, like moving through a thick layer of freshly fallen snow. Undisturbed, the spores are beautifully colorful and mix together to create a rainbow of fluffiness on every surface. But the trails they cut through them are ugly and brown. The spores getting crushed underfoot and mixing together in a dirty mix of colors until the trail behind them is like one made of runny shit.


    Up ahead, the head of the group make it to the cover of some growths of overhanging mushrooms, growing out like a small forest with this much larger one. They move in with weapons drawn, quickly and silently cutting down any enemies found inside before heading in deeper.


    Dale stops at the edge of safety, waving for everyone to move and hurry up. Mikey can hear everyone running around him breathing heavily though their filters, the sound coming out muffled and buzzy.


    Up ahead, someone beside Dale is pointing up and to the side. They start waving even more franticly, beaconing for them to hurry the hell up. Mikey take the risk of turning to look.


    ¡°Shit, birds! Move, move, move faster! Go!¡±


    Like a moving cloud in the sky, the birds emerge from the back side of a distant tree and nearly block out the dying false sun in the sky with the sheer force of numbers. Like an angry storm cloud shitting out rainbow sprinkles, the massive flock moves through the sky as it hunts. Occasionally, a detachment of birds might break off and dive down to strike some unseen place, no doubt swooping down to kill any the few remaining, living creatures of this layer that they can find.


    Mickey quickly gives up on his crouching run, throwing stealth to the wind as he speeds up into a full sprint along with the others.


    But unfortunately, they aren¡¯t fast enough. Before they can make it to cover, the birds spot them, several detachments of Undead birds breaking off form the larger mass like massive tentacles to dive down and towards the running humans.


    Mikey makes it, Carther pulling just behind him along with two others. They don¡¯t stop moving and keep heading deeper in until the foliage overhead will protect them.


    Behind, they hear screaming, people shouting for people to move.


    Mikey turns. Someone had tripped and fallen, having caught their foot on something covered by the spores. Someone had stopped and turned to try and help the guy back up.


    Mikey recognizes the bow he is holding. He was literally talking to the guy not an hour earlier. He turns and sees the birds swooping down at them, gives up on helping the guy to his feet and draws his bow. He fires twice and reaches for a third arrow, but he never makes it. He gets hit by the swarm, sent flying into the air by a hundred little bodies tackling him all at once. A larger bird, that is more mushroom than it is feather, swoops down and grabs him by the shoulders.


    With several flaps of its massive wings and the guy frantically swing his bow around like a bludgeon, screaming bloody murder, the bird lifts him off into the air and flies away.


    Mikey watches, because that is all he can do. He watches as the man is torn limb from limb as several more birds join the first and fight over his body, tugging him left and right.


    Behind, Mikey can here as the healer girl starts whimpering and Susan tries to console her.


    The other man, who had fallen in the spores, is already dead. He had tried to fight back, kicking and screaming, but there was little he could do as a hundred birds had pinned him down and tore into his back with beaks and claws. They are currently feasting on his corpse like a committee of vultures digging into a dead deer on the side of the road.


    One of the birds sitting on his back turns its head and looks towards Mikey, its dead eye seemingly peering into his living soul from how it is looking at him. He can¡¯t help but to take a step back at that, swallowing down a mouthful of spit and fear both.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± A crestfallen Carther says as her pulls on Mikey shoulder.


    ¡°Ye, yeah¡­ let¡¯s go. We need to kill the Necromancer¡­¡±


    They leave the birds to their meal, the raid party having been reduced in numbers yet again and not even knowing if they are any closer to reaching their objective.


    ¡°I never even learned his name¡­¡±

 B2. Chapter 7.2- Survival of the Fittest

    Floor 8. Days of travel and sneaking, of hiding, and of avoiding fights wherever they can. A trip that should have taken no more than a day or two at most for a large group of adventurers, especially for those of the Golden Mare. Especially when they are following the quickest route down. When some paths are far too dangerous to risk, the branches being infested with twisted and mutated violations of flesh, they back track and take other routes.


    They simply can¡¯t afford to get into every fight. They can¡¯t risk drawing too much attention. Not when every fight becomes a major drain on their supplies, or when even a single tear in a hazmat suit could lead to someone¡¯s death.


    Water is limited, food is limited, and filters have to constantly be replaced, and mana shard used to recharge the suits'' enchantments. Fighting makes people thirsty. Fighting kicks up spores into the air, and clogs filters. Fighting gets people killed.


    The only option is to go slow and proceed carefully. To remain constantly aware at all times, be it day or night, for the potential of getting ambushed. Not even the Safe Rooms are safe to use anymore. They are infested with mushrooms, and the Undead have no respect for the rules of the Dungeon, being more than free to wander in as they please. The fountains, which used to flow with crystal clear fresh water, now provide only a murky poison of a drink that promises stomach aches and indigestion. Even the eternally burning fires of the hearths have been reduced to barely burning embers, nearly smothered out by the cloying grip of the ever-present feeling of Death in the air.


    There is no safe place to rest. Sleep has to be done in strict schedules, and only to the minimum. Just enough for everyone to get a couple hours of rest. They can¡¯t stay in one place for too long. The Undead are seemingly drawn to areas where Life congregates. Stay in one spot for too long, and a fight is inevitable.


    Elaine trudges forward, ripping an empty food slurry from her mask and dropping it on the floor. She was mid meal, if this degusting excuse for food can even be called a meal, when they were forced to leave in a hurry.


    Those on watch had spotted too movement in the dark, and Dale didn¡¯t hesitate to order them to get moving. The Undead don¡¯t care if it is too dark to properly see and can attack at any time. Most of the Undead don¡¯t even have functioning eyes anymore and somehow see with methods that don¡¯t involve light. For Elaine, she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it is that they can somehow see or sense the souls of the living. Drawn towards those living flames like moths seeking something more.


    Reattaching her drinking hose, Elaine looks around at everyone else, glowing with shoulder mounted light stone lanterns, which are fueled by their suit''s battery packs. Expensive. But when fire could cause all the mushrooms around them to explode, regular wood and fire torches aren¡¯t exactly an option.


    Those that were sleeping are stumbling forward like the dead, probably praying to the Goddess for a couple more hours of sleep, or for a hot cup of coffee to magically appear in their hands.


    Taking a sip of water to wash down the taste of slop, Elaine sighs.


    Wish I could have a cup of tea¡­ Crap, I better catch up.


    Looking away from the others, she speeds up to walk closer to Susan. The swordswoman¡¯s side is probably the safest place to be right now. Especially when the world around their lights is almost pitch-black, the light of their lanterns being like an oasis in the desert. Even with those who have the best night vision leading the way and keeping a lookout, it isn¡¯t easy to relax in this dark place.


    She wants to reach out and hold her hand for safety. Every time some distant creature makes a call out in the darkness, she flinches, half expecting some monstrosity to come barreling into the light and take them all by surprise. To rip someone in half as she is forced to watch and unable to do anything.


    Over the past few days, she has seen people die in horrific ways. Each one becoming a fresh nightmare to haunt her dreams when she sleeps. Elaine had thought herself used to death by now, having seen plenty of people pass away in clinics where she volunteers as a healer. But how the Undead kill is hardly comparable to peacefully passing away in a warm bed. She wasn¡¯t prepared for this, and Elaine will probably be cursed by the memories of her time here for the rest of her life, if she manages to get out alive.


    Susan glances over at her, the motion being obvious as she has to turn her entire head to shift the visor of her suit far enough to be able to see. She doesn¡¯t say anything, probably just checking on Elaine and making sure that she is still close at hand and safe. She always has one hand on her sword, always ready to draw it at any moment. Something that has already saved lives a number of times, just withing these past couple of days alone.


    They continue on, moving slowly, but with determination. Moving from cover to cover, even in the dark, they continue to make their way deeper into the Dungeon, following over trails of twisting, rotted branches of giant trees, leaving trails through feet of spores that covers the ground like snow.


    In the dark, with only the light from the light stones around her, Elaine can¡¯t help but to grimace as she feels what are effectively hunger pains from her core. Running close to empty, the scant amount of Light Mana floating in the air around them is tempting. Like smelling a delicious meal on the table before you while starving, Elaine has to actively restrain herself from opening her core and devouring it all.


    It would be so easy, far too easy, for her to just rip all the Light out of the world around her and absorb it into her core. And it would feel amazing. It¡¯s a sensation that normal people will never get to feel, and while it feels similar to filling an empty stomach with a hot meal, it¡¯s also not quite the same. There is a distinction that is hard to describe, but is also hard to not notice and enjoy.


    Regretfully, Elaine will have to metaphorically starve. If she were to try and fill her core right now, it would cause quite a few problems. For one, she would quite literally absorb all the available light out of her surroundings, dragging everyone around her into an even deeper darkness. This isn¡¯t normally an issue on the surface during the day, when she has the literal sun to endlessly provide light. But down here, she can¡¯t be so reckless.


    Secondly, the light stones wouldn¡¯t survive the process. If Elaine were so inclined as to do so, she could happily eat them. Literally. For a Light Mage, they taste almost like honey candies, and are almost addictive. Thankfully, they are also expensive, so it is hard to get enough of them to form an actual addiction from eating too many. Elaine simply wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it.


    And lastly, even if she were careful while doing so. There is just too much Death mana in the air right now. She doesn¡¯t have anywhere near the level of control or skill necessary to safely pull only the light mana in and would certainly get poisoned in the process. Something that would just turn her into a burden during this trip.


    Or more of a burden¡­


    She looks back at Susan. A powerful fighter. Then the others, all of them dirty and their weapons well used. Everyone else is doing all the fighting, while she has to remain in the center, protected by everyone else. All because she can¡¯t afford to use any of her remaining mana. She can¡¯t even fight without mana. Elaine was never trained for it. Maybe if she had a spear, she could stab forward with it and do something, but more than likely, she would just end up getting in everyone else''s way.


    The best she can do is stay safe until she is needed. To preserve her mana for fighting the Necromancer.


    To push down the hunger in her core, she sucks some more water down and tries to keep her focus on their surroundings. To try and help spot any dangers if she can. It¡¯s the best that she can do for now.


    They continue on, eventually reaching an area where they have to climb down the side of a branch to reach a lower path. Carefully working in the dark, they tie off ropes and throw them over the side. Repelling down in threes, their lights like orbs of life itself descending into the dark where the surface of the next branch can¡¯t even be properly seen. She watches as people go over one after the other, yellow-green suits disappearing over the side.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Susan tells her as she leads her to the ropes.


    Connecting the line to her belt and letting Susan check to make sure she is good to go, they both move backwards and start to slowly walk down the curved side of the branch until they are standing almost horizontal, the side of the massive branch¡¯s rotting bark being like a diseased cliff face under their boots.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Pushing away from the bark, they repel down, one jump at a time, the rope sliding through their gloved hands in a tight grip, boots landing and pushing off again.


    Looking up, Elaine watches as the surface of the branch disappears into the darkness, Elaine¡¯s world becoming nothing but the side of its craggy surface in the light of their lanterns. On her other side is Vincent, a bulging bag full of tags hanging from his belt and clinking every time he pushes off and lands. When she looks down, it is like she is descending into the void. Further down is the lights of those who had gone first, slowly growing larger as they draw closer.


    The ropes start to shake, and Elaine quickly looks back up again. Up above, the lights of those waiting their turn to climb down are moving. She can hear as someone screams up above, a fight breaking out. Someone tries to climb down the ropes above them, their lights moving quickly as people shout for them to come back and help.


    Beside Elaine, Vincent yells up at them, ¡°Hey! What the hell are you doing? Wait your turn, damn it!¡± He quickly speeds up, jumping past Elaine and hurrying as the guy above him is coming down.


    ¡°Shit, move faster! Elaine, hurry!¡± Susan curses.


    They jump and jump again, repelling as quickly as they can as the fighting up above grows into a clammer of noise.


    A scream, and they all look up again. The guy on Vincent¡¯s line falls and goes flying past in a blur, Elaine barely catching sight of yellow-green speeding past as he screams for help. Vincent hugs the wall, just barely avoiding getting hit.


    ¡°Move!¡± Susan barks out again, getting them to quickly start moving again.


    They hurry, Elaine descending as fast as she can, the rope running through her gloves so fast that she could swear they are smoking. Her boots breaking off pieces of rotting bark every time she lands before quickly kicking off again.


    Without warning, a rope snaps, something cutting it up above. Vincent screams and falls, limbs flailing in the air all the way down. Elaine tries to go faster. Breathing rapidly, feeling like she is going to hyperventilate, sweat drenching her body, she repels again and again. The lights below her grow larger, but she isn¡¯t there yet. She needs to go faster.


    A hiss. She looks up, peering out of her visor, watching as a large reptilian figure emerges out of the darkness and looks down at her. One lifeless, faded eye, and a socket overflowing with mushroom caps and leaking fluids, spores escaping its mouth with every motion and a half-rotted tongue lolling out the side. The green and stripped scales that run along the rig of its head is pitted and full of holes, revealing parts of its skull where mycelian roots have dug in and melded with bone and meat.


    The thing looks around after entering the light, one eye going one direction, mushrooms going another. A useless display, as the thing is surly blind, but when it snaps its head towards Elaine and both eyes, dead and empty or not, turn towards her, she can¡¯t help but to let out a scream.


    Its mouth opens and its tongue is suddenly hurtling towards her face like it just got shot out of a cannon.


    She gets kicked in the side, Susan pushing her out of the way as she draws her sword with one hand and holds onto her line with the other.


    Elaine lets go, the rope slipping from her hands, falling, the rope running through her belt and grinding against buckles, trying to slow her down. Flailing, she reaches for her belt and pulls hard when her hand finds the break strap.


    With a sudden stop that has her suffering whiplash, she gasps, her fall leaving her swinging in the air and smacking into the side of the branch just as she manages to pull up her arms to protect her head.


    ¡°Oouf!¡±


    It takes a moment to recover, and Elaine quickly looks up. When she does, the body of the lizard is falling past her, its head falling first with its long tongue trailing out the side of its mouth.


    Up above, Susan is fighting with just one hand as she holds onto her rope, kicking off the branch and swinging or descending from side to side as she avoids and strikes of zombies climbing down the wooden surface.


    With a slash, she severs the arms of some large monkey looking creature that tries to grab her, the thing falling off and flailing as it disappears into the darkness below. With another kick, she is jumping over the snapping head of some mutilated insect that is more mushroom than it is carapace, parrying its stinger tipped tail before landing and quickly moving in to remove three of its legs in a single strike.


    ¡°Susan!¡±


    ¡°Keep moving, Elaine! Get to the others! Move!¡±


    She hurries, doing as she is told. One jump, two, three. She looks back up again and sees that the Undead are only increasing in number, Susan not being able to remain in one spot for more than a second before she has to kick off and dodge again. With every motion, even fighting with one hand full, she is attaching and tearing though zombies of countless creatures that just keep crawling out of the dark. With every swipe of her sword, limbs are cut away and bodies fall into the abyss.


    Quickly jumping to the side, Elaine avoids getting hit by a falling leg that is almost as big as she is.


    ¡°Susan!!¡±


    Elaines doesn¡¯t want to see her die. She knows how strong the swordswoman is. This isn¡¯t her first time going on a quest with her after all. But when she sees how she is being hounded endlessly and more and more zombies seem to be climbing down without stop, she just can¡¯t help but to worry that something might happen. That just one mistake might spell Susan¡¯s end. It doesn¡¯t even have to be a serious injury. Just a scratch to her suit. Just big enough for a single spore to get in. That is all it would take, and she would be dead.


    Elaine¡¯s friend. Her surrogate big sister in the clan. The woman that helped her when she was still just a little runaway noble girl, with no plans and nowhere else to go.


    ¡°Light, brighten up the night and expel the darkness. Repulse evil and bring clarity to the blind. Burn and singe all who would use the shadows to hide! Grant me Morning''s LIGHT! Dawn¡¯s Flair!!!¡±


    A lightning bolt made solid; a blazing spear of pure light is born in Elaine¡¯s outstretched hand. With a throw, it flies up and out, soaring over everyone¡¯s heads and above that of the zombies. Once it is high enough, she pulls on her connection to the spell, unravelling the tightly contained light and finally allowing the spell to explode.


    Like the morning sun shining over the horizon, light floods into the world and illuminates everything. Hundreds of creatures are instantly revealed as the darkness is forcefully peeled back, zombies hissing and sputtering, flailing and smoking as the light finds their rotting and twisted bodies. Many of them let go of the branch as they flinch, falling away and screeching or hissing as they fall through the air to go splat on the branches below, or to miss and fall further still into where the Dungeon is still dark. Those that manage to hold on, their bodies baking under the light, skin and scales boiling and popping and singeing, they turn and flee, running with all their might to escape the holy, Goddess blessed, light.


    Even distant Undead, who had nothing to do with what is going on over here, turn and flee and hide away as a miniature sun is temporarily born on the eighth floor of the Dungeon. Just looking at it, even from a distance, is enough to burn out their eyes and leave any Undead, miles around, hissing in pain.


    The humans, the Goddess¡¯s favorite children? While the light certainly stings the eyes, leaving everyone squinting and turning away slightly and shielding themselves with their hands, it does not harm them at all.


    With the Undead fleeing in full force or having plummeted to their doom, Susan looks down at a panting Elaine and hurries to descend down to her.


    ¡°Are you an idiot!? You only have so much mana left, what were you thinking?¡±


    Elaine quickly catches her breath, her core aching and protesting in her guts with every lungful of air, begging to let open and draw in more mana. It hurts to refuse it, but she simply can¡¯t risk taking in the ambient Death mana.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I just can¡¯t risk losing you! I¡¯m sorry, I got scared¡­¡±


    ¡°I had it han-¡­¡± Susan starts, but bites her tongue to stop herself. She knows that Elaine was just doing what she thought was necessary. She wants to say that she could handle herself. To say that she would be fine, and that Elaine had nothing to worry about. But that would be stupid.


    Susan is strong. She knows she is. She knows what she is capable of with a sword in hand, and Elaine does too. But Susan has also seen her fair share of people die, idiots and geniuses both, who thought themselves unstoppable on the battlefield and paid for their overconfidence. Plenty of whom, Susan had been the one to remove the heads of. It only takes one mistake, and then even the greatest of warriors can fall.


    ¡°Sorry, no, you were right to help. Thank you, Elaine, you really saved me up there.¡± Susan apologies as she sheaths her sword and then leans over to hug the shorter girl with one arm. ¡°How much do you have left in you?¡±


    ¡°One or two more spells¡­¡±


    ¡°Ok. Just please, try and keep the rest in reserve. Don¡¯t use any unless you desperately have to.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I promise.


    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s get down from here. We need to check on the others.¡±


    They quickly descend the rest of the way and as soon as their boots are finally reuniting with the floor, they are being swarmed with people coming over to check on them. Off to the side, Vincent is being held up by a helpful arm under the shoulder, a potion connected to the feeding port on his mask.


    Arthor, the group''s second healer and alchemist, is busy wrapping a stint around his leg and foot. Once the first potion is emptied and returned, he is already handing over a second one, instructing the person holding Vincent up to attach it as well.


    ¡°Is he alright?¡± Susan asks as she and Elaine walk over, the light from the flair still illuminating the sky as it slowly falls and fades away.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. Fall blew the wind out of him. Worse damage is his leg, ankle took the brunt of it and broke. First potion set it back properly, second will make him heal faster. Vincent, listen to me, VINCENT focus!¡± He snaps up at the guy who is probably a bit rightfully dazed right now. ¡°Keep off of this leg for a few hours. Try not to move it too much and don¡¯t put any pressure on it. Drink plenty of water. You are going to need it for the next few hours, or you¡¯ll get dehydrated. You listening?¡±


    ¡°Ya, doc¡­¡± Vincent nods.


    ¡°Good, remember-¡±


    He continues to fret over him, drilling in that he shouldn¡¯t use the leg as it heals and repeating himself.


    Off to the side, Dale is looking up, back to the top of the branch they just left. No one else is climbing down. Another three have died. Of all those who had entered, only eleven are left.


    He looks down and sighs as everyone watches, the loss clearly weighing heavily on his shoulders.


    ¡°We need to take advantage of this light and make distance. If we hurry, we can make it to the stairs¡­ Andy, help Vincent walk. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 B2. Chapter 7.3- Survival of the Fittest

    The ninth floor. This one is different than the rest, so far. Something that is almost immediately apparent as soon as they had reached this point. It¡¯s almost like there is something in the air. But more than that, it is how the scenery is strangely off and there is less of an Undead presence.


    For once, the adventurers of the Golden Mare are able to move quickly. Their stays under the cover of foliage are shorter. Patrols of Undead birds flying overhead are scarce. And lastly, whenever they do encounter resistance, the pockets of Undead or less than usual. Instead of being hordes of twenty or more rotting creatures, it might just be an occasional five or six milling about, or even just a single zombie wandering around aimlessly.


    It''s confusing and worrying. Where are all the zombies? The pattern has been that their number has only grown as they¡¯ve delved deeper, but here. Here it is quiet.


    Still, they can¡¯t not take advantage of this chance. They move quickly, gaining more ground than they have in days of travel and making up for lost time. Along the way, Vincent slowly healed, going from needing to be half-carried, to being able to limb along by himself, to finally being able to walk. Truly, potions are a gift from the Goddess. Just have to make sure to use them properly and in correct dosage, or else you could have some really bad and embarrassing stuff happen¡­ Thankfully, they Arther to ensure that nothing like that will happen.


    As they are walking, Susan can¡¯t help but to look around at the weird, shiny growths on the branch. Unlike with the other floors, this one isn¡¯t all just fleshy, fluffy mushrooms and mold. There are growths on the wood where the some of the mushrooms grow from, growing upward like the long stalk of a singular tree before blossoming.


    In a morbid and disgusting way, it is beautiful. Like walking into an alien world and being greeted by strange new plant life.


    Wish we could just burn all this to the ground, Is Susan honest opinion after the beauty of it all wears off and it goes back to just being disgusting.


    ¡°What are these things?¡± Carther eventually has to ask; the tank walking up at the front with his buddy, Mikey, close behind.


    He to, and as is most people in the group for a while now, has been looking at these shiny growths. Yellow, black, and red, they reflect the light of the dying artificial sun wherever they aren¡¯t covered in mushroom growths.


    Ben shrugs, ¡°Does it matter? Let¡¯s just keep moving.¡±


    Susan can feel as his Field shifts slightly. It isn¡¯t too hard to read a mage when they have their Field expanded like this. He wants to burn the mushrooms too, and badly. Which isn¡¯t too surprising. He is a Fire Mage after all, and any problems they face, usually their first solution is to try and burn it. It is probably eating him up right now that he can¡¯t just set this whole place on fire and be done with it.


    Well, he could. But everyone would most definitely die in the process. With how heavily this entire layer is coated in spores and explosive mushrooms, this place would almost instantly turn into a blazing inferno of a forest fire. One that not even a Fire Mage, with their natural resistance to fire, would be able to easily survive.


    In the vanguard and to the right, the groups second remaining tank besides Carther, Dillan, just shrugs and walks over to one of the strange growths. Using his shield as a makeshift shovel, he scoops the spores out of the way and then brushes away some of goop off of the shiny material. Ripping away a couple of mushrooms, he nods to himself and then calls over his shoulder.


    ¡°They¡¯re just dead ants.¡±


    He moves out of the way to reveal the body of a giant ant, a yellow one. They are the common inhabitants of this floor, and are well known for their massive three-way war that''s been raging down here for years now. Something of a tourist attraction honestly, especially with each of the ant queens being well known boss monsters that drop some decent loot.


    I guess the Undead finally put a stop to that¡­


    Those that are interested wander a bit closer, observing the dead ant.


    ¡°Why does it look like that?¡± Elaine ends up asking.


    Susan quickly figures that she isn¡¯t referring to how the corpse looks semi-exploded, where the mushrooms had clearly grown out from the inside and torn apart its body in the process. Instead, she is probably curious about why it is standing on its own head, its jaws clamped onto the branch with the rest of its body hoisted up in the air. The mushroom that is growing like a tree from its body, is growing out of what is left of its thorax and abdomen, practically splitting its body in half down the middle, its remaining legs sticking out like crooked branches.


    ¡°No idea¡­ are they all like this?¡±


    Everyone looks around at the numerous mushroom trees and sort of unanimously decide to take a break from walking to find out. There isn¡¯t any Undead around right now anyways, so they¡¯re safe.


    Susan and Elaine walk over to another one nearby and uncover it. It is the same as the first one and standing on its head.


    ¡°This one is red.¡± Elaine says to herself. ¡°Black over there. And then more yellow, lots of yellow¡­¡±


    Dale, apparently hearing her comments, pulls a map out of a chest pocket and unfolds it.


    ¡°We are pretty deep into yellow territory right now. Hmm, normally, red and black shouldn¡¯t be this far in. The nearest battlefield isn¡¯t for some distance¡­ The Undead must have sent everything into a mess around here.¡±


    Elaine is still looking around. ¡°But why do none of them look like they were fighting each other?¡±


    ¡°Hm? No, you''re right. Normally, you would find their corpses still locked together or laying around with their limbs ripped off. What is going on here?¡± Dale asks himself as he looks around at the veritable forest of corpses. Each and every one of them is the same.


    Each one of them is standing, as if they had chosen a spot to die and simply¡­ remained there.


    No one says anything for a long while, just standing there, surrounded by corpses and an eerie silence.


    ¡°Well, this is creepy as fuck.¡± Mikey eventually has to say to help break the silence.


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s keep moving. Come on people, we still have a lot of ground to cover.¡± Dale orders, and no one hesitates to follow.


    They keep moving along the branches, occasionally making their way to the trunks of the massive trees and carefully going through them, checking rooms as they go for ambushes and only occasionally finding a fight or two, or maybe a left-over trap that is too jammed up with fungous to even function anymore.


    Eventually, as they are making their way towards a large intersection of branches that will take them where they need to go, Dale gives the order for everyone to stop and hide. Quickly running to get under some cover, they watch and listen, the sound of buzzing growing louder and louder by the second.


    Peeking out from behind cover, they see as a swarm of thousands of giant bees go flying past their branch, the buzzing growing to such a level that it becomes deafening, the swarm practically blocking out the sun as they fly up and off into the distance.


    ¡°Goddess! That is a lot of bees!¡± Mikey curses as they finally pass, the buzzing growing fainter as they fly away.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t look like they were Undead. Where are they going?¡±


    ¡°No idea, but as long as we don¡¯t have to deal with it, that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    Once they are sure the coast is clear, they get moving again. The further they go, the denser the growths of ant mushroom trees become, eventually growing to the point where the adventurers have to hack their way through in order to progress.


    When they reach the trunk of the next tree, they come across a strange sight.


    ¡°They¡­ blocked off the entrance?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it, but why?¡±


    Before them is the entry way that should lead into the tree, but instead, it is clogged full of ant carcasses and debris, a small mountain of bodies blocking their way in.


    The ants, all of different colors, had died holding onto each other. Mandibles locked together, legs intertwined, thoraxes layered over one another. At first glance, it might have looked like they had died fighting each other, but with how they are layered and held together, they are clearly linked together intentionally.


    ¡°What in the world is going on down here? Were they trying to keep something out? Are the ants working together or something?¡±


    ¡°I want to say they wouldn¡¯t do that, not after all the years they have been fighting, but¡­ they are Dungeon monsters. Maybe normal doesn¡¯t really apply to them.¡±


    ¡°Still, we need to get through here. Get to work on getting this open.¡± Dale orders and cuts through the chitchat. With a swing of his war hammer he also smashes through a layer of ant corpses, getting to work on personally clearing the way.


    Mikey and Carther move up and join him as well, helping to hack through the pile of interlocking corpses and pull chucks away. While they work, everyone else takes this chance to rest and take care of their gear.


    It takes a while to get through the blockage, the pile also filling in part of the hallway inside of the tree. When they get inside, they are ready for a fight, Susan leading from the front with sword drawn and held at the ready, but there is nothing inside. Not even mushrooms.


    Moving down the halls and past rooms, they find more piles and blockages, all the windows being sealed off so tightly that the spores can¡¯t even get in. There are no monsters inside at all, and when they reach the other side of the tree, they simply find another pile blocking their way out.


    ¡°Why would they seal off this tree like this? Were they trying to accomplish something?¡± Elaine asks curiously while the men work on clearing a path again.


    ¡°No idea. I can¡¯t imagine what the Dungeon is up to. But if it makes our journey easier, then I¡¯m not going to complain.


    ¡°Hmh¡­¡±


    The barricade is cleared, and they walk through. As they are leaving, another flight of bees is buzzing past, heading in a similar direction as the first.


    ¡°Hm, well that¡¯s not good.¡± Dale says, as he watches the bees fly away.


    ¡°Why?¡± Asks Mikey.


    ¡°That¡¯s the direction we need to go.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I don¡¯t think I can fight that many bees.¡±


    ¡°Well, let''s just hope that we won¡¯t have to.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Well, this is just fucking lovely!¡± Mikey curses as he is looking at what everyone else is looking at.


    ¡°At least we know where all the monsters are now¡­¡± Carther comments beside him.


    Off in the distance, up ahead, an army of ants in three colors, so thick in numbers that it looks like the branch is moving and alive, is in the middle of a massive war with the Undead. Right at the crossroads where they need to get through in order to reach the stairs¡­


    ¡°How do we get through?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t, none of us here can handle that. We¡¯ll need to backtrack and find another way.¡±


    ¡°How long will that take?¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ days. This is the shortest route by a longshot. We¡¯ll have to retrace our steps for about a day''s walk and then take another route that will lead us around.¡±


    ¡°Will our water last that long?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. We should do an inventory of all our supplies and figure out a way to further ration them. Arther, how is-¡±


    While they are talking about what need to be done, Susan and Elaine are looking out and watching the battle. It is practically chaos in motion, but if you watch closely, you can see where the ants are clearly fighting with a plan of some sort.


    In the front, larger ants with flat heads are forming what can only be a shield wall, holding the hordes of the Undead back with sheer determination. In the small gaps between and beneath their bodies, the smaller ants are attacking anything they can bite, grabbing ahold of zombies and forcefully pulling them through the gap. They are promptly ripped to shreds and the broken bodies are then carried off to the side and thrown over the edge. Aside from that is the gigantic super majors. The massive ants are simply stomping their way through the Undead hordes, crushing dozens of rotten things underfoot as they run about.


    Surprisingly, the bees are here as well, helping in the fight by swooping down and snatching up their targets. Flying up high, they then drop the zombies into the abyss, letting gravity do all the work. But the air isn¡¯t solely the bees'' domain, as they are seen having dogfights in the sky over the branches, fighting against flocks of Undead birds and wrestling to maintain air supremacy.


    But the strangest thing is when one of the ants or bees becomes too wounded to keep fighting, or they become infected by the mushrooms. They simply stop what they are doing and make a dead sprint for the side of the branch, willingly throwing themselves off and to their deaths. For the bees, they just simply stop flying, allowing gravity to take hold as their falling bodies are torn apart by angry little birds.


    ¡°They¡¯re killing themselves before they can become more Undead, willingly sacrificing themselves¡­¡± Elaine says to herself as she watches a wounded super major, its body covered in zombie spiders, run straight off the side of a branch without any hesitation.


    Off to one side, another two, a yellow and a red, are fighting against some giant amalgamation of flesh, similar to the Rose of Death, that might as well just be a giant pile of moving meat.


    As she watches, the meat monster surges up and tries to consume one of the super majors whole, but even as it is being eaten, it fights to lift and carry the abomination over the edge, the second ant helping to push them both over with all the effort it can spare.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    In a great crash that has hundreds of Undead falling to their doom, they go over and tumble down towards the surface, exploding on contact with the hard ground, not too far away from a lake full of tainted water.


    ¡°Alright everyone! We need to turn back. We¡¯ll be heading back some distance and taking another route down. Hopefully, this one won¡¯t be blocked. Let¡¯s get going.¡± Dale calls out once they have a plan worked out.


    Those who were watching the battle turn away, moaning about how they were so close to getting to the stairs. Mikey and Carther exchange mana crystals with one of the archers, having apparently been making bets on a fight they were watching and lost.


    Turning away from the fight, they start hiking back the way they came, leaving the battle behind. However, they don¡¯t get very far until they start to hear something. With small vibrations moving through the weakening branches, the sound of giant, stomping feet only grows louder and louder. They move to hide, waiting to see what it is that will emerge, and are a shocked to silence when they see a black figure climbing up the side of the tree they had arrived from.


    With frost radiating off its body in waves, and poison seemingly pouring from the many wounds across its body endlessly, a massive black spider climbs up and onto the branch. Even missing a couple of legs, the thing moves with a horrible grace and speed, easily taking up the entire width of the branch with just its body alone.


    The humans move to hide even further, pushing themselves deeper into the foliage of mushrooms and covering their bodies in spores like they are hiding under the snow.


    Moving forward on its massive legs, the spider approaches the humans hiding spot.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the boss!? What is it doing here?¡± Elaine asks in a concerned whisper.


    Susan whispers back to Elaine, ¡°It is probably heading towards that battle. Just stay very still and wait for it to pass. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    And it looks like that will be the case, but the vibrations only seem to grow, and the sound of massive feet stomping only grows louder by the moment. And soon, another, much larger spider crests over the side of the branch. Its spike covered legs announce its arrival, and the thing is soon climbing up and over, its massive head seemingly looking around as it minces it mandibles. With enough holes riddling its body to set off a trypophobiac into having a panic attack. And constantly moving about those holes and going in and out, is a horde of tiny spiders about as big as dogs. Finally, the mother of all mushrooms is growing from its back like the mightiest oak atop a hill, a rainbow of flesh cascading down its sides and blowing in the wind like royal banners, spores falling away like pollen in spring.


    Susan goes to say that everything is going to be ok again, but every instinct in her body is currently screaming at her that she is danger. Years of experience in life-or-death battles, telling her that she needs to flee. Right. Fucking. Now.


    The spider turns its head, and eight pairs of red eyes, tinted with swirls of green and black poison, all look straight at the hiding humans, straight at Susan and Elaine.


    Susan doesn¡¯t know it, but the moment their eyes met, Elaine pissed herself. Thankfully, the suit automatically cleaned it up for her.


    ¡°Wh-wh-what is tha-¡± Elaine tries.


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know, run! Run now! Move!!!¡± Susan screams as forcefully pulls Elaine onto her feet and bolts, dragging the shorter girl behind her at a full sprint.


    The others aren¡¯t as quick to react, perhaps still thinking they can hide, most probably just to stunned at what they are seeing to be able to react.


    The others start to move once they shake it off, Dale first, grabbing Ben by the scruff of his suit and pulling him to his feet after he sees Susan dip. Mikey and Carther move next, almost tripping over each other in a panic. Vincent and Arther are next, Vincent grunting as he tries to run on his still healing ankle. Then Andy, Dillan, and lastly, Farney, who has always been a rather quiet guy, and doesn¡¯t talk much. He is currently screaming bloody murder as he runs with everything he has, his spear getting dropped on the floor behind him without a second thought.


    Then, with no warning whatsoever, the spider that could use a house as a chew toy is suddenly sprinting. One moment it is walking slowly, almost leisurely, and the next is violence. It suddenly becomes a blur of motion as it kicks off the ground and blasts tons of spores into the air from the branch¡¯s surface, the entire branch creaking and bending just from the sheer force of this thing''s movement.


    The second spider, who is much smaller and much less frightening in comparison, seems to only just now notice the humans fleeing, now that they had been scared out of their hole. It starts to chase as well but is quickly outpaced by its much larger companion.


    The humans run, some screaming, some cursing, some begging the Goddess to save them. They don¡¯t know why this monster scares them so. But they certainly can feel that it is almost unstoppable. It¡¯s entire presence just screams that it is a machine built for one purpose, and that is to kill and destroy. To cleanse anything that gets in its path.


    Farney starts to gain ground, passing by Andy and Dillan, quickly gaining on Vincent and Arther, the two being slowed by his healing leg and all of the alchemist¡¯s supplies. In a moment of desperation fueled by fear, he pushes Arther out of the way, tripping the two. They scream, but he doesn¡¯t look back. He can¡¯t, nothing could possibly force him to look back at the monster chasing him right now.


    Andy slows and tries to help them up as Dillan keeps running, the stomping only growing louder and louder by the second. With them back on their feet, they run as fast as they can, but a shadow blocks out the sun. Andy looks back and suddenly wishes that he hadn¡¯t.


    All Dillan can hear is the screaming and then sudden silence. His heart pounding in his chest like a drum, he tries to run faster, throwing aside his weapons, his gear, his heavy backpack full of essential supplies that are just weighing him down now. He is speeding up, gaining on Farney¡¯s back. If he can just out pace Farney, then surely, he can get away. He doesn¡¯t need to outrun the spider, just him. If he can just-!


    ¡°OOOoff!!¡±


    Dillan trips, his foot getting caught in something under the spores, a crack spreading across his visor as he kisses branch with his face. What it is he tripped on; it doesn¡¯t matter. He needs to get back up. He needs to run!


    Shaking his head to clear out the dizziness, he gets back up and takes a single step forward.


    *Slam!*


    Farney is still screaming as he runs. The sound of that monster''s feet stomping against the branch are only growing louder and louder. The voices behind him are gone. He doesn¡¯t want to be next!


    ¡°Help!!!¡±


    He screams and screams, hoping that the others will turn around and save him. Dale with his war hammer could surely crush this spider''s head flat! Susan with her curved sword could certainly cut its legs to ribbons with a single swing! Ben could burn it to a crisp with a single fire ball! Elaine could cleanse it of its evil with her light! Carther could defend him with his big shield! Mikey could help in his own way, maybe. Probably as bait!


    Why? Why won¡¯t they turn around and help him!?!?!


    ¡°Help me, please!!!!!¡±


    But they don¡¯t. The stomping grows closer and Farney finally turns to see what is behind him. All he sees is black as a massive, spiked leg is suddenly filling his vision.


    With a smack, almost every bone is body breaks, his visor cracks and the suits internal enchantments instantly collapse. The next moment, Farney¡¯s broken body is soaring through the air, tumbling end over end as his fading consciousness watches the world go by in a blur. Falling, falling, falling forever, his vision slowly going black. The spore covered floor of the second layer quickly grows larger and larger, wind flying past and whistling into his cracked open visor.


    With the last of his energy and will, he closes his eyes just as the hard floor completely fills his vision.


    Up ahead, Dale is running some distance behind Susan and Elaine, Carther and Mikey hot on his tail. They are getting close to the battlefield. The fighting ants and Undead are growing larger and larger as they grow closer. If they keep running like this, they will have no chose but to charge straight into that fight. And with this thing hot on their asses, and clearly targeting them, that doesn¡¯t sound like a good idea.


    Dale screams out an order.


    ¡°We need to fight! Turn and face it, Ben, your strongest spell. Burn it to a crisp! The rest of us will hold it off!¡±


    Susan stops and turn at the same time as the others, pushing Elaine behind her before drawing her sword and charging for the massive black spider. Thankfully, the second, smaller spider is much slower than this horrific thing and hasn¡¯t caught up yet. Though it eventually will.


    Carther turns and brings up his shield, Mikey turning with him and drawing a machete and a club in both hands. Dale is moving up as well, war hammer held above his shoulder.


    Ben stops and forces himself to turn and chant, forcing the words out between gasps for fresh air, Fire mana pouring out of his core and filling his Field with sweltering heat.


    The spider arrives and hardly slows as it transitions from a full sprint into a hard stomp. Carther doesn¡¯t bother trying to block that, as it would just end with him getting crushed flat. Instead, he jumps back and avoids the blow. When the attack lands, the entire branch shakes like lighting just struck, spores getting kicked up into the air and creating a smoke screen for the little humans to hide in.


    Susan and Dale charge forward with war cries bellowing from their lips. With a loud clang, sword and hammer both strike the leg, but they are repelled easily, simply bouncing off the hard black carapace like foam weapons hitting steal.


    The thing moves, sweeping its leg to the side. Nothing more than a simple motion, but at its size, everything is a devastating attack.


    Carther steps in front of the two, taking the hit with his shield and digging in hard to hold it back.


    The attack can¡¯t be stopped, and he is sent flying backwards through the air, landing hard. But he slowed it just enough for the other two to get out of the way.


    They move, sticking to the spores and letting it cover their motion, arriving at another leg.


    They scream and attack.


    ¡°Tri-Cutter!¡± ¡°Heavy Blow!¡±


    Dale¡¯s hit lands with the force of a meteorite striking the earth, the head of his war hammer glowing red with energy. With a loud crack, the hard carapace fractures and chips, the force of the blow hitting the leg sounding like a massive bell ringing.


    Susan aims for the joint, her sword sliding between plates of hard natural armor and finding rotted meat underneath. The first slash cuts deep, but the second and third deepen the cut, blades of energy trailing right behind her sword¡¯s path.


    The spider buckles slightly as its massive weight nearly finishes destroying its injured leg, but the Undead thing seaming doesn¡¯t care and just attacks with the ruined limb anyways, swinging it like a club.


    Susan quickly dodges out of the way, but Dale stays and takes the blow with his hammer, the weakened limb only being able to throw him back a shorter distance than Carther had been.


    The spider moves to continue attacking Susan, but Mikey draws its attention, running around near its head and screaming for its attention. It moves to attack him instead and Mikey just barely manages to dodge a bite as the spider slams it head into the branch, its mouth coming back up full of rotted wood.


    Behind them, Ben finishes chanting.


    ¡°Fire Burning Down!¡±


    Twice the size of your average fire ball, the spell held above his head is practically a miniature sun. Spinning and turning with barely contained power, Ben had probably poured everything he had left in him into this spell.


    With a throw, the orb of burning death flies high up into the air above the battle, hanging there for a second as Ben continues to hold his arm above his head. When he dramatically drops his arm down, the orb falls.


    Air burns and moves away as it drops, the miniature sun only glowing brighter as it burns hotter and hotter. With a crash, it impacts with the Undead Spider¡¯s back, exploding on contact and forcing its legs to buckle under the pressure.


    With a scream, the thing reels back, its entire body going up in flames as the hungry fire devours the mushrooms growing all over its body. When the flames reach the mushroom tree growing on its back, a second explosion ripples out, tearing the entire back end of the spider clean off and sending it tumbling to its side.


    Burning, it lays there, legs twitching, fire spreading as nearby spores catch fire like oil.


    They don¡¯t celebrate. The second spider is already here, frosty poison spilling from its open mouth like so much drool. It comes charging though the spreading fire, the ice radiating off its body protecting it from the heat.


    Getting back up on his shaking feet, Carther pulls up his dented-in shield and runs forward to intercept it. Susan and Dale are about to follow but stop as they hear Elaine scream.


    They turn back and Susan yells out to her.


    ¡°Elaine!¡±


    A horde of ants are barreling down the branch and heading their way. Almost on top of the girl.


    Susan weighs her options, only needing a second to think. She needs to save her sister. Dale and the others can handle the second spider.


    She blasts off on the spot, kicking up spores as she moves faster than most humans could only dream of. But the ants are already there, and she won''t make it in time.


    The ants reach her and¡­ they don¡¯t attack Elaine.


    They part around her, not even sparing the human a single glance, simply charging forward with all the determination of infantry trying to take a hill.


    They pass Susan, still running, confused, she hesitates to swing down at the nearest ant, and it simply keeps moving. Ignore them then, not a threat right now. She keeps moving and reaches Elaine, grabbing her hand.


    ¡°What is going on!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    Behind them, Dale lands a blow against the second spider''s face as it tries to bite him. Its armor is nowhere near as sturdy as the first, and its head almost gets blown clean off.


    The ants arrive and immediately attack, swarming up its legs and biting into exposed wounds. When the cold and poison coating its body becomes too much, they simply jump off and run for the edge to kill themselves, making space for the next ant to take their place.


    Within moments, the spider is completely covered by an army of ants, flailing around and striking at random as it tries to shake them off.


    Susan wants to ask if they have won, but that feeling of dread is still burning in her heart. Her instincts are still screaming at her to run. That the threat isn¡¯t dead.


    The first spider stands back up. Still on fire. Half exploded and half its body missing. But still standing none the less. Like a machine given the order to kill, it wont stop until everything is dead, or it is fully destroyed.


    It attacks, moving almost too fast. A hundred ants are suddenly reduced to pulp and suddenly, one of its legs is where Carther used to be. When it moves its leg, there is nothing there but a red stain and a crushed shield. He hadn¡¯t even seen the attack coming.


    Dale moves in to attack the flaming spider, screaming out in rage. Mikey is screaming out his friend¡¯s name, screaming that he will kill the spider.


    They attack. The spider strikes and Dale is sent flying, his left arm hanging limp as he lands hard and rolls. Mikey dodges the first attack sent his way and swings at a leg, hitting it twice to little effect. The next moment, he is in the beast¡¯s mouth, legs kicking until a crunch break his spine.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good, we need to run, now! Come on, Elaine!¡±


    ¡°No, I can help! I can still cast-¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t matter! We need to go while it is distracted!¡±


    Behind them, a red super major stomps its way onto the branch and charges in to tackle the flaming spider. The branch creaks with the weight of their battle as the two giants fight. But soon enough, the second spider is joining in, still covered in ants and being ripped apart, but choosing to help fight the giant ant.


    As the two vs. one is raging on, Dale limp over to the two, a mana exhausted Ben following close behind, mirroring Susan¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°Move, now! While it is distracted, let¡¯s get out of here. We need to finish the mission.¡± He says seriously, even while holding his broken arm to his chest and clearly feeling the pain.


    Elaine wants to argue, adrenaline pumping in her system as her core is feeling utterly repulsed by the Undead thing that just slaughtered everyone in a matter of minutes. It is weakened. If she could just hit it with one good spell, she could finish it off!


    ¡°Elaine!¡± Susan yells into her face and shakes her, finally managing to rip the girl''s attention away from the fighting giants.


    ¡°We. Need. To. RUN! Now!¡±


    ¡°Righ-Right, yes, sorry! Run, let¡¯s run!¡±


    They finally get going, the ants moving out of their way like a parting sea letting them through.


    Behind them, the super major is getting bullied and brutally torn apart, the fight sounding like an earthquake is going on with ever step of their massive legs.


    And then the world shakes. The fleeing humans are brought to their knees. A loud, splitting sound like tortured wood being torn in half rings out. The fighting doesn¡¯t stop, and the ants don¡¯t stop moving, but the humans do as their entire world suddenly shifts to the side and sends them lurching.


    With another heavy stomp, the withering and rotted branch finally snaps.


    The floor from beneath their feet is suddenly gone, splinters and chunks of wood as large as buildings are falling all around them. Elaine screams and flails in the air, Susan holding onto her hand tight. With a pull, she yanks her though the air and into her arms, holding her close.


    Everything is a blur as they fall and tumble uncontrollably through the air, and then, Splash!


    They hit a lake with enough force to blow the air out of their lungs.


    Susan refuses to let Elaine go, kicking her legs and fighting back the pain of her screaming lungs, she swims up and hoists the both of them back up to the surface, gasping for air with all her might as she forces her lungs to work. All around them, huge chunks of wood are crashing down onto the landscape or into the water, ants raining from the sky and exploding as they hit the floor. A blazing spider falls and hits the ground hard, not too far away.


    Worrying, Susan tries to check on Elaine, but she can¡¯t see her face through the visor. She is unresponsive. She doesn¡¯t even know if she is breathing!


    The spider moves. Susan¡¯s instincts scream, her head snapping to the side to see it. The thing is looking horribly broken and burnt. How it could possible still be moving despite its condition is impossible to know, but it moves, nonetheless.


    Dragging itself forward on its last two legs, a broken third twitching as it tries to help, the Undead thing moves forward, its gaze locked solidly on Susan and Elaine.


    She tries to swim away, desperately kicking the water to drag Elaine away from this horrible abomination. This killing machine!


    It enters the water, flames going out, steam billowing up its broken body. The water parts as massive waves with its every motion, dragging itself closer and closer across the lakebed.


    ¡°Stay away! Stay away from my sister, you monster!¡± Susan screams in desperation.


    But it just draws closer and closer, getting far too close, its massive open mouth full of teeth filling her vision.


    Suddenly, a current picks up and the two humans are dragged away. The water becomes faster and faster. They get pulled away and then around and around, speeding up faster and faster.


    Susan looks over her shoulder and finds a whirlpool of all things quickly forming.


    ¡°Just fucking great¡­¡±


    She doesn¡¯t bother fighting it. She can¡¯t outswim a whirlpool. And hopefully, drowning won¡¯t be as bad as getting eaten by a fucking spider. They get pulled under as the current grows too strong and soon, even the spider gets caught. The last thing she sees before her and Elaine are sucked into a hole in the lakebed is the spider trying to reach them underwater, still hellbent on trying to kill them no matter what. But as soon as it gets stuck in the hole, a stone slab slams shut on it and cuts its body in half.


    It goes dark. She orders her suit to turn on its light, the suit being designed to keep out everything, including water. She and Elaine have fifteen minutes of air, tops.


    With the light on, she still can¡¯t see shit, nothing but the walls of metal tubes flying by stupidly fast. At least she can still see Elaine, held tightly in her arms.


    No matter what, she won¡¯t let her go.

 B2. Chapter 8.1- Unlucky Number 13

    ¡°Come on! Wake up damn it, wake up!¡±


    Fist pressing down his bare chest, pushing down again and again, rhythmically, hard, compressing it over and other until it gets to the point of almost beating on him. Eventually, the compressions become so hard that you can hear as something cracks. But he doesn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Live damn it, we need you down here! WAKE UP!¡±


    Eyes snap open suddenly, with a sudden lurch, he curls up on himself and vomits out a lungful of dirty black water. His chest hurts and he feels like he just got kicked by a horse, but the agony of his waterlogged lungs gasping for air is drowning out everything else. When he can finally breathe again, the only thing he can do is cough and curse.


    ¡°Ache, ackkk! Ah, Goddess¡­ Ack! What the fuck¡­¡±


    Reaching up to try and wipe his mouth, Ben is suddenly pulled by the shoulder, forced up and onto his feet by a frantic and bloodied Dale.


    ¡°Wha-what is going-¡±


    ¡°No time! Fight, now!¡±


    He is quickly turned around and- a quick shake of his head to clear out the fogginess- finds someone in a hazmat suit holding off a pack of Lizard Men with a curved sword, some twenty strong or maybe more. Susan then, that¡¯s the easiest way to tell that that her after all.


    She¡¯s hacking them apart, but they just keep coming, not even stopping as one of them losses a head.


    With his bleary eyes clearing up, Ben can finally see that they are actually Undead. Took a while to tell, what with not being covered in mushrooms and whatnot. After seeing the two mixed together so much recently, he had almost forgotten that zombies can just be normal zombies.


    What was Dale saying again? Oh, right, they need to fight. Weird thing about nearly drowning that, it makes it a bit hard to think straight¡­ Fuck his chest hurts.


    Raising his arm, shaking, dripping with water and breathing hard, he draws from his nearly drained core and incants.


    ¡°Fire, stream forth and cling to my enemies, -Ackh!- b, burn them, reduce them to ash. Flamethrower!¡±


    Susan, feeling the gathering magical energies behind her, moves without even needing to be warned, and dodges out of the way as a stream of fire belches out from Ben¡¯s extended hand. He can only maintain it for a short while, dragging the stream of fire left to right along with his shaking arm to engulf all the enemies in red hot flames.


    With his core running empty, the spell sputters out, nothing but a few last puffs of fire sputtering out last like a final gasping breath. But just a couple seconds was all he needed. The lizard zombies are all on fire, still moving forward, yes, but now falling apart with every step. Hell, most of the hallway in that direction is just completely on fire now, with the magical flames sticking to every surface.


    In a matter of moments, their bodies darken and char, limbs shrivel up and contract to their bodies, muscle burns to ash and fat melts away and hisses like butter. And finally, when the damage becomes too much and the meat is all burning away from blackened bones, they collapse. The Undead return to simply being just dead, with about half of them even being reduced to glowing piles of ash as the magical flames had been a bit too zealous, burning away even the bones.


    That happens sometimes when burning the Undead and other magically controlled beings, like some golems and even summoned monsters. Ben doesn¡¯t know the specifics, but scholars believe that it is a result of some sort of internal combustion of trapped mana, reacting with magical fire. The same can happen with other elements, sometimes, with a notable one being Light magic. As far as Ben is concerned, it just means that they can''t be brought back after being destroyed. An enemy golem isn¡¯t going to stand back up or repair itself if it is a pile of ash after all, and that means that its user is now without their protection. Something that Ben has experienced when he had a mission to hunt down a Nature Mage that could turn trees into Treants as minions. Guy was using them to rob merchants traveling on a highway near his woods, living as a magical bandit king.


    Half a burnt down forest later, and he finally got the guy. Only problem is that when he brought his head back to be turned in for the reward, there was a serious delay in collecting the bounty because the guy''s head had been burned into basically charcoal. They couldn¡¯t confirm his identity, and Ben had to wait three weeks, so they confirm that the bandit was, indeed dead or gone. He learned a lot from that mission. Like that going three weeks without money, because you were banking on that payday and spent all your money on a new grimoire, really, really sucks.


    I had to take latrine cleaning jobs just to keep from starving¡­ The ONE month, when a whole city had no other work available for a Fire Mage. Ridiculous. Still, I learned a lot¡­


    Wait, what was he doing again? Head is still foggy...


    ¡­


    Oh, right, nearly drowned. Zombies. Burned the zombies. Now¡­


    Ben has to fight to keep himself from collapsing, leaning forward and holding himself up with his hands on his knees, his chest radiating with pain with every breath.


    ¡°What, happened? Where are we?¡± He asks Dale as he tries to fully stand up. A sudden flare of pain has him holding his chest and nearly doubling over.


    Did my ribs get broken? Fucking hurts! Ouch!


    Dale isn''t looking so good himself, standing there with one arm hanging limply at his side, the visor of his helmet being a spiderweb of cracks.


    Before Dale can answer him, they both get their attention drawn to the side by a panicking Susan, frantically working away at another person¡¯s hazmat suit who is lying on the ground by the water¡¯s edge.


    ¡°Come on, Elaine! Please, please don¡¯t be dead! Please be okay!¡±


    Working frantically, hands shaking so obviously that it can be seen through her thick gloves, the swordswoman finally manages to break the seal on Elain¡¯s suit, removing its head.


    Long flowing blond hair, a cute, round face with delicate features and a little nose, and lips like the petals of a flower. If Susan is the posterchild and the face of the Golden Mare Adventure¡¯s Clan, then Elaine is the mascot, the little sister, the heart of the Clan that everyone wants to protect and adores. Her looks alone are enough to turn heads on the streets, and there have already been several bar fights and plenty of back-alley beatings, as Clan members had to teach any guys that got funny ideas a lesson. No one is allowed to touch the Clan¡¯s favorite girl! Not even members of the clan¡­ Which has made it rather difficult for poor Elaine to have much of a love life, considering that all her potential boyfriends keep getting scared away or end up mysteriously never showing up to their first date, only to be seen later, leaving the city covered in bruises. Thankfully, as far as they know, Elaine doesn¡¯t know that they are protecting her.


    ¡°Oh shit!¡±


    Ben moves forward, getting closer to Susan and Elaine, feeling worried about the girl who he thinks of as like an apprentice. Dale is right behind him, equally worried for his own reasons.


    Susan is hitting her cheeks and shaking her shoulders, ¡°Come on, come on, please wake up! Wake up!¡±


    After a little bit, and plenty of dread, the girl finally stirs, her beautiful eyelashes fluttering over sapphire-blue eyes.


    ¡°Haaa? Wha¡¯s going on¡­?¡± She asks like she just woke from a nap.


    Just unconscious then. Thankfully not dead.


    With much relief, everyone lets out a breath they didn¡¯t know they were holding in. Susan practically collapses on the girl and hugs her, which ends up being rather awkward, considering the bulky suits between them.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    While being hugged, and looking rightfully confused, Elaine asks the same question that Ben did.


    ¡°What happened? Where are we?¡±


    Dale answers for the group as he awkwardly takes off his suit''s helmet with one hand. With how ruined his visor is now, his suit is probably already compromised. No point in wearing it if it is just going to get in the way. When the helmet comes off, dropping it to the floor without a care, he reaches up and wipes away at the blood covering his face. Must have gotten cut up by flying glass when his helmet broke. His beard is soaking wet with water that got in, and his bald head is beading with sweat.


    ¡°We are somewhere in the third layer now. No idea which floor, but these sewers are unmistakable. After the branch collapsed, we all fell into a lake, which broke our fall. For some reason, a whirlpool formed in the lake and sucked us all into an underwater passage, dumping us here. Ben almost drowned after his suit broke and let the water in, and you¡¯ve been unconscious. After pulling ourselves out of the water and onto shore, a horde of Undead assaulted us. Susan held them off while I resuscitated Ben, he burned them, and then Susan woke you up.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Why is Ben naked!?!?¡± Elaine screams and squeaks in surprise as she looks at him. Turning, she hides her blushing face against Susan¡¯s shoulder, who is still holding her in a tight hug like a mother holding her daughter.


    Ben just looks down at himself and finally registers that he is, in fact, naked. A fresh gust of air brings a sudden chill to his free hanging willy, and he has to agree with her.


    ¡°Yeah, why am I naked?¡±


    ¡°I had to perform CPR, get you breathing again. Your suit''s chest piece was in the way and the only way to was by completely taking it off.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok then. Where is my stuff? I¡¯ll get dressed.¡± Ben says nonchalantly with a shrug that definitely doesn''t help in the slightest with his aching chest. Nudity never really bothered him much though, and he frankly doesn''t give a shit about being seen naked. He''s just happy to still be alive.


    ¡°Over there.¡± Dale tells him as he points to a bag sitting against the wall, lying next to a discarded and half-flooded hazmat suit.


    He walks over, takes this chance to scratch his nuts -something he hasn¡¯t been able to do while being stuck in that suit for so long- and then gets to work on digging out his clothes. Thankfully, the seal on the bag held and managed to keep out any water, and especially any spores, from getting in.


    As he is slowly getting dressed and working through the pain, Elaine can¡¯t help but to peek through her fingers, her face blushing like a red apple.


    Ben might not have the most muscular of bodies, but he is certainly toned and very healthy with a narrow build. He is an adventure after all, and even if he isn¡¯t a physical fighter, being a mage, he still lives a very active life.


    And that butt¡­


    Elaine may be an innocent girl, but she is still a woman on the cusp of turning twenty. It also doesn¡¯t help that she has a thing for older men, and Ben, being thirty, single, and often spending time with her to study magic, certainly fits comfortably within her interests. Though she absolutely refuses to admit that she has something of a schoolgirl''s crush on her mentor. The other guys at the Clan would probably beat him up if they found out¡­


    Still can¡¯t believe that they were doing that! And here I thought that I was doing something wrong every time a guy wouldn¡¯t show up to our date. Nope! Those idiots were just sabotaging them. I¡¯m not a kid anymore. I should be allowed to date whoever I want!


    Elaine takes another peek at Ben, feeling a little disappointed as that nice juicy butt gets covered by a pair of cotton pants and then a red robe.


    I-I should be allowed to date whoever I want¡­ If we, no. When we get out of here. I¡¯m going to ask him out! We¡¯ll have a nice date and can talk about magic like we always do. And maybe if things go well¡­ And with all the money we will get from this bounty. We could buy a big house with plenty of land, and, and¡­ I wonder how many kids he will want? What if he wants ten!? Oh, oh Goddess! Well¡­ if he asks nicely¡­ I don¡¯t think I would mind. We¡¯ll be able to afford it after all, and, Oh a dog! I¡¯ve always wanted to get a dog! We could adopt a puppy too! And then-


    While Elaine is getting lost in her thoughts, letting her mind run away with itself into some rosy future, Ben is finished getting dressed and turns around to rejoin the group, having no idea what Elaine is thinking about. Susan is finally calming down and has released her hug. With another sigh of relief, she quickly goes into mother mode and starts checking Elaine over for any injuries.


    ¡°Are you hurt? Not seriously injured anywhere? You didn¡¯t hit your head, did you? That can kill just as easily as anything else, even if it¡¯s not bleeding much.¡±


    Elaine, held by her cheeks, complains and tries to get her to stop.


    ¡°M¡¯m ookkay. Shopp worryying an¡¯ leh meh goooh, pleeesh!¡±


    She finally lets her go and gives her another hug.


    ¡°You had me so worried. I knew I shouldn¡¯t have let you come.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore, and I would have come even if you told me, no. I wasn¡¯t going to let you do this by yourself.¡± Elaine tells her, feeling rightfully irritated.


    Seriously, I¡¯m not a kid anymore. My older sister was even married and with child before reaching my age!


    Susan looks like she wants to argue, but she relents and lets out another sigh.


    ¡°I know, I know. I just worry. You know I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too.¡±


    They hug again, which is difficult with their bulky suits, and a bit silly with Susan still wearing her helmet.


    After a lovely, shared moment, they get pulled out of it by Dale clearing his throat, standing there holding his broken arm.


    ¡°If we are all alright to continue, we need to hurry. There could be more Undead coming soon; especially if we are getting close to the Necromancer.¡±


    Elaine looks up at him, trying not to gawk at how much his beard has grown while he was trapped in his suit.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting closer?¡±


    Dale just nods his head towards a brick wall, the only vegetation being Dungeon moss, aside from what Ben''s fire utterly burned away. Completely regular, nondeadly, edible, alright tasting, moss. Just some harmless and, most certainly, not country destroying vegetation.


    ¡°It¡¯s safe to assume that the Necromancer isn¡¯t immune to the mushrooms, or rather, we can only hope that she isn¡¯t. The report suggests as much, at least. But the Undead are here, and the mushrooms aren¡¯t. She is probably on this floor, or on a lower part of this layer.¡±


    Susan stands up and nods after helping Elaine get to her feet.


    ¡°Mhm, this is our chance. We need to catch up and finally finish this. We¡¯ll avenge everyone that has died and save the city!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Elaine cheers next to her, pumping her fist. ¡°Actually, now that you mention it, the amount of Death mana down here is much lower now. Not much Light, but I should at least be able to start slowly refilling my core."


    Ben and Dale nod in agreement.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get ready to move. First, let¡¯s changed out of these suits. Elaine, focus on doing that, we are going to relying on your healing, and if the Necromancer is as dangerous as we think she is, you¡¯ll probably be the only thing keeping us in the fight.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I can finally get out of this damn thing!¡± Susan cheers from beside her, still fully dressed in her hazmat and looking like an alien.


    Susan takes off her suit''s helmet and takes in a deep breath of fresh air, a cascade of curling and bouncing crimson hair falling out as it is all finally freed by the helmet coming off. She promptly gags as that fresh air ends up being not so fresh, smelling of brackish water, dirt, and barbequed zombies. Not exactly a pleasant smell.


    With no enemies currently around yet, and the place being safe enough, Susan, Elaine, and Dale get to work on stripping the rest of the way out of their suits. Digging some clothes and simple, light armor, out of their bags, they then get dressed. The guys are kind enough to keep their backs turned the entire time and don¡¯t peek.


    ¡°Finally, in some actual clothes again! I just couldn¡¯t get used to being naked in those suits all the time. And the cleaning function¡­ eugh¡­¡±


    Dressed in some comfy mage robes and wearing a leather chest guard, Elaine hugs herself and shudders just thinking about it.


    Susan, dressed in form fitting pants and a shirt, small metal gear protecting her vitals and with gauntlets adorning her arms up to elbows, gives Elaine a pat on the shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the two of us are going to have a spa day when we get back. No, make it a spa WEEK!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s do this!¡± Elaine practically screams as she gets pumped up, images of massages and baths and of getting pampered while wearing a bathrobe and eating cheese, dancing in her head like little baby angles playing harps. After going through everything down here so far, she and Susan have earned it!


    Nobody mentions that the first thing will probably actually be a funeral for all those who didn¡¯t make it. They all know this. It¡¯s just that right now, what they need is happy things to focus on, things to look forward to that will help keep moral up and to push them towards finally finishing this mission. Their lost clan mates will be mourned. It is just too bad that they weren¡¯t able to retrieve their tags, and that all the tags Vincent was carrying were lost with him when he died. There will be a lot of empty graves here soon¡­


    Dale lifts his hammer to his shoulder with his one good arm and says, ¡°Good, let¡¯s get going then.¡±


    Elaine looks shocked at that, seeming to finally notice just how bad of a state he is in now that he is out of the hazmat. Most of his left arm is twisted and bruised, looking like it is broken in three places maybe. How it is that he can still be looking so nonchalant and clear, despite his current state is a shock.


    "I need to heal you first! Oh, my goodness, why didn''t you- No, I should have noticed first. Hold still, let me help you!"


    "Do you have the mana for it?" He asks, looking like he wants to stop her.


    "I''ll be able to regenerate it; don''t worry about me. Just hold still; this is going to hurt..."


    Light fills the passage as she literally works her magic, Dale gritting his teeth and biting back curses as his bones audibly snap back into place and heal. Seconds pass and the swelling goes down bit by bit, his arm slowly returning to its original, muscular self.


    Once he is finally healed enough to be able to use his arm again, he thanks her, and they get ready to start moving.


    Before they can get walking though, Ben weakly raises a hand, the other held to his chest.


    ¡°Ah, hold on. Can I get some healing too, first? I think you cracked my ribs earlier¡­¡±


    Elaine panics a little. ¡°Oh! Yes, yes, hold on!


    She doesn¡¯t need to touch someone while healing them, just be close, but she goes ahead and takes this chance to put her hands on Ben''s chest. His muscles feel nice and hard under her fingers, and she has to fight to not let it distract her from her incantation.


    Ok, spa week first, and then I¡¯ll finally ask him out. I can''t wait to finally get out of here!

 B2. Chapter 8.2- Unlucky Number 13

    Susan, like most sane adventurers, has always hated being in this layer of Silest¡¯s Dungeon. It¡¯s a literal sewer, much the same as the very ones that run under the city itself. Thankfully, this one isn¡¯t full of flowing shit water, but that is largely the only real difference between this one and the one on the surface.


    Hell, even the sewers of Silest, or any major city for that matter, have monsters living in them. You can¡¯t even say that you won¡¯t find treasure up there occasionally, because sometimes, Goblins and Giant Rats will steal jewelry and other shiny trinkets to line their nests down there. Really, sewers are basically like miny Dungeons in a way¡­ they just also happen to be full of shit and smell fucking horrible.


    Regardless, this place is a sewer. Plain and simple. And much like a sewer, being here for any period of time just plain sucks. Although¡­ it¡¯s weird.


    Usually, the pipes that run along the ceiling and walls would be leaking water to drip on people passing below or blowing hot steam as you pass by. Normally, it would be like the Dungeon is doing everything it can to try and piss you off down here, or to get your nerves on edge. But there is none of that. The pipes are silent and not even rattling, the water and steam flowing through copper and iron pipes perfectly without even so much as a drip of leaking water.


    I¡¯m not even hearing distant noises bouncing off the walls, trying to make us hear things that aren¡¯t there. The Dungeon is silent¡­ Why?


    The vast majority of people who have had any real interaction with Dungeons are generally of the opinion that they are living things with some level of awareness. Dungeons eat after all and even use treasure to lure humans inside. The fact that people are more than willing to risk their lives for this obvious trap is not what¡¯s up for discussion though. The Dungeon is alive, and that is what matters. But yet, even after wandering around on this floor for the past couple of hours, they haven¡¯t been harassed once by it. No traps. No enemies, except the occasional wandering Undead. No annoyances. Nothing. The Dungeon is silent.


    For the first time since Susan has ever stepped foot inside of a Dungeon, she doesn¡¯t feel like it wants to eat her.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Susan speaks out to no one in particular. ¡°Do you think that the Dungeon is¡­ that it wants us to be here?¡±


    Elaine just gives her a curious look. ¡°What do you mean? Of course, the Dungeon wants us here, how else is it supposed to eat if we don¡¯t go inside?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what she meant.¡± Dale corrects her. He can feel it too. For experienced fighters, they can feel it when someone wants you dead. And right now, the Dungeon doesn¡¯t. It wants them alive.


    ¡°Are you trying to say that the Dungeon wants us to kill the Necromancer?¡± Ben asks Susan, not taking his eyes off the passage ahead.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s weird, but I think it does. Why else do you think that whirlpool suddenly appeared and sucked us all the way down here?¡±


    ¡°Or how that branch broke.¡± Dale adds, because those trees are almost as impossible to break as are the walls of the Dungeon itself.


    Elaine looks up and thinks for a bit. ¡°The ants didn¡¯t attack me either. They just went straight for that giant spider. It¡¯s almost like they were trying to help us get away¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Everyone stops talking for a bit, going silent as they consider the possibility of the Dungeon actually helping them. For Susan, her thoughts go back to a couple of different occasions on the second layer, times where a convenient, still living, monster would end up showing up to draw the attention of the Undead away, giving them a perfect chance to break from cover and gain more ground. Like with that giant beetle a couple of days ago. It couldn¡¯t be that it had sent the monsters as distractions to help the sneaking humans get past, right? Just how intelligent would the Dungeon have to be in order do things like that?


    Dale eventually breaks the silence.


    ¡°Well, we do know that the Necromancer is trying to kill the Dungeon. We¡¯ve seen as much with how much she has already destroyed and twisted the upper layers. If the Dungeon knows that we are here to kill the thing killing it, I guess it makes sense that it would try to help us.¡±


    ¡°Not much help that has been¡­¡± Ben says, clearly drawing attention to their current lack of numbers.


    ¡°Without it, all of us, or at least most of us the rest of might be dead. Just fighting that thing took everything we had, and we couldn¡¯t even keep it down. Susan might have been able to get away with her speed, but the rest of would have probably died in the end.¡±


    Elaine raises her hand a bit. ¡°If I used the rest of my mana, I might have been able to finish it off, but I¡¯m not certain.¡±


    Ben picks up after her. ¡°And then your core would be completely drained, and you would lose all protection to the ambient Death mana. Even if you did finish it off, without being able to protect yourself anymore with your internal mana, you would have quickly gotten sick and died within a day or so. And, considering how long it was taking us to travel through that layer, it¡¯s doubtful that we would have been able to escape to the next before then.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ yeah, that would have sucked¡­¡±


    Susan gives her a reassuring pat on the back. ¡°At least we didn¡¯t have to fight the boss of the second layer. Or, at least another one. Imagine if it ended up being like the first boss room again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I definitely don¡¯t want to see a giant flesh rose made out of spiders¡­ I¡¯m glad we skipped that. Would have been horrifying!¡±


    Everyone just nods, fully in agreement.


    ¡°It¡¯s just too bad that everyone else didn¡¯t make it¡­¡±


    ¡°They knew what they were risking when they volunteered, just the same as us. We¡¯ll just have to finish this for them, so their sacrifice won¡¯t be in vain.¡± Dale says with a serious look on his face, his knuckles going white as he tightens his grip on his hammer.


    ¡°When we get out of here, we¡¯ll drink enough for all of them.¡± Susan declares in agreement.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°No, not you Elaine. You¡¯re an absolute mess when you¡¯re drunk.¡±


    ¡°Wha- That was one time!¡±


    Dale just gets this look on his face like he is remembering something terrible. Like he has seen things.


    ¡°Please, no. We don¡¯t need another Lutweg incident. We are still banned from that city because of what you did¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even remember what I did! Seriously, when is someone going to tell me what happened!?¡±


    Susan just places a gentle, loving hand on her head and gives her a pat. ¡°Sweety, it¡¯s for the best that you never, ever know. We can only pray that one day, it will be forgotten and never spoken of again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that the people of Lutweg agree¡­¡± Adds Ben. He can¡¯t even look at Elaine right now. The memories¡­ He wishes he could just forget.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Seriously! What did I do!?¡±


    ¡°Moving on!¡± Susan interrupts, forcibly changing the subject.


    ¡°Wait, ser-¡±


    ¡°It is safe to assume that the Dungeon is helping us. The implications are worrying, especially if it means that Dungeons are much smarter than we originally thought they were. But we can¡¯t let this chance past us by. Dale, you know what this means, right?¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re just completely ignoring me now¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Dale nods his head, completely ignoring Elaine¡¯s protests. ¡°It¡¯s safe to assume that the Dungeon dropped us off on the same floor as the Necromancer. She is here, somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I mean seriously. What could I have even done? I¡¯m a five-foot nothing girl, weighing practically nothing. I¡¯m a healer! So, it¡¯s not like I hurt anyone, right!¡±


    ¡°Exactly. We just need to find her before she heads to the next floor.¡±


    ¡°Oh Goddess! What if I did hurt somebody? No one died, right?!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, rather than searching aimlessly through this entire floor and potentially missing her. We should instead head for the Safe Room. Chances are that we can cut her off there, at the stairs, or even catch her while she is sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me I didn¡¯t kill someone!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill anyone, Elaine. And if she has already moved on to the next floor, we can follow after confirming that she isn¡¯t here anymore. Wait for maybe a day, to see if she shows up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank the Goddess¡­¡±


    Ben cuts in. ¡°We could also use that time to rest and recover. My core is still drained and the hearth in the Safe Room will seriously help me out.¡±


    Elaine finally figures out that she is talking to the wind here and stops asking about that which should not be mentioned. ¡°I could use some time to recharge too. The light levels down here are pretty low, so it is taking me a while to get back up to full again¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, so that¡¯s our plan then. Now, any idea on where the stairs are?¡± Susan asks.


    Dale just gives a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t even know which floor we are on. If I did, we could at least know which map to reference and try to see if any of these halls match what is drawn, and then find our way from there.¡±


    Ben is the next to shrug and just points to a turn at the next intersection. ¡°When lost in a Dungeon, follow the left wall.¡± He say¡¯s referencing a rule that most Adventurers will end up hearing a dozen times or more in their career.


    After all, it works. If you continue to follow the left wall, you will eventually map out most of your surroundings on your own, while reducing the risk of getting lost or turned around. It typically works much better than just randomly wandering around after all, even if it might take a bit longer to get where you¡¯re going.


    Not having any better ideas, they all wordlessly agree and turn left.


    Time to go exploring then. Who knows, maybe they¡¯ll get lucky. Especially if the Dungeon is actually giving them a hand.


    <hr>


    Pulling her head to the side, Susan dodges a blast of water from an Undead Kappa, not stopping for even a moment as she moves forward and slices in half the last of the Undead Lizard Men. Behind her, Elaine finishes her incantation and fires out a simple Light Arrow spell, nailing the Kappa in the chest before it can dive back underwater again.


    Having a low mana cost, and moving incredibly fast, being made of light and all, the spell is perfect for Elaine to use in these little skirmishes against enemies hiding in the water.


    Normally, such a low-level Light spell would be largely useless, as offensive Light spells do almost no damage to most targets. It¡¯s not until the higher levels were Light becomes a truly deadly element, being capable of sniping and burning holes through almost anything with pinpoint accuracy, on top of being almost impossible to dodge. On the battlefield, a powerful Light Mage could put a hole through the head of an enemy general before anyone even knows what had happened.


    But for the Undead. Even just a low-level arrow spell is more than enough to put them down for good. Light is their bane. Where it makes contact with their skin, it burns them away with golden cleansing fire, leaving nothing but dust and ash behind. If Elaine had the mana for it, she could happily skip and dance through this place, shooting off arrows of light from her fingers and cleansing these halls one zombie at a time. It¡¯s just too bad that her mana is limited, and she can only regenerate it so quickly.


    The Undead Kappa, struck by the arrow, screams as its body starts to fall apart in the water, its skin being reduced to grey ash on its bones as it flails and splashes about. When its ability to sustain its own existence fails, its skinless skull falls off its neck and plops into the water, the rest of its body quickly following after.


    The fight finished, and the corridor now full of redeaded Undead, everyone lets out a breath to relax.


    They¡¯ve been wandering for a few hours now, and don¡¯t seem to be getting any closer to reaching the Safe Room. Still no idea what floor this is, and no signs of the Necromancer yet. Although, these zombies have to be coming from her, so she must be somewhere.


    ¡°Wish we still had one of our scouts with us. They would be able to follow these things tracks, and maybe lead us straight to our target.¡± Susan comments as she pokes the side of a Lizard Man¡¯s rotting skull with her boot. Thing has probably been dead for about a day at best, but it looks like it has been for weeks. Ben has informed them that Death mana has a tendency to make bodies decay much faster than they normally would, and that is why they already look so nasty.


    This unfortunately also means that they smell horrible. Especially if they had anything in their bowls when they died¡­


    ¡°I would rather we get some rest before we run into her.¡± Comments a sleep deprived looking Ben, and Susan can¡¯t help but to agree with him.


    They have all been traveling and fighting nonstop for quite a while now, and even when they could catch some sleep, it had always been in short, two-hour power naps. Certainly not something that is sustainable. They need rest. Proper rest, if they are going to fight the Necromancer. And if she is anywhere near as powerful as those twisted monstrosities on the above layer, then they are in for a fight.


    I really hope it will be a great fight.


    After all, this is what Susan is really here for. Yes, she wants the money. Yes, she wants to save the Dungeon and Silest from being destroyed. Yes, she wants to avenge her dead comrades and rid this world of one more vile evil.


    But the reason she is here, risking her life in the first place, is the fame, the glory, and one BIG last fight that will carve her name into the history books of heroes!


    Susan the Swordswoman vs. the Necromance of Silest! Their fight will be legendary!


    Children will grow up listening to it as a bedtime story before going to sleep and dreaming of growing up to just like her. Girls everywhere will know the name Susan and beg their parents to let them learn to use the sword. Parents will name their daughters after her, hoping that it will help them grow up big and strong.


    Susan will be, as a mortal living in a world where immortals and gods are a common thing, immortalized in her own way! To be remembered long after her death as a Hero!


    That is her dream. That is why she first became an Adventurer as a dumb teenager. That is why she threw aside the comfy and easy future that her parents made for her, and instead picked up the sword.


    Yes, she could have just taken the easy route. She could have just settled down and married Brad like her parents wanted for her, raised a gaggle of kids and eventually became a withering old, grumpy grandmother that complains about things changing and spoils her one favorite grandchild rotten while neglecting the rest, but where would the fun be in that? Well, except for being able to piss people off and get away with it because she is old, that probably would be pretty fun. But that isn¡¯t what she wants!


    No, because while her family would remember her, that would only last for a couple of generations at best. Then Susan would just be some nameless old bones in the ground.


    But a Hero?


    Forget one or two generations. So long as humanity doesn¡¯t get wiped out, they will be remembered forever.


    And besides, Susan can still do the grumpy old grandma thing afterwards. She¡¯ll just get to be filthy fucking rich while doing it and get to have fun watching her grandkids fight for her love so they might get their name in the will. But jokes on them, only her absolutely favorite grandbaby will be getting everything. It will be hilarious, and she can¡¯t wait to see the chaos unfold from the afterlife.


    That sounds so much better than what her parents had planned for her.


    Although¡­ Brad was pretty cute. Maybe I should look him up after I¡¯m retired, see if he is still single¡­


    Getting lost in her thoughts, Susan almost doesn¡¯t notice as a light is flickering in a hallway they are passing. It catches her attention, and she stops, turning to look up at that flickering glow stone.


    Everyone else stops and gives her a curious look, obviously wondering why she stopped walking.


    ¡°Hey¡­ has anyone ever seen the light stones flicker like that before?¡±


    ¡°Huh. No, not really¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe it just needs replaced?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon lights never need replaced.¡±


    ¡°You think it¡¯s intentional?¡±


    ¡°Well, if the Dungeon has really been helping us, then maybe.¡±


    ¡°Check it out?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth a try. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we just go back to what we¡¯ve been doing.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Dungeon! Please lead us to the Safe Room, I need to sleep!¡± Ben calls out to the ceiling.


    It keeps flickering.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re checking it out then.¡±


    They proceed down the hall passing under the light and continuing on. When they do, the flickering stops. At the next intersection, they check all three options, left, straight, and right. Another light is flickering.


    ¡°Right it is then¡­ Thank you, Dungeon?¡± Susan tries.


    ¡°Thank you, Dungeon!¡± Elaine happily chirps up at the ceiling.


    This is so weird, actually having a Dungeon not trying to kill me for once. Wait, would having this be in the story make it better, or worse? I guess it depend on if the Guild would even let me keep it in. They might want to keep this a secret¡­ Although, I seriously doubt that most people would honestly believe it¡­ Things to think about later, I guess.

 B2. Chapter 8.3- Unlucky Number 13

    ¡°Eugh¡­ Really wish we could have packed some actual food.¡± Elaine complains after gaging down a hearty meal of food slurry for breakfast. No matter how many of these things she eats, or really, drinks, the taste never gets better. It doesn¡¯t even really have so much of a taste, but is more of a texture and gooeyness that makes it feel repulsive to swallow.


    ¡°Ah, I would kill for some jerky right now.¡± Susan agrees, sitting beside her by the hearth of the Safe Room.


    Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, they have more than enough of the stuff to last them for quite a while. Feeling curious, and quite frankly sick of the stuff, Elaine gets up from her seat and tosses the empty container into the fire. Walking over to a nearby wall, she pulls of some of the ever-present moss and returns to her seat.


    ¡°What you doing with that stuff?¡±


    ¡°I heard that it¡¯s edible¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d rather eat moss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather eat almost anything by this point. I just need something other than that stuff!¡±


    Susan doesn¡¯t say anything else and just watches curiously as Elaine sniffs the moist moss. She knows that the stuff is edible, but she has never bothered trying it herself. Supposedly, some poor people who can¡¯t afford very much food will sometimes go into the first floor to gather the stuff to eat when they have no other options. Especially during the winters. Some adventurers, desperate for money, will even gather the stuff by the basket loads, and then sell them to low-income families for a couple coppers a pound. At least then, they have something to put in their soup.


    Elaine has clearly never tried the stuff either, so she is hesitant to take a bite of the squishy moss. Eventually, she nipples off a piece and chews it for a bit.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s not bad. Not much of a taste to it, sort of like a grassy cabbage? Very chewy¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it better than the slop?¡±


    Elaine pops the rest of it in her mouth and chews. ¡°Much.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all I need to know.¡±


    Susan throws her own slop container in the fire and then goes to grab a couple handfuls of moss for the two of them to share.


    When Dale wakes up from a full night¡¯s sleep, he gets up to find the two ladies munching on moss of all things and just gives them both a confused look.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste that bad, actually. I wouldn¡¯t eat this regularly, but it¡¯s not bad¡­ Oh, morning, Dale.¡±


    ¡°Good morning¡­ You enjoying your breakfast there?¡±


    They both just shrug and say unanimously, ¡°¡°It¡¯s better than slop.¡±¡±


    Elaine giggles. ¡°Ah, jinx! You owe me a drink!¡±


    ¡°Jinx? What are you, a kid?¡± Susan asks with a smile.


    ¡°No! But you do owe me a drink, though. That¡¯s how it works. It¡¯s the rules¡­¡±


    Definitely still a kid.


    Susan decides to eat some more moss instead of saying it though. She knows how much Elaine hates being treated like a child. She is almost twenty after all, and has been an adult for a few years now. It¡¯s just her own fault that she keeps acting like it. And that she is cute¡­ Also, being small doesn¡¯t help her case very much either.


    Hell, just the other day, that old shopkeeper mistook her as my kid sister and gave her a candy. ¡°Make sure to hold your big sister¡¯s hand. You don¡¯t want to get lost in the market, sweety.¡± Hahaha!


    Susan can¡¯t help but to giggle as she chews on some moss, remembering Elaine getting angry, but not wanting to yell at the nice old lady, fuming with a piece of candy in her cheek.


    ¡°What so funny?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re short, haha.¡±


    ¡°Wha! Why, wo- Don¡¯t call me short! I¡¯m not that small! Don¡¯t laugh!!!¡±


    Elaine is hitting her now, but the little healer¡¯s fists hardly hurt, and if anything, it just makes Susan want to laugh even harder.


    ¡°Is there something in that moss?¡± Dale has to ask as he is watching them, but Susan just smiles.


    ¡°Nah, just remembering something funny.¡± She says as Elaine continues to punch her arm with the fury of a thousand shorties. Susan doesn¡¯t bother to stop her; she¡¯ll tire herself out eventually.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Is all he says, a little smile growing on his bearded face. Digging out some ¡®breakfast¡¯ of his own, he gets comfortable by the fire and drinks down his slop. He¡¯s good at hiding it, but he is clearly disgusted by the stuff. After finishing it, he watches the two snacking on moss and silently decides to give it a try as well. By this point, Elaine had indeed tired herself out from punching Susan and chose to return to her moss with a little pout on her cute face.


    Adorable~ If any of the guys at the Clan saw this, they¡¯d be furiously drawing pictures of her¡­ Actually, I want one. I want of a drawing of her pouting will eating. I¡¯ll have to bully her a bit when we get back, see if I can make it happen. Would totally be worth it.


    Fawning over her cute little sister in her head, Susan pops the rest of her moss in her mouth and washes it down with a swig of water.


    ¡°So, Ben, you almost done recharging?¡± Susan asks the Fire Mage who has been silently meditating by the fire this entire time. He had woken up a bit before Dale and dived straight into refilling his core by the fire after a quick meal of slop. Susan can almost feel as the energy of the hearth¡¯s fire is being pulled into his body.


    ¡°Working on it¡­ You would think that a forever burning fire would be a great source of mana, but it just isn¡¯t as good as the real thing.¡±


    Susan doesn¡¯t bother asking why, because she knows that that would just lead into a lecture on magic theory that would just go in one ear and out the other. Elaine would enjoy it though. But that is only natural, considering that she has a crush on the guy.


    He could talk about rocks, and she would probably enjoy it. I wonder if she knows that I know about her crush? Or for that matter, that everyone knows¡­ I don¡¯t think that Ben knows though. Is he just dense, or just not interested? Hmm¡­ I wonder if I need to have ¡®The Talk¡¯ with Elaine? She¡¯s a big girl now, still short, but definitely a woman now. Oh! If she has any kids, will that make me aunty Susan!? I¡¯m going to be an aunt! Oh, I am going to spoil the fuck out of those kids, especially if they are anywhere near as cute as their mommy is.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Hey, Ben.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, don¡¯t keep Elaine waiting.¡± Or me.


    ¡°Doing my best here.¡± He says as he opens one eye to look over at Elaine, who is happily munching on a mouthful of moss like a hamster. ¡°And does Elaine have something she is waiting for; what¡¯s the rush?¡±


    You know what she¡¯s waiting for! Hurry up and give me some nieces and nephews already!


    ¡°To get out of this Dungeon, obviously. She needs a bath¡­¡±


    Elaine gives herself a sniff and asks Susan, ¡°Do I smell bad?¡±


    Susan just turns her head away and refuses to answer.


    ¡°Hey! I don¡¯t smell that bad, right? Right!? Susan! Hey, it¡¯s not that bad, right guys? Dale, Ben?¡±


    Ben closes his eyes and returns to meditating, not saying a word. Dale just looks away and keeps eating his moss¡­


    ¡°Come on, I don¡¯t smell that bad! Ahh, Susan, stop picking on me!¡±


    ¡°You smell like flowers and sunshine¡­¡± Susan deadpans.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie! What do I actually smell like?¡±


    ¡°Like lilacs on a moonlit night¡­¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡± She jumps onto Susan, grabbing onto her like an angry koala bear onto a tree and trying to force her pits into Susan¡¯s face.


    ¡°Smell it and tell the truth!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Sweaty! Sticky! Smelly!!!¡± Susan jokingly complains as she fights backs, pushing to protect herself from getting a face full of armpit.


    The two of them fall out of Susan¡¯s chair and start to wrestle, with Susan obviously holding back the entire time and just happily playing around. If she wanted to, she could easily rip Elaine off of her body and manhandle her like a child. But that wouldn¡¯t be fun, and after the last few incredibly stressful days they¡¯ve been having, they all certainly need some fun in their life right now.


    Unfortunately, all good things have to eventually end, and their play time is sadly ruined by Dale calling out a warning.


    ¡°Undead at the door!¡±


    Ben snaps out of his meditation. Dale stands and raises his hammer. Susan and Elaine immediately separate and get to their feet, with Susan drawing her sword in one smooth motion. In a heartbeat everyone is instantly ready for combat.


    Standing there in the doorway is a single Lizard Man zombie. It had stopped just there, not having taken a single step inside yet and is doing nothing else.


    ¡°Can it not enter, because of the Safe Room?¡± Elaine eventually asks after a couple of seconds of just everyone staring at the thing and waiting.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so? The other Safe Rooms couldn¡¯t stop them. I don¡¯t think that this one is any different, right?¡± Susan answers.


    She doesn¡¯t take her eyes off the thing, just waiting for it to attack. But this is weird.


    Why is it alone? Why isn¡¯t it doing anything? Undead don¡¯t do this, not unless¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s being controlled.¡± Ben tells everyone, having apparently come to the same conclusion as Susan a moment sooner.


    ¡°So, what should we do? Is that a bad thing?¡±


    ¡°Depends. Some mages can use spells to see through the eyes of their minions. The Necromancer could be looking at us, right now.¡±


    ¡°That certainly doesn¡¯t sound like a good thing.¡± Dale states as he takes a step closer to the rotting lizard.


    It snaps its head in his direction and raises a hand towards him. Everyone tenses, waiting for something to happen, but the lizard still doesn¡¯t move beyond that.


    ¡°There¡¯s something in its hand.¡± Elaine eventually points out, and when everyone else checks they too find something white held tightly by its big scaly fingers.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill it and find out what it is, Elaine, stay back in case it is a trap.¡±


    ¡°Okay, just be careful.¡±


    Moving forward slowly, Susan raises her sword above her head. One step, two, three, she soon becomes the closest person to it in the room and it immediately turns towards her, arm outstretched and seemingly offering. Susan stops, but it does nothing else. It just stands there and blankly looks at her with dead eyes.


    Closer, closer still. One step at a time until she is in striking range. It doesn¡¯t move even so much as an inch. The thing might as well be a statue, just standing there with its arm held out for her.


    ¡°Fucking weird, but ok¡­¡±


    She moves and cuts it down. A single cut divides its body in halves and the two parts fall to either side, destroying the zombie instantly and returning it to being just a lifeless corpse on the floor.


    Ignoring the mess, Susan squats down and pries open its fingers, grabbing the white thing it was holding.


    ¡°Paper?¡± She says as she looks it over.


    It has to be some of the highest quality paper that she has ever seen, being pure white and so incredibly smooth. Susan has seen expensive books written on equally expensive paper, but nothing anywhere near as good as this.


    She unfolds it after checking to ensure that the hallway outside is clear, and looks it over.


    ¡°The Necromancer sent us a letter¡­¡± Susan says after giving it a read, her face clearly looking displeased.


    ¡°Well, that can¡¯t be good at all.¡± Dale states with a grunt. ¡°What does it say?¡±


    She walks over and hands it to him so he can read it out loud. Though he does take a moment to admire the penmanship.


    ¡®Hello humans,


    If you are reading this, it means that I know you are here on the 13<sup>th</sup> floor. Welcome! I knew that some of you would eventually come to stop me, and I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival. Now then, I would like to present you with this opportunity to escape before I kill you all. Leave. Return to the upper floors and take the teleporter to return to the surface. I commend you for managing to get this far and for managing to slay my Cleaner, but this is as far as you will get. Beyond this point only lies death and regret. This will be my only warning to you.


    Upon killing the zombie holding this note, I will know where you are within the Dungeon and will begin sending my forces to crush you. If you did not kill the zombie, it is under orders to destroy itself if the note has been taken from its hand by a human.


    Further, should my Undead forces not be enough to convince you to leave of your own accord, or to simply kill you, I will begin spreading the Death Fungous on this floor within four hours of you receiving this note.


    If you truly wish to stop me and have decided to disregard my warning and offer to leave, then please feel free to try and find me. I will be expecting you and ready to fight.


    Finally, just know this. I know that the Dungeon is helping you. And no matter how much it cheats; it won¡¯t be enough to stop me. I WILL win.


    Regardless, I hope you have a great day!


    Sincerely, and with much love, Bug.


    P.S. If you find more copies of this letter, just know that I sent out like a couple dozen of these things to make sure that at least one of them reaches you. So, yeah. Feel free to ignore them. Actually, you know what? Go ahead and collect them. If you manage to bring me ten, I¡¯ll give you a cookie as a reward.¡¯


    ¡°I want a cookie!¡± Elaine declares first thing as soon as Dale finishes reading out the letter for everyone.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seriously think that the Necromancer would just give you a cookie, do you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe? But if I can get one, I would like to have it¡­¡±


    Susan just gives Elaine a look, who just gives a sweet innocent little smile in return.


    Susan grabs the letter and hands it to her.


    ¡°Fine, if the cookie isn¡¯t a lie, and we get all ten letters, you can have it.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    ¡°Moving on, what do we do now? She knows where we are now, and if the letter is true, then we are about to be getting some company.¡±


    Dale just shrugs. ¡°The only thing we can do. We go on the attack and find her. We can¡¯t leave; not after everything we¡¯ve done to get here.¡±


    Ben nods. ¡°I don¡¯t care how much Undead she sends our way. I¡¯m avenging our comrades and collecting that bounty.¡±


    Everyone nods at that, firm in their resolve.


    ¡°Only one problem though. We still have to find her, and she could be literally anywhere on this floor. And to make matters worse, we only have four hours to do so.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, we only have two working hazmat suits left.¡± Dale says with a look towards the corner where Susan and Elaine¡¯s still functional suits are sitting. ¡°If she starts spreading the mushrooms, we won¡¯t have any choice but to run.¡±


    ¡°Elaine and I could continue hunting her, but I don¡¯t like our chances with just the two of us.¡± Is what Susan says next, but in reality, it isn¡¯t the chance of success that she is worried about. With it just being the two of them, she can¡¯t guaranty that she would be able to keep Elaine safe. If it did come down to that, she would just take her and run away. The mission is now on a deadline.


    ¡°Would she really spread mushrooms while still on this floor though?¡± Elaine asks.


    ¡°We need to assume that she is probably immune, or has some way to protect herself from them.¡±


    ¡°That, or she intends to flee down the stairs first.¡±


    ¡°We could make that assumption and guard the stairs, but if it ends up that she is immune, then we will be in a bad situation. Our only option is to hunt her down, and if that fails, retreat.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Ok, sounds good.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s time to get going. Pack up and let''s get moving. I don¡¯t want to be stuck in here when an army of the Undead show up at our door.¡±


    ¡°And I want that cookie!¡±


    Dale sighs, ¡°Yes, yes. And we need to get Elaine her cookie. Keep an eye out for notes.¡±

 B2. Chapter 8.4- Unlucky Number 13

    ¡°More coming on the left! Ben, burn them. Susan and I will hold the front. Elaine, keep an eye on our back!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    They continue to fight their way through the halls, stepping over the still twitching remains of slain zombies and pushing through though the hordes. A moment after giving the order, the hallway on their left is suddenly aglow with fire and radiating heat as a dozen more zombies are flash barbequed and turned into charcoal and ash. The Necromancer hadn¡¯t been lying when she said that she would be sending her forces to crush them.


    While the numbers are noticeably less than they were on the upper floors, she must have been gathering a small army for herself down here over the past couple of days or more. Lizard Men, Kappa, Spiked Frogs, Garmolds, Giant Salamander and Geckos, and basically every other creature that can be found down here. If they aren¡¯t capable of walking on land, then they simply attack from the waterways that run all along these underground sewers, with even the regular fish having become zombies that will jump out of the water to try and bite the adventurers and nibble on their boots.


    At the back of the group, Elaine has to kick an especially aggressive catfish away from her that was trying to grab onto the tail of her robes and pull on them. They aren¡¯t much a threat, but having fish jumping out of the water at you constantly sure is annoying.


    ¡°What did she do, kill everything on this floor!?¡± Susan complains as she cuts a particularly aggressive turtle¡¯s head off. Even without its head, it continues to attack by trying to ram her with its shell, but Dale¡¯s hammer finishes it off with a smashing blow from above, crushing the shell and probably pulping everything inside.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many she sends. These are small fries to us!¡± Dale declares as he moves into a baseball swing and sends a Lizard Man flying back into the horde, sending a bunch of them tumbling as their bodies collide. ¡°She¡¯s just trying to slow us down. There is no way that she expects this to actually stop us.¡±


    ¡°Right. Without the mushrooms-¡± Sussan dodges back half a step, letting a swiping hand full of sharp claws miss her face by barely an inch. When she steps forward again, her sword is already moving upward, slicing the creature in half from hip to shoulder as she walks past it. ¡°- or the poison, these things are just regular zombies. If we were in the fourth layer, these numbers would be much more of an issue.¡±


    Dale swings his hammer from left to right, mowing down three more and sending them flying into the water as a tangled mess of limbs and broken bodies.


    ¡°Ah, still. Focus on conserving your energy. We don¡¯t need to be tiring ourselves out before we get there. We still have the main fight ahead of us!¡± He bellows as he smashes his hammer down on a Lizard Man¡¯s skull and basically folds its body like an accordion.


    When they reach the next intersection, Elaine looks up and points to the right. ¡°Dungeon says to go right. Thank you, Dungeon!¡±


    ¡°Elaine, you don¡¯t have to thank the Dungeon every time. Just the once is enough.¡± Susan tells her as she cuts down another enemy.


    ¡°But it¡¯s polite to thank someone when they give you directions¡­ Oh, note, note! Yes!¡±


    Elaine jumps over a corpse and goes for the hand holding the bloodstained piece of white paper. When she pulls on it, the entire arm comes up with it out of the pile. No signs of the body that it used to be attached to, but she doesn¡¯t care. With the energy of a graverobber pulling gold teeth from a corpse, she pries open the fingers and retrieves the note.


    Susan just peeks over her shoulder and smiles as she continues to fight, having to hold back a laugh.


    And to think that just a few years ago, something like that would have had her throwing up and crying. Haaah, I miss those days. I want 15-year-old Elaine back. Where is my little girl who would sneak into bed to sleep with me when she was lonely at night? Is this what it feels like to be a mom? Why do they have to grow up so fast?


    Susan is tempted to let herself wander off into her memories, and to just tune out the fight. Now that she is fully rested, and further, not being forced to fight while wearing that cumbersome hazmat suit, this is become way to easy. But that is a recipe for disaster. She needs to focus. Far too many good people have died to see her get this far, and she needs to finish this. The last thing she needs to have happen is a dumb mistake because she stopped focusing.


    Clearing the current horde, they turn and keep moving at a relaxed jog, following the Dungeon¡¯s directions as the lights above them continue to flicker and guide them along.


    Susan still can¡¯t get over how weird this is. Actually having a Dungeon of all things helping. It goes against everything she knows, but at the same time, it makes her wonder about just how dangerous this Necromancer must be. To make a Dungeon of all things feel so threatened that it would resort to asking humans for help. Or, as she had put it in the note, to cheat¡­


    What is up with that? Does the Necromancer know something about Dungeons that we don¡¯t? Hmm, well, she is trying to destroy one, so I guess it makes sense that she would. Still. Cheating, that¡¯s such a weird way of saying it. That would imply that the Dungeon has some sort of rules that it has to follow¡­ But who the hell could implement rules onto something like a Dungeon? They would have to be a god, right?


    No one knows where the Dungeons come from. The common belief is that they are born from caves in the ground that gather too much magical energy, and then eventually grow into what they are now. But Susan is coming to a revelation, a simple question forming in her head that would normally be ignored without proof, but is seeming more plausible now than ever before.


    What if Dungeons aren¡¯t naturally born, but are created by someone?


    The thought actually scares her. After all, why would someone create man-eating Dungeons? Especially when people have a tendency to build their cities right on top of them, drawn to the near endless resources and mana shards found within.


    Unless, that¡¯s what they wanted. They want us to build our homes near the Dungeons. They want us to keep willingly diving in and risking our lives. But why? Just to feed the Dungeon? What would be the point in that; what do they get out of us dying in here?


    Susan doesn¡¯t have all the answers. And if anything, that just scares her even more. After all, what if when someone dies in here, it isn¡¯t just their body that is being eaten? What if the Dungeon does something to their soul? Many people and even friends that Susan has known over the years have died in Dungeons. What if something horrible happened to them?!


    With her thoughts running wild, the group takes another turn and runs into a fresh horde of zombies. Only, this one is far more organized and was seemingly prepared for them to arrive. A line of Lizard Men are all standing in a shield wall, spears held forward and ready to stab. Further back, hiding in the water, Susan can see some Kappa, ready and waiting to shoot blasts of water from their mouths.


    It''s not much of a shield wall though¡­


    Susan has seen better ones made by conscripted farmers on the battlefield. This formation just isn¡¯t tight enough, with gaps large enough to walk though. Not to mention, the Lizard Men¡¯s weapons and shields are made from scraps of rusty metal and driftwood held together with nothing but hopes and dreams and a length of frayed rope.


    For Susan and Dale, who are more than capable of defeating knights in full plate armor, these lizards are basically a joke. A joke that is even funnier when you have a mage on your side.


    With the Lizard Men formation being hunkered down and waiting for an attack, this gives Ben more than enough time to just simply lob a fireball right into the center of their ranks, taking them all out instantly. The Kappa in the water are more of an issue, but Elaine is more than happy to snipe them with her light as Susan and Dale protect her from their ranged attacks.


    Once they are all dead, Ben can¡¯t help but to comment. ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem very experienced in leading troops, does she?¡±


    Dale just shrugs. ¡°It¡¯s something other than just mindlessly charging us. She must be trying different strategies to see if anything works.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, the mindless charging is probably a better idea. Works better with how the Undead fight. It¡¯s just a shame they got matched up against¡­¡± Ben says while nodding towards Susan, who might as well be a living blender. She just shrugs.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Sure enough, the next fight sees them going against another shield wall. But this time, a second force of Undead come from behind and attack them when they try to simply blow up this one like they did the last. Pincered between two groups of enemies, Dale moves forward to smash through the shield wall with his hammer, while Susan moves to the back to fend off the charge with the two mages protected in the middle.


    ¡°I could take them all out if you¡¯d like.¡± Elaine offers.


    ¡°No, focus on conserving your mana. We¡¯ll need you for the final fight!¡± Susan calls back as she dodges and weaves, slicing though zombies one after the other.


    Ben just points, ¡°Hey, that one has a note.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Susan, Susan, get that one! That one!¡±


    ¡°Elaine, will you hold on, I¡¯m busy!¡± She shouts back, but she does start making her way towards it though.


    About halfway through cutting her way through the horde, she notices something odd about the one holding the note. Its head keeps twitching, its eyes blinking, mouth opening and closing. When a hand goes up to its head like it is trying to fight off a headache, the thing blinks and looks around.


    ¡°Did it work? Is this thing wor- Oh! I can talk though this!? Hello, hello, one two three, ladle dee, uncle bee~ Oh this is just so weird¡­ But it worked! Yes, I earned the Spell too, nice! Just saved me five whole Skill Points.¡± The Undead lizard happily says in a rumbling voice that could only possibly come from the throat of a gator. With both arms raised above its rotting head, it cheers happily and gives an awkward little jump. Something that is rather weird to watch as its body is half rotted and sagging, its skin falling apart just from the effort of a happy hop and a cheer.


    It looks around next with one good eye, the other clearly being blind, and squints as it finds the humans. ¡°Four humans? I thought there would be more of you¡­ Geez, and you guys are just slaughtering my minions with just the four of you? Guess I underestimated you. I''ve gotta stop doing that. Don''t underestimate the humans. Come on Bug...¡±


    With a wave of its hand, the other zombies stop fighting, all remaining stock still right where they are, the one before Susan still being mid attack with its mouth wide open for a bite. She doesn¡¯t stop moving though, and follows through in her attack, cutting the zombie down before finally turning her attention to the talking zombie.


    ¡°Are you the Necromancer?¡±


    It points to itself. ¡°Me? No, this is just a zombie I¡¯m controlling. Cool, right?¡±


    ¡°I know that¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m the Necromancer. Hi, I¡¯m Bug! Well, not this guy, or girl?¡± The zombie looks down at its own body. ¡°How the heck do you tell the sex of a lizard¡­ Not important. I don¡¯t know what this things name was or if it even had one¡­ I¡¯ll call it Lizard Joe for now. This is Joe!¡± Joe waves hello.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what the lizard¡¯s name is.¡± Susan says as she points her sword towards her enemy. Behind her, Elaine waves back. ¡°Hello, Joe.¡±


    She looks over her shoulder and gives Elaine a look.


    ¡°What, I¡¯m just being polite¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be polite to the enemy; she is trying to kill us.¡±


    The controlled lizard hasn¡¯t moved from its spot and is still just looking around in amazement.


    ¡°Oh, this is just so funky. Eyesight sucks though, how the heck do these things not run into everything? Why is that light flickering?¡±


    The light promptly stops flickering as soon as she notices it.


    ¡°¡­ Oi! Dungeon, I fucking know that was you! I knew it!!! You''re leading them right to me, aren¡¯t you? Cheating bastard! So, this is why they are catching up so quickly. I knew it was probably helping, but I didn¡¯t think it would be something as blatant as this. This is just unfair! Hey, humans, would you be so nice as to kindly leave, please? Dungeon, I am so telling on you. Redacted is going to tear you a new asshole when she learns about this!¡±


    The light just starts flickering again in clear and silent defiance of her protests. Even without words, the message is clear. ¡®Fuck you.¡¯


    ¡°Oiii!!! Haa, I hate this place¡­¡± The lizard complains, both hands on its face like it is trying to drag the stress out of it rotting brain.


    The humans in question can only stare at this weird zombie, looking like they are between waiting for a fight and wanting to ask questions. Eventually, the zombie just lets out a long breath and then turns its attention back to them.


    ¡°Sorry about that¡­ But seriously, leave already. I¡¯ve important things to do here, and I don¡¯t need you getting in my way- No Mimmie, don¡¯t chew on that; I need it for the puzzle. No, no! Mimmie, please don¡¯t distract mommy right now, she is on the phone. Here, have some frog legs¡­ Wait, what the heck is a phone, and how do I know that word?¡± The lizard blinks and shakes its head, refocusing on the humans instead of whoever this, Mimmie, is. ¡°Sorry about that. Seriously, just leave already.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t think we are going to do that.¡± Susan tells it, her, in response.


    This is not what I was expecting at all. I was expecting an evil, cackling dark wizard. Not¡­ not this¡­


    The lizard just pouts, or at least the best approximation of a pout that a rotting lizard corpse can do.


    ¡°Why not? I will kill you if you catch up to me. You do know that, right? I know I have a bounty on my head, but it can¡¯t seriously be worth throwing your lives away. How much even is my bounty now anyways?¡±


    ¡°One platinum.¡±


    The lizard just tilts its head to the side, looking confused.


    ¡°Is that a lot? Just one?¡±


    ¡°One platinum is worth a thousand gold coins.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I think that is a lot of money¡­ The original amount was much less, and people were still willing to hunt me for it. Cool! There is something nice about having such a high bounty¡­ I wonder how high I can get it? Still, you¡¯re willing to throw away your life over money? You can¡¯t spend it if you¡¯re dead, you know. Come on, get of here already. Go back and tell everyone to not bother me anymore.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to do that. And we aren¡¯t doing this just for the money! You are trying to kill tens-of-thousands of people. You¡¯ve killed hundreds already! Our clan mates, they died to see us here! We aren¡¯t leaving until we have your head!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to kill anyone though? Well, except for the Dungeon of course. I am definitely going to kill you!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about!? Destroying the Dungeon would destroy Silest along with it. Do you have any idea how many people will die when that happens?¡±


    ¡°Uh, none?¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°You see, I¡¯ve had a lot of time to think about it, which has been great for my conscious, and quite frankly, destroying the Dungeon doesn¡¯t really mean that I am trying to kill the people of Silest. Destroy the city, most definitely. But not kill the people. After all, they know what I am doing. They are more than able to flee at any point between now and when I succeed. So, quite frankly, anyone that refuses to evacuate, their deaths aren¡¯t on me. They are making their choice to stay, despite knowing that the city will collapse. That¡¯s on them, literally.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure it does¡­ After all, if their house collapses on them after they were repeatedly told that it was going to happen, then it is their fault for not getting out of the way.¡±


    Elaine raises her hand. ¡°But you¡¯re the one that made their house fall, though?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure. But with weeks of advance notice. If they choose to stay, knowing full well what is about to happen, then that is suicide as far as I¡¯m concerned. I¡¯m not killing anyone. After all, you wouldn¡¯t blame a volcano for killing people if it had been rumbling for weeks and then went off. Of course, that doesn¡¯t apply to those who get in my way. You four will die if you try to stop me. So, leave. Get out of here and tell everyone up in your city to hurry up and evacuate already.¡± The lizard waves its hands at them like it is trying to get rid of a begging stray cat. "Shoo, shoo."


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple! You can¡¯t just tell them to leave and expect them to do so!¡± Susan shouts at the puppet lizard.


    It just shrugs. ¡°Why not? Is their stuff worth more than their lives? What¡¯s keeping them from just packing up and leaving?¡±


    ¡°Because then they would be refugees, and would have to flee to other cities, and try to start their lives over from almost nothing. And that is if those cities will even accept those refugees or not.¡±


    ¡°But, they would still be alive¡­ Human, you aren¡¯t very smart, are you?¡± The lizard asks, looking genuinely concerned for Susan¡¯s mental capabilities.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that. You would still be responsible for their deaths!¡±


    ¡°Nu¡¯uh, I¡¯m in the clear.¡± It says as it crosses its arms.


    ¡°You-!¡±


    ¡°Susan, stop. She is just stalling for time and messing with you. If we are close, we need to hurry up and find her.¡±


    Susan looks back at Dale for a second before returning an angry look toward the smug lizard.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, let¡¯s just hurry up and finish this. It doesn¡¯t matter what she thinks if she is dead after all.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, come on. Stay here and keep talking with me. I¡¯m sure that I can convince you eventually. Or, better yet, leave! Go on, get out of here. Stairs leading up are that way. If you leave now, I will stop attacking you, now shoo. I have more important things to do than entertaining guests and¡­ Yes, that did it, finally! Hahaha, I solved it! Yes, Yes! All that time spent collecting all those damn, colored wheels, finally! Welcome back Bo- Dang it¡­ It¡¯s just Zax. Sorry Billy, it looks like Bob is the last one we¡¯re getting back. Still, good to have you back, Zax. Go join Sam over there¡­ Oh, woops, I¡¯m still talking though Lizard Joe¡­ Well¡­ No more reason to keep stalling. See ya later, humans! You have two hours and thirty-eight minutes left until I start spreading the shooms. I would really recommend leaving before then. Come on Mimmie, let¡¯s get g-¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Susan calls out to the corpse, but the connection is already cut, and it goes back to being just a normal, brainless zombie, it¡¯s mouth still stuck mid word.


    A moment passes and all the zombies remain motionless, still standing stock still where they had been. The next, they are all bursting into motion without warning, going back onto the attack with even greater aggression than before.


    But they die all the same. The zombies fight tooth and nail, but by the end, they are all turned into a mess on the floor, the two mages not having to raise a finger the entire time.


    When the fighting is done and Susan is taking a breather to drink some water, Elaine points up at the ceiling, sounding a bit concerned.


    ¡°Uhm, guys? The Dungeon is doing something.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    They all look up and find the lights no longer flickering, but instead flashing in sequence, the wave of lights going on and off, running down the hall and taking a turn two intersections down.


    ¡°Guess the Dungeon is done pretending¡­ It must really want us to get her. Come on, let¡¯s get moving. We¡¯re on a time limit after all.¡± Dale declares.


    As he does so, the trailing guide of lights updates, the path no longer turning left at the intersection but instead leading straight ahead. The lights start flashing faster and they quickly get the message.


    Their target is moving. Fast. If they don¡¯t hurry it up, she will get away before they can catch her.


    Their only option is to run and hope they can get there in time.

 B2. Chapter 8.5- Unlucky Number 13

    Down hallways and over bridges, up ladders and following curving paths of waterways that flow down and deeper into the Dungeon. They run, following a flashing trail of lights guiding them through the labyrinthine sewers of red brick and black water. Sprinting by as monsters leap from the water to fight desperately against the Undead, holding them back as they completely ignore the very beings that would normally be their prime targets. They step over pitfall traps that never activate, the inner mechanisms being mysteriously jammed or broken on this particular day. They move through shortcuts and hidden paths that should normally be locked by puzzles and challenges, but had accidentally been forgotten about and not reset.


    They make progress, moving as fast as their slowest member can run, and follow as the guiding lights update and suddenly change directions, leading them away from ambushes and always on the shortest path to their target.


    Avoiding fights is still impossible, however. The Necromancer had more than enough time to build her numbers as she waited, and even now, as the monsters of the Dungeon try to fight back, those numbers can only continue to grow. Resistance is inevitable, but they are on a time limit.


    ¡°Enemies ahead! We¡¯re pushing through; Ben, Elaine, make us an opening!¡± Dale orders as they run.


    The corridor ahead is crammed from wall to wall with the Undead, their rotting bodies forming a wall of flesh a hundred strong that can¡¯t just simply be circumvented. They are getting closer. The flashing lights are only getting faster and faster. They need to cut their way through.


    Incanting as they run, the mages release their spells into the gathered horde, their bodies withering away and burning as their bane touches their dead flesh and scales. With an explosion of light, a hole is made in the enemy formation, the remaining vile creatures hissing and sputtering as the residual light scorches their skin and blinds whatever is left of their eyesight.


    But even suffering from Light¡¯s touch, the Undead have their orders and follow with absolute obedience. Hissing, smoking, gurgling from dead throats, gnashing their teeth, and dragging yellowed claws over red brick floor, they move to close the gap, lashing out to attack and grab the humans as they attempt to sprint through.


    Susan leads the charge, her sword swinging faster that can be seen as she forces her mortal body to temporarily move faster than human limits, her lips moving against her will as she call out the name of her skill.


    ¡°Thousand Kisses!¡±


    The Undead in front of her simply explode. Finely cut pieces of torsos, limbs, and heads fly like grapeshot fired from a canon, bone shards and viscera painting the red walls in an even deeper shade of crimson.


    The attack only lasted a half-a-second, but in that time over a dozen-and-a-half zombies had been turned into modern art and pieces of trash littering the sewer¡¯s waterways.


    With her sword glowing red hot and steaming against the open air, Susan releases a strained breath that escapes her lips as a visible cloud of vapor, her body almost at a boil and feeling as hot as her sword right now. Even still, she doesn¡¯t stop running and leads the rest of them through the wall of Undead before it can fully close. Still moving even as she can feel a muscle in her back snapping from the strain of using that move.


    She didn¡¯t have a choice. The Necromancer moves far too fast. Even with the help of the Dungeon guiding them, even with it no doubt trying to slow her down for them as well; the adventurers have been chasing their target''s tail for nearly two hours at a full sprint now. If this hunt takes any longer and the four-hour mark is reached, Susan has no doubt that the Necromancer, this weird Bug person, will uphold her promise.


    At best, they have half an hour to catch her. And if they can¡¯t, well. Then their only choice will most likely be to run away in order to survive. But why it is that Susan believes Bug will do it is something that baffles her.


    She has only interacted with the person via the report, a letter, and now through a proxy via one of her minions. But for some reason, Susan has zero doubt that Bug will keep to her word.


    If they don¡¯t catch her soon, this hunt is over. Plain and simple. She doesn¡¯t have the option of holding back, even if it means pulling out moves that will destroy her body with each use. Using skills that were only ever intended to be used by Immortals.


    ¡°Susan, are you alright!?¡± Elaine calls out from behind her, no doubt seeing how much pain she is in.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Keep moving, we¡¯re almost there!¡±


    ¡°Let me heal you!¡±


    ¡°Not until we catch up to her, I can hold on till then!¡±


    They turn a corner and find an ambush of Kappa filling the water, their cheeks already bulging as they prepare to shoot out spears of water.


    ¡°Keep moving! Ben, get behind me, Elaine, behind Susan, now!¡± Dale shouts as he raises his war hammer before him as a shield, roaring with challenge and barreling forward.


    Ben is right behind the much larger man, chanting a spell as he continues to run through gasping breaths. Elaine is practically hugging Susan from behind as she hides her head and runs.


    Dozens of spears of water are fired near simultaneously, filling the hallway with a buckshot blast of spraying water, moving so fast that it could take the head off of most men.


    Susan and Dale don¡¯t stop moving. Dale protects his head with his hammer, bellowing out the name of a skill, eating blows left and right as spears of water hit his body with the force of a horse¡¯s kick, blood and water flowing down his front as he protects his vitals and holds off the assault with the determination of a steel wall.


    ¡°Unstoppable Charge!¡±


    Susan cuts. With her body still screaming at her to slow down, she moves anyways and swings her sword, releasing another skill so that she can protect the life behind her.


    ¡°Field!¡±


    Like a bubble forming around her, her awareness expands in all directions as her brain begins to heat up, blood trinkling down from her nose. She can see everything, and for a moment, time grinds to a screeching halt. Behind her is her sister, protected by her own body. A total of thirteen projectiles are coming her way, three already within striking range, four following half a second later, and the remaining six a full second. Predicting their path, accounting for her own motion, and knowing how fast she can swing her sword, Susan makes a plan.


    She can¡¯t get them all, not without using another skill in quick succession, but her body wouldn¡¯t be able to take it if she did that. But she doesn¡¯t need to get them all; she just needs to move out of the way.


    A quarter of a second passes and time snaps back into motion. With a twist of her body, Susan swings back a leg and trips Elaine. Two spears fly past them, the third finds her blade as she raises it in an upward swing. The next four arrive, and Elaine is falling to the floor, screaming in surprise from suddenly being tripped. One is heading for Susans head, one for her thigh, one will miss completely, and the last will hit Elaine in the ribs.


    With a tilt of her head, the first passes by without effect, her rising sword catching the second. She won¡¯t be fast enough to bring the sword back down to take out the third, so she doesn¡¯t. Susan catches herself on the same foot she used to trip Elaine and then kicks out with the other, partially ruining her posture, but the blow sends Elaine tumbling over to the side and out of the way of the rest of the attacks. The fourth grazes Susan thigh, cutting a red line through her jeans and slicing though leather armor like it is made of paper. With her lowered posture from the kick, she had managed to avoid getting a hole blown through her leg.


    The remaining six spears arrive last, half of them flying too high and no longer a concern. The last three should hit her chest, but her sword is already raised and in motion. One slash takes out two instantly, and a twist of her wrist draws the blade into place just in time to block the last, the hot metal of her blade hissing as it is rapidly quenched in an explosion of water and steam.


    Elaine, somehow managing to get control over her fall, catches herself and rolls hard, her golden blond hair flying in every direction as she fights to get back up on her feet. Susan immediately moves over and grabs her hand, quickly pulling her behind her back as the two continue to run.


    The Kappa, having just released their salvo are readying the next round, but Ben had been busy incanting while taking cover behind Dale¡¯s unstoppable form. With fire pooling over and dripping from his hands like burning oil, he breaks out from the cover of Dale''s back and unleashes his magic.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Boilover!¡±


    Sticky flames flow out and hit the water¡¯s surface, most of the Undead Kappa instantly going up in flames as the fire finds their rotting flesh. For those that dive under the water for safety, they soon find that the fire is not going out. Instead, it is sitting on the water''s surface, continuing to burn away and only growing hotter and hotter. Below, the water starts to boil. It steams and bubbles. The Undead Kappa, being too dumb to know what to do without orders do not flee further downstream. Instead, they stay and slowly cook as the meat boils off their bones.


    Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill the zombies. They would just simply become skeletons and then keep fighting on once the fire is gone. To wait for the fire to pass so they can come back up and shoot at the fleeing human¡¯s backs. But waiting was a mistake.


    The building steam reaches a critical point, and the magical fire provides the energy. The waterway explodes with enough forces to leave even the Dungeon walls shaking, reducing the Undead Kappa to shattered, steaming bones in an instant as the waterway is instantly emptied.


    With searing hot steam billowing though the halls along with the clatter of an explosion, the adventurers run, pushing their sore and tired bodied to the limit as they outrun a cloud of steam that will leave them covered in burns if they touch it for even so much as a moment.


    Further back, the perusing Undead from the wall get caught in the explosion, getting flashed cooked and blown apart into flying limbs. Those that aren¡¯t destroyed instantly are instead reduced to half melted bodies, stuck to walls and the floor, their own melting and seared flesh becoming a prison to hold them down.


    ¡°Almost there!¡± Susan screams as sweat runs down her face like a waterfall.


    She doesn¡¯t know how, but she can feel it. Just around this corner. Just right up ahead, and she will finally meet her enemy!


    Elaine can¡¯t even answer, gasping for breath as running for two hours at a full sprint and then away from an explosion is finally bringing her to her limit. Ben is no better and looks to be running on hopes and dreams at this point. Dale, is wearing a mask of stoic control, looking like a rock bathed in blood. He is probably in a world of pain, but he doesn¡¯t utter a single word in complaint and just keep pushing forward.


    ¡°Just around this corner!¡±


    They turn and come to a slow stop. Sprint turns into a run, a run into a jog, and then a jog into a fast walk that eventually comes to a complete stop. Behind them, the tremors running though the Dungeon from the explosion finally come to a stop as well.


    The Dungeon is drawn into a complete and utter silence.


    Ahead of them, is an army of the Undead so dense that it would take an hour to count them all. Where they end is an underground lake, which are common in this layer with two or three usually being on each floor.


    Where the Undead stop, the water begins, the view making it look as if the Undead themselves are simply a river flowing into the lake. There is everything here, bodies both small and large, crammed in so tight that even a mouse would struggle to make a path through all this dead flesh and scale and claw.


    The adventurers of the Golden Mare; Susan, Elaine, Dale, and Ben, can only stand there and stare as they catch their breaths, their eyes scanning over an unliving tide of flesh and eventually finding a figure all the way in the back.


    Sitting there like a little queen, relaxing atop a throne of pillows and blankets built upon the back of some insectile horror of twisted human bones, is the one they have been hunting for.


    The insect is standing on a dozen legs of bladed bone, easily keeping steady and level, atop the shoulders and heads of those common Undead beneath it, treating their standing bodies as it would any other surface.


    The moment their eyes lock, Susan can feel as something seems to pass over and through her body. The feeling of being weighed and judged and of having secrets teased out from hiding, an invasion of privacy that leaves goosepimples running down one''s arms. It passes almost as quickly as it came, almost like it never even happened. The others clearly felt it too, and they all know that it came from the little figure before them, her emerald-green eyes seeming to shine even from this distance.


    With a big smile on her face, The Necromancer, Bug, laughs and claps her scaled hands. Her enjoyment is clear, her excitement the only noise carried through these halls, reaching the humans ears with no issue. And when she finishes laughing, she spreads her arms wide, invitingly, all four of them as a pair of wings cover her shoulders like a cape and greets her guests.


    ¡°Welcome! It is so lovely to finally meet you in person! And also, I must congratulate you; you made it here with thirteen minutes to spare, amazing!¡±


    She looks so full of joy as she wholeheartedly congratulates them, clearing deriving some sort of pleasure from them playing along with whatever game it is she thinks they are playing.


    With her congratulations given, she starts to clap again, but this time, every single one of the Undead within this place join her. The hallway soon becomes like a theater full of people, clapping for the actors on stage after an amazing performance. It is deafening. It is over-the-top. It¡¯s embarrassing, like they are being made fun of for trying so hard.


    But also, for Susan. This is exactly what she wanted.


    Here is a villain, standing high and mighty above the would be Heros, clearly looking down on them and mocking them for their efforts.


    A party of four hardened adventurers, no, HEROS, standing defiantly before the Big Bad, already tired and bruised, but ready for the final fight! They even have a swordswoman, a warrior, a healer, and a mage, a literal Hero¡¯s Party! This, this is the stuff stories are written about! This is what Susan had been hoping for all along. Her life¡¯s dream, finally come true! Her final aspiration before retiring. Right before her eyes, and so close that she can almost touch it!


    This is her do or die moment, where she will either have her name written into the annuls of history as a Hero, or where she will die as just another slightly famous adventurer that will eventually be completely forgotten.


    This. Is. Her. Moment!


    While Bug is still happily clapping and is probably about to go in a villain¡¯s monolog, Susan looks back towards Elaine and tells her simply. ¡°Heal us.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    With her arms outstretched, Elaine casts her spell and holy light covers everyone, healing their injuries and restoring some lost stamina. They aren¡¯t back to their peak. That would require proper rest and sleep, but with the final fight being right in front of them, this will have to be more than enough.


    When Bug sees this healing light coming from the humans, she scowls, a look of disgust crossing her beautiful face, her emerald-green eyes growing bright with repulsion.


    ¡°So, I wasn¡¯t mistaken. You brought with you a Light mage. And the other one is most certainly Fire¡­¡± She declares as Ben finishes chanting, standing at the ready with a pair of fireballs held in hand and ready to be lobbed. ¡°Smart.¡±


    ¡°But it will take more than just two mages to bring me down, humans! If you wish to collect my head, you will need to earn it! If you think I fear a little light and flame, then you are in for a Deathly surprise! MuHahahahaha!!!¡±


    She stands from her throne, swiping the air with her arm as if pushing something aside. With the motion, the Undead all fall into silence and bring their weapons forward, ready to fight. Claws and fangs, shoddy spears and rusty daggers, spells held at the ready to be cast!


    ¡°Humans! If you have any last, pitiful words; speak them now for they shall be your last!¡±


    Susan steps forward, ready to speak in defiance of this evil villain. These will be the words recorded before the big fight.


    When she walks down the street and sees kids playing Heros vs. Villains, this is the line she will hear the kid playing the Hero repeat before promptly smacking their friend with a stick and making them cry! It must be perfect. Her dream is about to come true!


    She opens her mouth to speak... and is promptly interrupted by Elaine calling out first.


    ¡°Excuse me! Your letter said that if I collect ten of them, I could get a cookie?¡± She yells across the crowd of battle-ready zombies, holding a stack of papers in the air for Bug to see.


    Susan nearly trips over herself, and Bug is even looking a little startled by the mood getting ruined. Blinking, she just looks at the papers and asks, ¡°Wha- what? A cookie for¡­?


    Then she blinks, seemingly remembering something.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I did put that in there, didn¡¯t I? You know, I just meant that as a joke¡­ Mhhh, but, a promise is a promise¡­ You gathered ten of them, right?!¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± Elaine chirps back with a big smile.


    ¡°Ok, hold on¡­ Billy, go collect them for me real quick, thank you. I have to count them first, make sure you aren¡¯t lying! Just hand them over to Billy!¡±


    A little skeleton no bigger than Bug herself goes running across the top of the crowd of zombies, jumping from head-to-head. It stops on the last one and holds out a hand to retrieve the papers. When Elaine moves forward to hand them over, Susan quickly stops her.


    ¡°What if it is a trap?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is, though? Is this a trap!¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m calling a temporary truce!¡±


    ¡°She called a truce.¡±


    ¡°I heard¡­ ok fine, just be careful.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Elaine happily walks over and hands off the papers to the little skeleton, and much to Bug¡¯s word, none of the zombies try anything. The little guy runs back over to Bug, and hands off the papers for her to count.


    ¡°Ok, you¡¯re good! What flavor do you want? I¡¯ve got chocolate chip, macadamia nut, sugar, and one peanut butter cookie left!¡±


    ¡°Ooh, chocolate chip, please!¡±


    ¡°Ok! Here Billy, deliver this to her.¡±


    Taking her cookie box out, Bug uses a clean piece of paper to grab the cookie out and place it on a wooden plate. Handing it over to Billy, the little skeleton runs it back over and delivers it to a very excited Elaine.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s still fresh! Thank you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome! Enjoy!¡±


    Susan tries to stop her from eating it, feeling rather rightfully frazzled by how everything is suddenly going off script.


    ¡°Wait, what if it is poisoned?!¡±


    ¡°How dare you! I would never poison a cookie!!!¡± Bug screams across the hall with righteous indignation at such a scandalous accusation. The nerve! Other food, a well full of drinking water? Most certainly. But never a cookie!


    ¡°Seriously, who would poison a cookie? They would have to be the worst monster imaginable.¡± Elaine says with disbelief at Susans worry.


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°Still, just please, check it for poisons first. For me?¡± Susan tries. Seriously, what the fuck is happening here. Everything was perfect until cookies got involved.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± Elaine mumbles as she holds her hand over the still hot pastry, swallowing down a mouthful of drool just from the smell. So many days of living off of slop, and now she has this right in front of her. She can hardly resist!


    She casts the spell, an incredibly simply Light spell at that, and the cookie glows golden. No poisons.


    ¡°There, it is safe. Can I eat it now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Susan just sighs, feeling rather defeated right now¡­


    Bug yells across the hordes of Undead. ¡°I want an apology!¡±


    Meanwhile, Elaine is sinking her teeth into sweet, melty, chocolate goodness and practically melting from happiness and a near foodgasm as sugar dances on her tongue and warm cookie fills her stomach with the warmth of a mother¡¯s hug.


    ¡°Hmmmmm~!¡±


    Susan just sighs again as she watches Elaine enjoy her treat, her gaze shifting to look at her fated rival. Her Big Bad Guy, who is actually just a weird little midget with a love for sweets¡­


    She can¡¯t help but to let out another sigh.


    Why couldn¡¯t my villain just be normal and evil? Oh well, at least Elaine is happy¡­


    ¡°So tasty!¡±

 B2. Chapter 8.6- Unlucky Number 13

    ¡°That was a really good cookie.¡± Elaine happily says with a smile after finishing the treat.


    Bug has a big smile on her face and yells over the crowd of Undead, having clearly heard what she said despite the distance. ¡°I¡¯m glad you liked it!¡±


    Susan is feeling a bit out of it now, the momentum of everything having been thoroughly stomped to death in an instant. Ben is still standing there with fireballs in his hand, looking like he doesn¡¯t know what to do with himself, and Dale, despite everything that just happened, is still keeping a warry eye on the enemies. At least someone here still has their priorities straight!


    Up ahead, Bug pulls out what looks like a book and quickly flips a few pages after hiding it under her wing. ¡°Ok, where was I¡­ Insult their efforts and tell them they¡¯ll fail (Add a pun to make it funnier for when you retell it to others.). Next, strike a dramatic pose and invite the hero to make a counter speech. Use something along the lines of, ¡®If you have any last words; speak them now for they shall be your last!¡¯, but add some flair and make it your own¡­ Ok, I did that, but we got sidetracked¡­ next part is¡­ I guess we can just try again? Yeah, that should work.¡±


    Bug closes the book and quickly stores it away, peeking over her shoulder at the waiting humans. Shit, they¡¯re all watching now!


    ¡°Mhmhhm!¡± Quickly clearing her throat, Bug turns dramatically and throws her arm to the side, her wing bellowing like a cape behind her!


    ¡°Humans! If you have any last, pitiful words; speak them now for they shall be your last!¡±


    Everyone just turns to Susan, watching, waiting for her to play her part. Even Bug is watching her with a look of anticipation of her face.


    What the fuck even is this anymore? Di-Did she just check her notes or something? Is she reading off a script? What do I even do at this point; do I just play along? I had something in mind but¡­ Shit, everyone is waiting! I need to say something!


    ¡°Yo-You won¡¯t get away with this, villain!.......¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Susan can feel her face turning almost as red as her hair as everyone just stares at her. Even Bug looks at a loss for words, certainly having been expecting something a little more¡­ dramatic. Perhaps a speech about saving lives, or the power of friendship or something.


    After a couple of awkward seconds where it feels like even the mindless Undead minions are silently judging her, Ben comes to the rescue by getting fed up with all this nonsense and just doing something.


    ¡°Fuck this, let¡¯s just finish this already!¡±


    He throws the fireballs he has been awkwardly holding for a while now and starts things off with a bang.


    ¡°Wait, I still had-¡± Bug starts, but then quickly changes her mind and shrugs. ¡°Eh, fuck it. It was a dumb idea anyways. Whoever wrote that book was an idiot¡­ Forward my minions! Kill the humans!!!¡±


    Susan just curses as her embarrassment turns into anger. ¡°Ahhh, fuck it!!! I can just make it up later anyways! Let¡¯s get that bounty!¡±


    Dale just nods, and gives the order as the fireballs explode and take out dozens of Undead. ¡°Ben, Elaine, go all out! Burn them away and clear us a path!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Susan and Dale charge forward, the mages chanting behind them as they follow at a safe distance. When they meet the charging the Undead, it like hitting a wall, but they don¡¯t slow. The two warriors strike with everything they have, cleaving though the hordes of common zombies like a ship through water. With every swing, the Undead get mowed down or plowed aside. Susan¡¯s slices though, leaving bodies falling over in halves. Dale simply swings left to right and back again, crushing bodies as he wades forward.


    But the Undead are numerous, and much like water, they flow to fill in any gaps left open, moving to surround the humans from all directions and surround them. Even if they are weak individually, able to be effortlessly destroyed with one attack; there are still hundreds of them. It is inevitable that their teeth and claws and shoddy weapons will eventually reach the humans.


    Behind, the mages finish chanting and cast their spells, their Fields pulsing with power as they release their presence onto the battlefield.


    ¡°Dawn¡¯s Flair!¡± ¡°Flamethrower!¡±


    Fire belches out and covers the Undead by the dozens, those closest simply being incinerated in an instant as Ben moves his arm back and forth, washing the battlefield with cleansing fire. With the Undead all being so close together, the hungry flames are free to happily spread from corpse to corpse.


    Elaine throws the bolt of solid light above the battlefield, hitting the ceiling of the Dungeon and detonating it. A miniature sun is suddenly born, shining brightly like the morning light on the horizon. With the holy light bearing down on them, all the Undead hiss and smoke and scream out in pain. Those that weren¡¯t already on fire quickly try to turn and flee, only to find themselves too crammed in with others to be able to do so. Those that are on fire, they simply perish, their rotting, burning bodies falling apart at the seams and turning to ash.


    The adventurers don¡¯t know this, but not all of the Undead here are under Bug¡¯s control. She has a lot of mana, but even controlling this many would be almost impossible, leaving her entirely drained. Instead, she had simply corralled the wild Undead and kept them here by surrounding them with her controlled ones. Which, while not relevant to the fight, actually makes something interesting happen. Even though they aren¡¯t under her control. While in such a situation, the wild Undead will actually copy what the controlled Undead are doing. This is why they all clapped earlier.


    Again, not really relevant right now, but it is something interesting about how the artificial souls made by the curse functions. That while they may be braindead, they do still have some level of intelligence to know how to mimic the actions of their fellow Undead, enabling Bug to build an army much larger than what she would normally be able to control.


    What is relevant is that because Bug isn¡¯t actually in control of most of these zombies, this means that she can¡¯t keep them under control as they all begin to panic and try to run away in every direction. Including towards her.


    ¡°Ah, fuck that is bright! Ouch! Why am I feeling pain; I¡¯m not supposed to be- Holy shit!¡±


    Trying to hide from the light behind her wings, smoke coming off her body, Bug almost gets bucked off of her mount as the crowd of Undead it was standing on starts to panic and run away. Many of the zombies make a b-line for the water of the lake behind her, jumping off the dock and diving into the water. Forcefully regaining her balance by grabbing on hard to its sides, she rides through the chaos as the insect jumps from scrambling corpse to hissing Undead, leaping over to a nearby wall to latch onto the bricks and watch from above.


    With the Undead all in a panicked route, running and tripping over each other in every direction, Bug can¡¯t help but to blink in surprise at the utter chaos unfolding beneath her.


    ¡°Well¡­ so much for that plan.¡±


    For the humans, the chaos isn¡¯t serving them much better than it is Bug.


    The Undead are all over the place, moving like a panicked mob of people trying to all escape a burning building at the same time. Bodies are everywhere, Lizard Men are tripping over Kappa, Spiked Frogs are jumping at random and soaring through the air, Garmoulds are biting at everything that gets in their way, and the few Undead that are under Bug¡¯s control are still trying to attack the humans through all the chaos. The sheer threat of getting ran over and trampled is somehow even worse than it was when the zombie had just been simply attacking them before. This chaos hadn¡¯t been Elaine¡¯s intention. She just picked the one amongst her list of spells that had the highest area of effect, so she could hit the entire army.


    To make matters worse. Everything is also on fire.


    Squinting though the bright light, Susan cuts down an enemy and screams, ¡°Keep moving!¡±


    Dale swings his hammer and sends flying any Undead that are trying to run over the mages behind him. Dust is filling the air as zombies fall apart under the sustained assault of morning light and fire, a corpse tripping over another and breaking into a cloud of dust before it can even hit the floor, obscuring everything as the air becomes thick with the white and grey powder.


    They keep moving forward, pushing through all the chaos and cutting down anything that gets in their way. Elaine and Ben quickly cast shields of their respective elements, holding out the glowing walls to ward away anything that runs their way.


    But with everything going on, it becomes almost impossible to avoid taking any damage. Bodies are everywhere and moving in every direction. Ben takes an elbow to the cheek and almost gets pushed down. A Garmould running through their legs almost trips Elaine, making her twist her ankle and sprain her wrist as she catches herself and quickly gets back up. One of Bug¡¯s Undead, still under her control, manages to leap through the chaos and bite Dale in the arm while he is looking the other way. With a grunt of pain, he rips the zombified lizard off his arm and swings it one-handed into the crowd, using it as a bludgeon.


    Swooping down from above on silent wings, black smoke billowing off of its body from the light baking its bones, a horrific looking bird made from human bones and dripping poison from its claws drives for Susans back. Sensing the coming danger, she quickly turns and raises her sword, just barley managing to block its green tinted claws an inch away from her face.


    Pushing against it, she forces the horrific bird back and swings for it as it tries to fly away. But just as she is about to cut the thing in half, she gets attacked from behind by another zombie Lizard Man stabbing her in the back with its spear. Her strike misses its mark, but not entirely, instead cutting off one of the bird¡¯s wings.


    With the thing falling to the floor somewhere in all the chaos, she turns around and immediately cuts down the bipedal lizard that stabbed her.


    ¡°Susan!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, keep pushing forward!¡±


    And they do. They keep moving forward through all the chaos and smoking bodies and flying ash and spreading fires. Even as little wounds continue to gather on their bodies from getting hit by fleeing things, and blood is shed by claws and blades they fail to avoid or block; they move forward.


    Until finally, after weeks of travel and hardship, they make it.


    Sitting there on her mount, looking rather annoyed and in pain, is the Necromancer. Smoke is coming off of her body where the light meets her exposed scales and skin, but it is nowhere as bad as it was for the Undead. But clearly, the light is harmful to her. Behind her on her mount, held in a special seat of bones and a blanket, is a treasure chest. A really nice looking one, Susan absentmindedly notices.


    She doesn¡¯t know why her eyes went to the chest, or why she even really cared to notice it in the first place while she is in a fight. But it is there. She should just ignore it for now. It¡¯s just a regular chest and isn¡¯t important after all.


    With the light of Elaine¡¯s spell finally going down, Susan can stop squinting as she looks towards her enemy. The hall is almost entirely free of Undead now, and she has a moment to observe her.


    Short, dressed like an adventurer in leather armor, scales showing under her clothes, and plenty of pouches, and belts, and daggers hanging from those. Her face is beautiful in an unnatural way, like it wasn¡¯t the result of inheritance from her mother, but rather that it was hand crafted by some higher power. And with horns growing from her head like a spiked, black crown, a silver chain wrapped around one horn, black and grey hair falling from her head down to her shoulders, and eyes like green jewels, she strikes an image that would be impossible to forget.


    Aside from that is the wings, the extra two arms, the tail that reminds Susan of a shark, and the claws that adorn her fingers like little knives.


    She can tell just by looking at her. Even if Bug is a mage, she isn¡¯t squishy like one. She knows how to use her body to fight like a warrior. She is strong.


    But at least one part of Bug certainly looks squishy¡­


    Susan can¡¯t help but to look down at Bug¡¯s chest and feel like she has already lost in some way. Sure, most people would agree that Susan has a great body, but¡­


    She decides to stop staring. It won¡¯t matter after Bug is dead.


    The adventurers come to a stop before her, raising their weapons and preparing for battle. As the light fully fades and Bug is finally freed from the annoying pain, she smiles and congratulates them as the insect climbs back down the wall, her soft lips parting to reveal sharp teeth.


    ¡°Good job on making it through all of¡­ that, humans. I didn¡¯t think you would make it¡­ So, could I possibly convince you to just, leave?¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Bug just peeks over her shoulder at the lake behind her and then back at them.


    ¡°Yeah. Just go ahead and leave already. I¡¯m giving you this last chance to run away. Go ahead, shoo. Leave already.¡±


    Susan just looks at her, baffled.


    Does she think she is going to lose? Is she scared of us?... No, wait. She doesn¡¯t know how we got here. As far as she knows, we must have fought and killed everything on our way to her. All those monstrosities on the upper layers, all those traps, that huge fucking spider thing. She doesn¡¯t know how we made it here. How many people died to get us here! As far as she knows, it was only ever just the four of us or maybe a couple more. She doesn¡¯t know how we made it past the mushrooms, or anything else. As far as she knows, we could be a party of actual Heros that are much stronger than her!


    Hell, every time she communicated with us, she told us to leave!


    The insect takes a step back towards the water, Bug¡¯s eyes darting back like she is looking to bolt. She¡¯s up against two mages wielding elements she is weak against, and two warriors that just cut their way through an army of hundreds of Undead. Of course she is thinking she can¡¯t win!


    Just as it looks like she is about to bolt, Susan screams, ¡°Get her! Don¡¯t let her get away!¡± And dashes forward as fast as she can. The others a step behind her, not needing to be told twice.


    Just like she thought, the insect turns and tries to run away. But Susan is fast, far faster than most humans will ever be, and is able to quickly catch up, outpacing and leaving everyone else behind in an instant. This is her chance. She needs to cut her down before she can reach the water!


    As it runs, the insect lashes out with its two tails, its needle like tips dripping with poison. Susan parries the first and cuts off the second as she keeps moving forward, getting closer. With her sword raised, she strikes down the moment she gets close enough to hit.


    Bug jumps to the side, taking the treasure chest with her as the insect gets its back half split down the middle of its spine, almost cutting the entire thing apart. As Bug is landing on the other side of the waterway, throwing the chest by the wall and breaking into a run, the insect goes sputtering off to the side and crashes into the waterway with a splash, disappearing under the water.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Susan doesn¡¯t stop. She moves faster, leaping over the water and making for Bug¡¯s fleeing back. She can¡¯t let her reach the water! Susan doesn¡¯t know how, but she just knows that if she lets her, her target will certainly be able to get away in the water.


    No, wait. The shark tail, the webbing she can see between her fingers. That¡¯s a body built for swimming! Susan speeds up again, pushing her body to the max as she pumps her legs and closes the distance. Her body is screaming at her to stop. Her wounds are aching, and Elaine¡¯s earlier healing was only able to do so much. She¡¯s tired and sore, but she needs to finish this now! Just one strike!!!


    She raises the blade, looming over her target''s much shorter body like a reaper of death about to swing the scythe, her muscles tensing as she is about to bring down the blade.


    And then Bug turns around, her face an evil smile.


    Danger!


    ¡°Become Weapon!¡±


    Her small body twists and turns. Limbs start to elongate and shift into blades, tentacles and spikes growing all over her body and bursting from her clothes. Still mid motion, still mid transformation, she stops by dragging her claws into the floor and then moves straight into Susan¡¯s guard. With five dagger-like claws heading straight for her heart, Susan does the only things she can and moves.


    She pushes through her surprise and turns her body, the claws, instead of piercing her chest, slash across her front, tearing her metal protection to ribbons and leaving five red gashes across her chest. She swings down her sword, her strike already mostly ruined, but she needs to attack.


    Her sword makes contact, and Bug doesn¡¯t even bother to dodge, simply allowing the blade to take off two arms and half a dozen tentacles as she keeps moving forward. She doesn¡¯t even look like she felt it, and even as the limbs are still falling, new ones are simply regrowing in to fill their place.


    She has to make distance. Any closer and Bug will practically be hugging her, and the little Necromancer isn¡¯t looking so little anymore. She is growing faster with just one step and is almost as tall as Susan, another clawed hand already moving to strike before her sword had even finished its swing.


    Susan pushes off the ground and jumps back, but Bug simply follows, her mouth a massive smile as sharp teeth only grow larger and more serrated. The both of them moving, hardly a foot between them, Susan has to twist on herself again to avoid getting speared by a clawed hand, her sword raising to try and catch Bug in the crotch and cut her up through the middle.


    But Bug is fast, just like Susan. In an instant, she is kicking out with one leg and parrying it to the side before she can even swing, the blade flying up and to the side ineffectually. That move had managed to slow down Bug by a step though, and this give Susan a chance to backpedal and try to raise her-


    Bug turns on one leg and spins, her shark tail, which has been growing along with her comes flying around as a massive thing, a line of growing spikes running down its length, and slams into Susan. With a heavy grunt she gets thrown to the side and into the wall, a spike on the tail coming away wet with blood after being pulled out of her side.


    The shock from the blow is almost enough to make her lose focus, but Susan quickly raises her sword just as Bug, who is now taller than her by almost a head, is bearing down on her. The two cut off arms have already grown back, and she immediately goes on the assault with all four of them. Throwing punches, stabs, slashes. Susan tries to get away from the wall, but the assault is too intense. It is taking everything she has just to keep dodging and parrying blow after blow. Some of them feel like they could reduce a tree into splinters, and with everyone that she pushes aside, her arms start to shake. When a fist lands against the Dungeon wall right next to her head, she can hear as the bones inside crunch and break against the indestructible bricks. But the Necromancer doesn¡¯t stop in her assault, simply healing the damage instantly and looking like she didn¡¯t feel a damn thing!


    All of this lasts for not but seconds, the two moving so fast that most people wouldn¡¯t be able to follow, but in those couple of second, Susan begins to tire. Near misses, glancing blows, nicks of sharp claws hitting just a bit too close for comfort. The mistakes are slowly stacking up and the few hits she manages to throw back are simply shrugged off and healed by the berserker Necromancer.


    And then she makes a fatal mistake. A tentacle managed to find her wrist and foul up her next parry. The claws are heading for her neck and with how hard they can hit; she will definitely lose her head. She tries to move at the last moment, to shift to the side, but she won¡¯t make it.


    Suddenly, a blast of light hits the Necromancer. She screams, her hit missing its mark, and instead of removing Susan¡¯s head entirely, simply slits her throat.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!!!!¡±


    Bug screams, her body smoking, tentacles writhing. She jumps away and a war hammer is suddenly filling Susan¡¯s vision, just barely missing the fleeing monster. Dale goes running past, moving after it, a war cry on his lips.


    Her legs go weak. Losing too much blood. She leans heavily against the wall and holds her hand up to her throat as it continues to run with hot liquid that stains her glove.


    Someone is beside her, chanting, she hardly understands the words. Then, light. Warm and gentle and loving and filling her whole person.


    Life floods back into Susan and her wounds close. She is still a bit woozy from the blood loss, but she isn¡¯t dying anymore. She isn¡¯t dead.


    ¡°Thank you, Elaine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t run ahead!¡± Her sister yells at her, looking like she is about to cry.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ That was dumb of me.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, we need to help Dale. Let¡¯s hurry!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    Dale is still pushing, swinging at the monster of a Necromancer left and right as she continues to curse and scream in pain. Whatever the light had did, it was painful enough to put her on the retreat.


    With a crunch, the hammer lands and breaks an arm, but it just snaps back into place like it never even happened. In fact, the blow looks like it didn¡¯t even hurt in the slightest. It¡¯s almost as if physical blows don¡¯t even hurt her. But, being back for a moment, Susan notices that she is avoiding letting her body take any hits. It¡¯s always the extremities.


    ¡°Target her core and head!¡± Susan yells as she forces her tired body to move back into the fight.


    In a dash she is back in, swinging down at the enemy, trying to slash her across the chest.


    Bug dodges, confirming it for Susan. Damage to her body will work. They just need to hit her!


    Behind, Ben finishes casting and launches a spear of solid flames, aiming for her heart. Bug immediately reacts to it without even looking, probably having felt the spell moving through her Field at the last moment.


    She twists on herself and dodges the speeding projectile, moving faster than an arrow from a ballista, and simultaneously strikes at the two warriors harassing her. The spear barely misses, but the flames don¡¯t. The arm of her clothes catches on fire as it speeds past and explodes against a distant wall. In a matter of moments, as she continues to fight, the magical flames start to spread and grow as they burn up the arm of her shirt, the smell of her arm already starting to cook filling the air.


    She looks down and a look of utter dread and fear spreads across her face. She screams in horror, sounding more genuinely afraid than the humans could even believe. She starts to panic, the flames only spreading faster and faster. Susan tries to capitalize on this and cut her down, but Bug screams again as the flames reaches her face and she explodes with flesh.


    Tentacles grow rapidly in every direction, suddenly flooding the hallway with writhing, grasping limbs. With their growth, the shirt gets torn away, taking the fire with it and sending the burning scraps of fabric and a severed arm across the hall. Susan had barely caught the moment it had happened, witnessing Bug rip off her own flaming arm with a dozen tentacles.


    Susan and Dale get away as fast as they can, fighting off the grasping appendages as they move.


    Ben starts casting again, Elaine a second behind him. They are both starting to run low on mana again, but clearly, they are dealing some damage!


    But then the panicked and fearful screaming coming from inside the writhing mass of tentacles stops, suddenly cut short mid breath.


    Bug slams her mouth shut, gritting her monstrous teeth until blood is spilling from her lips, and speaks through grit teeth.


    ¡°Not again. I won¡¯t let you burn me again. Never again!¡±


    The adventurers can hardly hear her through all the flesh, but when she screams out in rage, they can hear her clearly.


    ¡°I WON¡¯T LET YOU BURN ME AGAIN!!!¡±


    Her Field ripples with rage, the promise of Death being carried through her will into the soul of every person here. With Death itself starting to fill this place, the lights start to dim, and ice begins to form on the walls. As everyone breathes heavily, their breaths come out as visible vapor, every inhale drawing in cold air that chills their lungs and makes their living souls recoil.


    ¡°Shoot her!¡± Dale yells out to the mages in a cold sweat, their control over their forming spells starting to faulter as Death mana floods the air and tries to choke everything else out in a fit of blind rage.


    Elaine flinches as Death meets her Light and reacts violently, her spell fizzling out in her hands like a candle getting blown out. Ben just barely finishes, blood running down his nose as he speaks the words. With a will of effort, he forces the Fire mana in the air to move against Bug¡¯s flood of Death, his spell finishing and allowing him to throw a new spear at the twisting and writhing ball of flesh.


    But he misses.


    The tentacles are suddenly gone. The monster is gone. In their place is just a little Bug again, returned to her original form and looking angry enough to slay a god. The flaming spear flies harmlessly over her head and explodes in the lake behind her.


    She doesn¡¯t speak, but she does roar.


    ¡°AAAAAAhhhhhhhhHHHH!!!¡±


    Bug explodes forward in a burst of speed, making to get past the warriors. They move to stop her, raising their weapons to strike her down, but she pulls something out of a pouch and throws it to the ground.


    Black smoke spreads everywhere, flooding the hallway and blinding everyone. Susan swings and hits something, but only finds a hand tumbling through the air before her. To her left, Dale grunts in pain, but Susan moves to chase after Bug. With the Necromancer radiating her Field at full blast like this, she can still track her through the smoke. She can tell that she is making a move for the mages in the back.


    When she leaves the smoke, Bug is already on them. Elanie just barely manages to form a simple shield of light, blocking a poison coated throwing knife from hitting her. Ben is a step too slow, however. He had just cast a spell and needs a second. But Bug is too fast. Far too fast.


    He tries to fend her off with his staff, but the little monster simply knocks it aside and moves in for the kill, a dagger in her hands.


    Susan is moving as fast as her tired body can push her, but it isn¡¯t enough.


    One stab to the back of knee brings Ben down as he tries to turn and flee. A second to the back brings him to the floor. The third to the neck finishes him off as the blade smashes through his spine. He is dead before his body can even fully land.


    Elaine screams in fear and anguish as she watches Ben die, and Susan pushes herself to move even faster, her muscles tearing from the effort.


    Bug is already on Elaine, slashing at the glowing shield of hard light and leaving cracks with every blow. With the sound of breaking glass, it shatters.


    But Susan manages to make it their just in time, blocking the dagger just as it coming down to stab the defenseless healer.


    She tries to go on the offensive, her body screaming with every motion, adrenaline pumping through her body like fire, but the little monster is still fresh. She still has too much stamina, too much mana, too much everything!


    Soon, Susan is on the back foot. Put onto the defensive herself as she is attacked by four arms now wielding two daggers and two swords of their own, pulled from empty space. But all that matters is that she managed to pull attention away from Elaine.


    Dale joins her, limping, a bloody hole in his leg and his face looking pale. He is bleeding a lot, but he keeps moving regardless as he charges into the fight.


    ¡°Unstoppable Charge!¡± He screams and moves forward, forcing Bug to switch to him as his large glowing body suddenly fills her vision.


    Her blades clang off of his body like she is hitting steel, forcing her to backpedal in order to avoid getting ran over as he continues to move forward and recklessly swing his war hammer back and forth.


    An arrow of light hits Bug in the back and she screams. Rage and pain filling her face in a fresh wave as her eyes goes back over her shoulder to glare at Elaine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like feeling PAIN! Create Deadly Poison!¡±


    A sphere of green and black, caustic looking poison forms before her and splashes against Dale¡¯s face, the man completely unable to stop himself as he was charging forward with the force of a bull.


    Bug completely ignores him as she moves out of the way of his collapsing form, turning to charge towards Elaine, Dale tripping over himself and crying out in pain as the poison blinds his eyes and ravages his insides. Susan can do nothing to help him, not without Elaine. She needs to save her sister!


    But as Bug sprints for the healer, she waves an arm behind her, a small flash of light happening as space is distorted yet again.


    Suddenly, standing before Susan there is now several massive, horrific, horned skeletons like demons. A large shield is already blocking her way forward. An axe is already in mid motion to strike her. Long tusks like lances are already moving to stab her.


    Elaine screams, Susan fights with everything she has, fending off a dozen claws and weapons, cutting down one of the abominations of bone.


    She can see what is happening through an opening. Elaine tries to fight back. She casts a hastily made Light Arrow, but the Necromancer simply points at her and screams, ¡°Inflict Pain!¡±


    Elaine goes down like a puppet with its stings cut, the pain being so immense that she can¡¯t even scream as Bug¡¯s Death Mana ravages her Light, only being able to gasp open mouthed on the ground and shake as her nerves are lit on fire and her muscles contract like lightning is running through her body.


    Bug walks up to Elaine as Susan continues to desperately fight. She manages to cut down a second skeleton, but when she tries to break out of the encirclement, the shield wielding skeleton blocks her path again, unmoving like a wall. Her view of Elaine is blocked, she fights even more desperately, taking hits as ice-cold claws cut into her body and leave frost growing on her skin.


    She needs to save her sister, nothing else matters. Nothing! Not the bounty. Not the fame! NOTHING! Not even her own life!


    She gets another glimpse of Elaine. Bug is dragging her by the hair. Elaine is still stuck in silent screaming, completely unable to fight back as she is dragged over bricks and the mess of slain Undead from earlier.


    Something breaks inside of Susan and forces out the last ounce of her strength. Her lips move, her body obeys.


    ¡°Field, Thousand Kisses!!!¡±


    Time crawls to a stop and her body moves. Even in this stopped time, her sword travels so fast that she is seeing afterimages of her blade. She can feel as her brain boils inside her skull, as her muscles snap one after the other and her sword arm is reduced to a broken mess.


    But she does the one thing she has always done as a swordswoman. She swings her sword.


    It¡¯s all she can do. There is no time to plan out her next move. Only attack.


    When time snapping back into motion, the skeletons standing before her explode as they are cut into uncountable pieces. Even the shield wielding skeleton is destroyed in an instant.


    Her path is cleared. She can see Bug walking away with Elaine still held by her hair. If she moves fast enough, she can save her!


    Susan takes a step forward, her legs shaking like a leaf. A second, her knees buckling. A third, muscles pulling and snapping as she forces herself forward, blood spilling from her mouth and flowing freely from her eyes and nose.


    Just one more! One more burst of speed!


    Something hits her from behind and brings her to the floor. She tries to move, but a weight is on her back. Even as she tries to crawl forward, her nails scrapping and breaking against the brick floor, she can¡¯t move forward.


    Susan screams, her fingers leaving bloody trails on the floor, her grip tightening on the hilt of her sword.


    Bug stops walking and looks down at a chest on the floor. A small treasure chest that can be found all over the Dungeon and maybe would go up to your knees in height. Absolutely normal in every single way.


    When she speaks next, even with the ringing in Susan¡¯s ears, she can clearly hear what Bug says next.


    ¡°Mimmie, treat.¡±


    Red eyes open on the chest¡¯s lid and blink like it just woke from a nap, looking around curiously, excitedly. When those blood-red eyes fall on the girl held in Bug¡¯s grip, it happily opens its lid, revealing a gaping maw full of misaligned and jagged teeth, seeming to start shaking like an overly excited puppy about to be given a biscuit.


    ¡°NOOOOOOOO!¡± Susan screams, but she can do nothing. Boney claws are holding her to the floor, and with each passing moment another pair of hands is joining in holding her down until she is entirely unable to move.


    Bug pulls the girl forward and tosses her headfirst into the chest. With a slam, it closes down on her twitching back, the next bite drags her further into the little treasure chest, the next further still like a mouse being swallowed by a snake.


    When its lid finally closes, the only thing left of Elaine is a puddle of blood and single boot that fell off her foot. Bug is looking down at the Mimic, wide eyed with surprise.


    ¡°Holy shit, Mimmie! I didn¡¯t know you could do that; that was fucking horrifying! How did you even- She¡¯s bigger than your whole body! Seriously, where do you put all your food? Are you bigger on the inside, or¡­¡±


    But Susan doesn¡¯t care about that. All she can do is look forward in shock, watching as the Mimic happily licks its lips with a giant grey tongue, and the closes the lock on its lid with an audible click, sealing itself shut. When it closes its eyes, it returns to being just a regular treasure chest again.


    She can¡¯t even scream, just staring, tears of blood running down her face. The pain her body is in isn¡¯t important anymore. Nothing is important anymore.


    Elaine is gone¡­


    Bug walks over to her, looking around at her skeletons and noting the destroyed one. With a click of her tongue, she sighs, clearly annoyed.


    ¡°Do you have any idea how hard it was to get Sam back?¡±


    She picks up a bone shard, looks it over and then sighs again, tossing the piece into the water behind her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t bring him back like this¡­ And the others, I haven¡¯t even gotten to name them yet. You owe me some minions. Luckily, I know where to get some.¡±


    Bug walks over and out of Susan¡¯s vision, still just staring over at Mimmie in shock. Off to the side, she stabs Dale in the side of the head and finishes him off, his pained moaning finally going silent.


    ¡°Raise Undead. Welcome to the party, new minions.¡± She happily says to the walking corpses of Dale and Ben.


    Susan doesn¡¯t react, just looking forward. Just staring at the treasure chest.


    When Bug comes back over, she grabs her by the hair and raises the bloody dagger.


    ¡°Any last words, Hero?¡±


    That word grabs Susan¡¯s attention, finally getting her to move her eyes to look Bug in the face.


    ¡°Kill me, please.¡±


    Bug just smiles, the fresh, angry looking burn running from chin to ear on her face, stretching painfully as her lips move, and then looks towards the broken bodies of her favorite minions.


    ¡°Hmmm~ No.¡±


    ¡°Please, kill me! I want to be with Elaine! I want to be with my sister!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Bug says with finality, leaving Susan to just cry in stunned silence.


    Reaching down slowly, gently, almost lovingly, Bug caresses Susan¡¯s cheek and speaks. She can almost smell the burnt meat on Bug''s face and can still see the bloody mess from where one eye had been boiled away and then replaced by a brand new one.


    ¡°I have a better idea, of what to do with you. Killing you would just be a waste. And besides, I need to make a message about why people shouldn¡¯t try to stop me.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out¡­¡±


    Anger fills her, the last bit of fight spilling out like hot blood from a fresh wound.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you; you bitch! Just kill me already! Just let me be with my sist-¡±


    A blow to the back of the head interrupts her, her head bouncing against the floor, hard. As her vision starts to fade and her mind goes black, she can feel her sword being pulled from her grip and can hear the fading voice of Bug issuing orders to her minions.


    Slowly, she passes out, her last thoughts being an apology to her sister.


    Elaine, I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t keep you safe.

 B2. Chapter 9.1- Friendship is Magic

    There are no dreams. One moment she is asleep, and the next, her groggy mind is suddenly pulling itself from the mire of deep sleep like it is being pulled from sucking, sticky mud. With a start, Susan jolts awake and grimaces, her entire body feeling like an open wound. If someone had told her that she had been beaten from head to toe with a cudgel, she would have believed them.


    Her mouth is dry, stomach empty and complaining, and her body feels like it is made of a block of lead and just as willing to be moved. Slowly opening her eyes, she finds nothing but red bricks filling her vision, her face practically glued to the floor in a small puddle of her own drool and blood.


    Her mind still full of fog, it takes a monumental amount of effort to simply raise her head, every muscle in her body complaining at the unwanted movement and straining against her orders.


    She manages to raise it just a little, her cheek unsticking itself from the brick and feeling tender, her vision expanding somewhat. The light her is moving, shadows on the walls dancing, the air is warm, and as her brain continues to wake up, she can hear the sound of water gently flowing somewhere behind her. Shifting a little more, she finally manages to set her eyes on a large central hearth that is filling the room¡¯s middle. Sitting there, looking rather comfortable with one leg up on her knee as she reads a book and sips some hot drink, is Bug.


    It all comes back to her.


    She wants to scream and curse. To beg for Death to take her. To swear revenge against the little bitch that is just sitting there and looking oh so comfy. But she doesn¡¯t. She just doesn¡¯t have the energy. The will. The fight left inside of her.


    She had already lost, and it cost her everything.


    ¡°Why am I still alive¡­?¡± Susan manages to croak out through chapped lips, her dry tongue rasping against the roof of her mouth with every syllable. She tries to wet her mouth, to get some spit to start flowing, but her body has nothing to give. She is so incredible thirsty right now.


    Bug clearly hears her, one of her fluffy ears twitching on the side of her head as the words find her. But she doesn¡¯t respond. Instead, she takes a satisfying sip of her hot beverage, flips the page, and keeps reading. Her eyes don¡¯t even dart over the prone Susan, just remaining on the page and going back and forth over the words.


    Susan tries to move around some more but finds it difficult to do so. Besides her sore body complaining and resisting her entirely, she is also bound and tied up for good measure. Looking down at herself, she can see layers of rope tightly wrapped around her body again and again until she is almost like a bag worm. Her arms are even more tightly bound behind her back, with the bindings around her wrists being so tight that she can hardly even feel her hands anymore.


    Very thoroughly done, and rightly so. For an adventurer of Susan¡¯s level, normal bindings wouldn¡¯t be able to hold her. Bug is clearly taking no chances.


    Not that it matters. Even if she could, Susan doubts that she would even try at this point. Why won¡¯t Bug just kill her? She¡¯s already won, hasn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Wh-why and I, still alive?¡± Susan rasps out again, but Bug simply continues to say nothing, simply raising a finger up to maybe indicate that Susan should wait for a little bit longer, or that she should be quiet. Probably both, honestly. She flips another page in her book.


    All she can do is watch as Bug continue to read in silence. Another page getting flipped. After a moment, Bug pulls a bookmark out of thin air and places it between the pages, snapping the book shut.


    ¡°Apologies, I wanted to finish the chapter I was on. I¡¯ve had a bunch of free time recently, while wasting all my time on trying to get my kidnapped minions back, and I¡¯ve taken inspiration from my friend to give reading a try. It¡¯s pretty fun. I¡¯m currently enjoying a book about a girl getting reincarnated into another world and becoming a villainess-princess, that killed the forty-year-old duke she was arranged to marry, who was definitely a pedophile¡­ And then gets shipped off to a fort at the border as punishment because her father, the king, doesn¡¯t know how to handle her. Also, she¡¯s like, really magically gifted or whatever and great with a sword, which makes her very powerful, and I think she is planning on trying to take over the world or whatever¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m enjoying it so far. There was a bunch like this one under the Ise¡¯kai -whatever that is- section of books in the Item Shop, so they must be pretty popular.¡± Bug says with a shrug as she makes the book disappear.


    Susan doesn¡¯t bother responding to any of that nonsense, just looking up at Bug as she walks closer, her original question still hanging up in the air.


    Bug stops right in front of her face, naked scale covered toes wiggling on the cold floor, claws digging against the brick. She squats down, bending her knees and getting closer to Susan¡¯s level on the floor, big breast bouncing a little with the motion, her wings and long shark tail pooling on the floor behind her. Her face is still injured, a red mark of an angry burn running across the left side of her face from chin to ear and even reaching her left eye, the wound still in the process of slowly scabbing over. It is hard to tell, but the burn apparently even reaches her ear, where a freshly regrown layer of fur is now covering the healing skin, while further down, part of her neck and chest had been apparently singed as well, though not as badly as her face, now covered by a new black shirt.


    If the pain is bothering her any, Susan can¡¯t tell. Bug just gives her a smile like she is talking to a friend. Behind those soft lips, which managed to avoid the fire, Susan can see that Bug¡¯s teeth, while still sharp looking, aren¡¯t as monstrous as they used to be.


    ¡°So, how you doing?¡±


    Susan doesn¡¯t answer, just looking up at her.


    ¡°Like shit, right? Yeah, I thought so¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine! Ha¡­ You¡¯re still alive because I don¡¯t want to kill you. It would be a waste. I mean, sure. I could turn you into a rather strong skeleton. You would definitely end up as a special one, what with how good you are with a sword and all. But it would be a waste. Instead, I have a better idea!¡± Bug declares with a bright smile.


    ¡°What are you going to do with me?¡± Susan asks, struggling just to keep her neck up off the ground so she can look up at this bitch¡¯s smug face.


    Bug just gets this evil look in her eyes, her smile growing a little more sinister.


    ¡°Well¡­ Originally, I was going to do something really fucked up and maybe turn you into a meatball like a disformed mess of limbs and eyeballs and stuff~. Send you back up to the surface, all wiggly and screaming, with a letter stappled to your forehead. Buuuuut¡­ again, that would just be pretty fucked up if I did that. I¡¯m willing to do some cruel things, but I honestly think that would just be a bit too much, yeah? I mean sure, you guys made me mad, destroyed a bunch of my minions, and burned my damn face, but¡­ Meh. Plus, there is like, the whole logistics of it all, you know? I would have had to carry you around like that, all squirming and begging for death, all the way down to the next teleporter, because I am not going back up. And then after that, it would be a whole matter of how the people outside would even receive my message? Maybe they would decide to leave me alone, or maybe they would just see me as even more of a threat that needs to be put down. Damn the risks, send more bodies! and all that...¡± She just shrugs. ¡°Meh, just not worth the effort¡­ So! After I had myself a cookie and calmed down, I had an even BETTER idea!¡± Bug declares with a happy little clap of her hands like she is congratulating her own genius.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°You see, I¡¯ve had this problem for a while now, and this is something that I have only recently been able to fully admit to myself. Quite frankly, I¡¯m rather embarrassed to admit it to a stranger¡­ But we aren¡¯t really strangers now, are we? After all, you put in so much effort just to reach me, and I to avoid getting reached~ You tried to kill me, and I you~ Hardly strangers at this point, right?¡± Bug asks, but Susan refuses to respond, just waiting for her to get to the point already and secretly being thankful that she didn¡¯t get turned into a living meatball.


    Bug shrugs again. ¡°Anyways. I have come to admit that I¡­ am lonely. I crave the company of others. Always have, you see. I mean, sure, the vast majority of people I have met, I¡¯ve ended up murdering them, but still. I wanted their company. I craved it! Talking to people, observing them, just having someone nearby¡­ It¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it? Sadly, most people are idiots, and I ended up having to kill them. Either that, or they don¡¯t want to be around me because they are scared that I will kill them¡­ At least I have Hannah, she¡¯s cool. She actually likes me and wants to be with me¡­ well, how much she wants to is¡­ she¡¯s a friend and that¡¯s all that matters¡­ Are you sexually attracted to woman by the way? I feel like I should ask this before I proceed.¡±


    That actually gets a response out of Susan, causing her pull back a little.


    ¡°What?!¡± She¡¯s not going to keep me as a sex slave, is she!?


    ¡°No? Ok then, so I don¡¯t have to worry about you getting handsy with me¡­ Seriously, what is up with humans and wanting to¡­ Ah, not important, not important¡­ Anyways! I am lonely. Hannah isn¡¯t here, which while that does make me sad, it is honestly for the best. This place is far too dangerous for her, and I wouldn¡¯t want to risk losing her down here.¡±


    That hits Susan a bit too close to home, and she almost starts to cry.


    Goddess, why did I ever let her convince me to bring her down here. I should have just left Elaine back at base. I¡¯m such a fucking fool.


    But Bug is still happily rambling on about her own problems.


    ¡°And then there is Mimmie. Have you met? He, she¡­ it, it¡¯s my pet over there. Cute little bugger, loves scratches, and hands¡­ It started with just fingers, but now it is always trying to eat my hand whenever it gets the chance. I know it is tempting to pet Mimmie, the cute little shit, but just be careful if you do¡­ Where was I? Oh, right. Lonely. Anyways! I have this issue, you see? And initially, I tried to get around it by talking to and naming my skeletons, a few of which you killed by the way. Again, still upset about that¡­ Regardless, they are a bunch of braindead idiots and aren¡¯t even people. It doesn¡¯t matter how much I humanize them, or whatever the word is, in my head. They just aren¡¯t people. I can¡¯t have an actual discussion with them. They can¡¯t talk back, or feel anything, or be my friends. They aren¡¯t real; I might as well just have a pet rock!¡±


    Susan is getting a really bad feeling now. A sense of dread slowly creeping up her spine and pushing aside her depression.


    ¡°Please ignore the fact that Mimmie used to basically be a pet rock by the way¡­ And as for Mimmie. I love the little hand eating bastard/bitch/whatever it is. But at the end of the day, Mimmie is just my pet. It can¡¯t talk to me. And while it certainly keeps me company, it just isn¡¯t the same. Mimmie isn¡¯t a person.¡±


    Bug reaches down and gives Susan¡¯s messy, tangled, and blood-soaked hair some gentle pets, tucking a stray strand of crimson hair out of her face and behind her ear. Susan is going pale in the face now, the blood draining away to be replaced by a cold sweat and a chilled shiver.


    ¡°Wha-What are you, going to do to me?¡±


    ¡°I want a friend. I want a companion. Someone who can stick by my side and keep me company all the way down to the bottom of the Dungeon. And you just so happen to be the strongest human I have even met. But¡­¡±


    Susan doesn¡¯t speak. She can¡¯t. Dread has claimed her heart and sealed her lips.


    ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t trust you to not stab me in the back at a moment¡¯s notice. Or to run away from me. Or anything else. And don¡¯t bother trying to lie to me; I know that you have no desire to be my friend. At least, not yet¡­ No, I just need to make sure that you can¡¯t, and that you will be compelled to stay by my side. Plus!, you owe me, like, two whole minions and a Sam. Your friends replaced the other two that you destroyed.¡± Bug says with a nod towards a corner of the room were Dale¡¯s corpse is standing motionless. Not too far away is the flyer and the insect, still waiting for repairs after Susan had cut them.


    Susan opens her lips again to ask the same question, but the words fail to leave her dry mouth. Bug just gives her a reassuring little smile and continues on.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t turn you into a mindless slave. After all, I¡¯m not particularly fond of the idea myself. You will retain your free will, your mind, your ability to think for yourself. I won¡¯t force you to love me, or make you forget inconvenient things. I¡¯m not a monster after all. But you will have to do as I say. You will accompany me. And you will remain with me until I choose to release you. And after you came here, completely of your own volition and will, to hunt me down and KILL ME, this is nothing more than a bit of justified revenge on my part. Also, you¡¯ll still be alive, sort of, so you can warn people away from ever trying to do what you did. A physical reminder of your past mistakes, which will hopefully help to spare others from doing the same. Awesome, right?¡±


    Susan is just waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it finally does. Bug finishes blabbering and finally gets to the point. She finally tells her, and Susan can feel as something dies inside of her heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to turn you into a Ghoul. A sentient, thinking, Undead with a human soul still trapped inside. You will effectively be immortal, unageing, undying. Sure, it comes with some downsides, like twisting your soul so much that you become unable to reenter the cycle of reincarnation, trapped forevermore on this plane of existence¡­ but that isn¡¯t important right now! What is important, is that you and me ¨C¡± Bug says as she points to Susan and then herself with a smile. ¡° ¨C are going to be together for a long time. We¡¯ll do everything together! And before you know it, you¡¯ll be setting aside all this nasty business, forgetting about the past, and eventually, you and I, we¡¯ll be the best of friends. I hope you¡¯re looking forward to it, because I am. Susan. My new buddy.¡±


    ¡°Please, just kill me.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Bug stands back up and pulls a new book out of thin air, this one black and a little aged with the cover peeling back and the pages looking yellowed and worn.


    She heads back over to her seat and opens the book, getting comfortable once again. As she opens it, she keeps talking to Susan in a casual tone.


    ¡°I considered just buying the Spell from the S%$#3& but I am still saving up my points for something else. Especially after getting these damn burns. Fucking Fire mage!¡± She throws her cup at the zombie of Ben, who currently has his nose in the corner like a kid in timeout, nailing him in the back of the head and getting warm tea or whatever it was she was drinking all over him. He moans in response.


    ¡°Anyways¡­ I didn¡¯t want to waste my points on something that isn¡¯t a priority. Not that you aren¡¯t important, of course. Don¡¯t sell yourself short, new buddy. But regardless, I recently discovered that Spells can be earned and even learned! Can you believe that? So, I bought a grimoire for advanced magics and rituals on raising the dead. It¡¯s¡­ a bit of a read, I¡¯ll be honest. I mean, geez. The author seriously has their head so far up their own ass, the way they write. It feels like they think they are the smartest and greatest person in the world. And every other word, it¡¯s like they were pulling shit out of a thesaurus! I¡¯m going to be honest with you, Susan, this is probably going to take me a little while to learn. Plus, I have to buy some reagents for the ritual, practice drawing the magic circle¡­ Drawing circles is hard, especially on brick.¡± Bug says as she points to a couple of failed attempts in the corner. Susan can¡¯t see them from where she is on the floor though. Not that it matters, she is still too busy dreading.


    Bug just shrugs and gets back to reading.


    ¡°Anyways, anyways, anyways¡­ not important. Just try and stay comfortable until I¡¯m done. Dinner is in three hours, and I¡¯ll make us some grilled frog legs. If you get thirsty, let me know and I¡¯ll have Billy bring you a cup of water.¡±


    ¡°What if I have to pee?¡± Susan tries, considering that she might be able to escape if they loosen her bindings and give her some privacy.


    ¡°Then pee yourself. I¡¯m not taking any chances, and the Dungeon will clean up any puddles in a couple of hours or so¡­¡± Bug says with a shrug and flips a page in her book.


    ¡­


    ¡°I should have never come here¡­¡±


    ¡°No. No you shouldn¡¯t have. But we all have to live with the consequences of our actions.¡±


    ¡°Will you?¡±


    ¡°¡­ One day, yes. But I¡¯ll at least get to see the Sun first.¡±


    The conversation dies there. Bug focusing on her reading, and Susan slowly lowering her head to the floor. She doesn¡¯t know what to do, other than just wallow in her own grief and dread. She is thirsty; she could ask for water from the cute little skeleton waiting nearby. But part of her want to suffer. After all, she got her sister killed¡­ She deserves it¡­


    Her eyes going to the sleeping treasure chest by the hearth, Susan simply lies their and watches it. Maybe if she gets lucky, the Mimic will wake up and eat her while its master isn¡¯t watching. At least then, she can be with Elaine again¡­