《Doors to Dungeons》 Chapter 1 ¡°Fuck.¡± Chris looked up at the night sky as he walked through the empty parking lot, wondering how he¡¯d managed to get himself in this predicament. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can just go back,¡± he sighed, remembering the words he¡¯d yelled at his stepmother before storming out of the house, ¡°Why did I have to forget to grab my phone and wallet on the way out?¡± Taking a deep breath, the cold autumn air stung his nose slightly, making Chris sigh again. It wasn¡¯t going to be pleasant if he had to sleep outside, but maybe the shock of him not returning home for a night would get that woman to see some sense. Shaking his head, he tried to drive the memories of their argument deeper into the back of his mind. He walked up to the old convenience store, standing in front of the window as the old halogen light above him flickered, allowing him brief glimpses of his reflection. He was a relatively tall young man on the later end of twenty years, his brown hair cut short on the sides and longer on top in a simple undercut, his preferred hairstyle. His jacket hung on his skinny frame, open to reveal the slight gut that had been growing on him over the last couple of years under his shirt. You need to lose weight! The voice of his stepmother pierced his thoughts as he glared at the reflection, his brown eyes cold and lifeless in the glass. ¡°Fuck that,¡± he sighed, shaking his head again as he turned to continue walking, blinking as he spotted something behind him in the flickering reflection. A moment passed as Chris stared at the object, blinking as the light flickered off, then on again, showing that it was still there. Slowly, he turned, staring at the door that certainly hadn¡¯t been there a moment ago. It was made of polished bronze, intricate patterns embossed on its surface, large rings hanging from it as it seemed to glow with an inner light. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Chris muttered as he slowly approached the door, walking around it in confusion. It looked the same from both sides, and was simply standing in the middle of the parking lot like it had always been there. Curiously, he reached out and tapped it with his finger. [New Diver detected. Activating the Level System.] Chris shouted as the words appeared on a glowing screen in front of him, falling backwards in surprise as he stared at the object in confusion. ¡°What the fuck?¡± [Level System activated. Stats assigned.] ¡°What?¡± [World First Achieved: The First Diver. Rewards: {Leader} Title.] [World First Achieved: First to Discover a Dungeon. Rewards: {Explorer} Title.] [World First Achieved: First to discover an EX+ Rank Dungeon. Rewards: {Truly Ambitious} Title.] ¡°What the fuck is going on?!¡± Chris shouted as the screens appeared one after the other, making him scramble back as they overlayed each other, ¡°Is this some sort of joke? Holograms?¡± He looked around anxiously, trying to see if he could spot anyone nearby that might be filming him, but saw nothing but the dark parking lot around him. ¡°Seriously, what the hell is going on?¡± he sighed, getting back to his feet as he looked at the screens again, wishing they¡¯d go away. Suddenly, they vanished, making him blink in surprise. Quizzically, he thought about bringing them back, the screens reappearing in front of him a moment later. ¡°This is so weird,¡± Chris muttered, looking back to the strange door, ¡°And it all started when I touched that door. I wonder what would happen if I touched it again?¡± Shaking the thought out of his head, Chris just sighed as he turned away, glancing back at the door as it continued to glow with an inner light. He knew it was a bad idea, but something nagged at him to try touching the door one more time. Instead, he stepped away, wondering if he could just go home and explain what had happened to his dad. We never needed you! The words shot through his mind like a bullet, the woman¡¯s voice making him bite his lip in frustration. You¡¯re nothing but a leech! Chris felt the tears well up in his eyes as he tasted blood in his mouth, the pain in his lip drowned out by the words reverberating in his mind. You¡¯re just a burden to this entire family! Chris gasped as he felt the warm liquid dripping down his chin, lifting his hand to his face, the fingers coming back red. Tears burned in his eyes as he turned to look at the door again, walking towards it now as he reached out his hand. This was a stupid idea, but if this door could take him away from this shitty world, then it might just be worth it. He laid his palm against the bronze surface, a new screen appearing in front of him. [Enter {The Trial of Turmoil}?] ¡°Yes,¡± Chris stated out loud, his voice louder and stronger than he¡¯d expected. [Select Difficulty.] [Tutorial] [Easy] [Normal] This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. [Hard] [Extreme] [Hell] ¡°What?¡± Chris blinked as the choices appeared, all but one crossed out, ¡°Wait, I changed my mind!¡± [Hell difficulty chosen. Entering Dungeon.] ¡°Wait!¡± Chris shouted as he pulled his hand back, watching in terror as the door swung open, revealing a darkness behind it that seemed to suck him in. The door shut a moment later, the parking lot empty apart from itself. ------ [Hell Difficulty features.] [Monsters within the Dungeon deal 500% more damage. Monsters within the Dungeon take 500% less damage. No Safe Zones. No Rest Points. Healing is reduced by 50%. Drop rate of item rewards is increased by 100%. Quality of item rewards is increased by two stages. Free Point multiplier set to five.] ¡°What the fuck?¡± Chris whispered as he read over the screen that had appeared in front of him, looking around the massive cavern he now found himself in, ¡°Seriously, what the fuck?¡± [Two new Skills gained.] [World First Achieved: First to enter a Dungeon. Rewards: Skill Rank Upgrade.] [Skill Ranks upgraded.] [World First Achieved: First to enter an EX+ Rank Dungeon. Rewards: Rank SSS Skill.] [Skill gained.] ¡°Enough!¡± Chris shouted as he wished the screens would just vanish, panting as he stared into the dimly lit cavern around him when they did. He found himself in the middle of circle of stalagmites, the massive columns easily three times his height, each fused to its neighbors, except for a small gap between two of them. Shaking his head again, Chris walked towards the gap, slowing as he started to hear strange sounds coming from the other side of the natural wall. Carefully, he peeked out from behind the stalagmite, blinking at what he saw. He could only describe it as a blob, a small glowing gem suspended in the center as it moved slowly towards him. He watched it in interest for a moment, before the strange creature stopped, its round body rippling. Still confused, Chris remained still as the creature continued to ripple, then suddenly launched itself into the air, straight towards him. ¡°FUCK!¡± Chris screamed as the creature slammed into the stalagmite he¡¯d been hiding behind, shattering the stone like it was made of cheap plaster, before hitting the ground with a wet plop behind him, ¡°What the hell?!¡± The creature simply started to ripple again, Chris starting to panic as he tried to find something to use as a weapon. He quickly grabbed a rock from the ground, part of the stalagmite that had just been destroyed by the Slime, before he threw it with all his might at the creature. He watched in horror as the stone hit the creature, simply passing into its body, before beginning to fizz violently, disappearing in moments. ¡°Of course,¡± Chris muttered, ¡°Slimes are all but immune to physical attacks, you have to kill them with magic.¡± He didn¡¯t have time to think about where he¡¯d gotten that knowledge, nor why he was so certain of it, as the creature launched itself at him again. He yelped as he threw himself to the floor, the Slime slamming into the stalagmite behind him, leaving a shattered crater on its surface. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m going to die!¡± Chris wailed as he scrambled towards the gap in the stalagmites, gasping for air as he desperately ran from the creature before it could attack again. He froze as he reached the gap, staring out into the cavern, numerous stalagmites piercing up from the ground, as their counterparts hung from the ceiling. There were also patches of strange glowing moss growing almost everywhere, filling the cavern with a dim light. Normally, he would have stopped to marvel at the strange and alien beauty of the place, but what had caused him to freeze were the three other Slimes slowly making their way towards him, blocking off any hope of escape. ¡°No,¡± he whispered, before pain lanced up his back, Chris crying out as he was thrown forwards, feeling like his spine had been crushed by the impact. Gasping as he skidded across the ground, he managed to look back at the gap, seeing the first slime now making its way towards him as well. Tears welled up in his eyes, fear and pain mixing as he started to sob uncontrollably, his entire body shaking. Seeming to sense his weakness, the four Slimes started moving towards him faster, two bumping into each other as they did. Chris could only watch as the two creatures both rippled, before they suddenly lunged at each other, rolling around as their bodies started to mix. A moment later, the two had now become one, the glowing gems in their centers fused into a larger, brighter gem. ¡°A Great Slime?¡± he coughed, blood trickling out of his mouth, ¡°But how? It should take more than just two Slimes to make one of those?¡± He didn¡¯t get a chance to question it further as the Great Slime immediately lunged and engulfed the third Slime that had been heading towards him, absorbing it as it grew even larger. ¡°Now it¡¯s a King Slime?¡± he gasped, the crystal at its center growing even larger with its new form, ¡°Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!¡± He gasped as the force slammed into his back again, throwing him closer to the King Slime, the first Slime hitting the ground and rolling towards the massive creature, which immediately extended a pseudopod and absorbed it as well. Once again, the monster grew, its gem now the size of a basketball as it loomed over Chris. ¡°Emperor Slime,¡± he whispered, watching as the creature reached out to him with its tentacle like appendages, wrapping them around him as it lifted him into the air. Chris screamed as the pain returned, though this time it was a burning sensation as the massive blob started to dissolve him, quickly making its way through his clothes and reaching his skin. ¡°NO!¡± he shrieked in agony, ¡°I don¡¯t want to die! Not like this! Help! Anyone, help me!¡± [Would you like an Assistant?] ¡°Yes!¡± Chris screamed as the screen appeared, gasping as it shimmered, new words appearing on it. [Hello, I am your Dungeon Assistant. You appear to be under attack from an Emperor Slime. I suggest using Magic that it is weak against to defeat it.] ¡°Yes! Anything! Help me!¡± Chris coughed as he felt his ribs crumble, the tendril of goo starting to close in on his lungs. [Opening Status Screen. Please review your Skills.] ¡°No! Help me! Please!¡± Chris coughed, barely able to breath. Name: Christopher Trevor Sanders Level: 1 Experience: 0/100 Health: 47/120 Mana: 25/25 Stats: Strength: 3 Vitality: 2 Dexterity: 4 Intellect: 5 Wisdom: 8 Charisma: 3 Free Points: 0 Titles: Leader, Explorer, Truly Ambitious Skills: [Self-Regeneration lv 1] [Air Magic lv 1] [Studious Sage lv 1] ¡°Magic¡­¡± Chris coughed as he looked at his Skills, ¡°I need¡­magic¡­¡± He reached weakly for the screen, trying to touch the floating object, his hand just passing straight through. ¡°How?¡± he wheezed, feeling his lungs burning from within and without, ¡°How do I¡­cast magic?¡± A wave of cool washed through his mind, the sudden understanding startling him for a moment, before he dropped his arm, pointing his palm at the creature in front of him. A ball of energy started to form in his hand, the air gathering into a spinning mass as Chris felt a pressure in the back of his mind. Gritting his teeth, he forced more Mana into the orb, willing it to pierce through the creature holding him up, its form changing until it was a spinning cone, its point aimed directly at the Emperor Slime. The spell shot from his hand, slamming into the monster with surprising force as it bored deep into its soft body. The Emperor Slime shivered as it tried to close the hole, but the chaotic swirling winds kept ripping it apart. Chris watched, transfixed as the spell tore deeper into the monster, reaching its core in seconds, striking the gem with its point, and shattering it. Silence hung in the air for a moment as Chris stared at the monster, then tried to laugh, only blood pouring from his throat as the creature collapsed into a puddle, dropping him hard on the floor as well. Well, he managed to think as darkness slowly engulfed his mind, At least I took it with me. Chapter 2 Chris groaned as he blinked awake, his entire body aching, his skin stinging from something covering him. Coughing, he rolled over, hacking up a mouthful of black goop as his body tried to clear his lungs. After several minutes of hacking and coughing, he wiped his mouth and wondered where he was, looking around the strange cavern in confusion. Then the memories hit him like a freight train. He was in a Dungeon, and he had almost died to a monster. ¡°Fuck,¡± he gasped, his entire body shaking as he felt tears drip down his cheeks, ¡°Fuck!¡± Coughing up another mouthful of the black goop, he shivered and sobbed, falling back to the ground as he curled up in a ball and wept. After what felt like an eternity, he stopped, unable to produce more tears as he stared blankly into the dim light of the cavern. Thoughts raced through his head, wondering how he¡¯d survived, or even why he¡¯d survived. After a while, he noticed the uncomfortable stinging on his skin, sniffing loudly as he sat up slowly, looking around in confusion. He was sitting in the middle of a puddle of goo, what was left of the Emperor Slime, he figured, and it was slowly burning his skin. ¡°Right,¡± he croaked, his throat painfully dry, ¡°Slime goo stays acidic even after their death. The more powerful the Slime, the stronger the effect.¡± Blinking at how he knew that, Chris just shook his head, carefully getting to his feet and walking out of the puddle, almost slipping several times before he made it to the edge. Looking down at himself, he realized that he was now naked, his clothes having probably been dissolved by the acidic goo before he woke up. Surprisingly, he looked perfectly fine otherwise, apart from the red burn marks covering his body from the slime. ¡°How?¡± he coughed, staggering back into the circle of stalagmites, doing his best to wipe the last of the slime from his body, ¡°This makes no sense.¡± [Congratulations. You have won your first battle! You gain Experience by defeating Monsters in the Dungeon. The more powerful a monster, the more Experience you will gain!] The screen appeared in front of him just as he sat down to think, Chris staring at it dumbly for a moment, before coughing up another mouthful of gunk. ¡°Okay,¡± he sighed, glaring at the screen, ¡°And how do I see my ''experience''?¡± [Check your Status Screen. Simply say ¡°Status¡±, or will it to open, and it shall appear.] ¡°Status?¡± Chris asked, blinking as the familiar screen appeared in front of him. Name: Christopher Trevor Sanders Level: 2 Experience: 20/200 Health: 67/120 Mana: 25/25 Stats: Strength: 3 Vitality: 2 Dexterity: 4 Intellect: 5 Wisdom: 8 Charisma: 3 Free Points: 10 Titles: Leader, Explorer, Truly Ambitious, Mage, Giant Slayer, Survivor Skills: [Self-Regeneration lv 4] [Air Magic lv 2] [Studious Sage lv 1] ¡°What?¡± Chris groaned as he looked at the screen, feeling like it had already changed since the last time he¡¯d looked at it, ¡°What does any of this mean?¡± [To find out what each Stat, Title, or Skill does, simply focus on them and will them to open.] ¡°Open?¡± Chris muttered, looking at his Skills, wondering if he could do it. He focused on Air Magic, blinking as a new screen opened a moment later. [Air Magic lv 2. Rank C. Utilize Mana to control the air.] ¡°Well, that¡¯s hardly helpful,¡± Chris sighed, looking at his first Skill instead, and the only other one above level one, ¡°Let¡¯s try this one then.¡± [Self-Regeneration lv 4. Rank B. Regain Health and Mana at a rate of 2 per 60 seconds. Can regrow lost body parts over time. (Currently 1 per 60 seconds)] ¡°What?¡± Chris gasped, thinking that he¡¯d been saying that a lot lately, ¡°So this is how I survived? I¡­regenerated the parts the Emperor Slime dissolved? What about the last one?¡± [Studious Sage lv 1. Rank SSS. Halves Experience gain. Grants Knowledge on myriad topics.] ¡°What?¡± Chris blinked, ¡°It¡­halves my Experience gain? And what does it mean by ¡®grants knowledge¡¯?¡± No answer came as he looked around for a new screen, not even the strange sensation of knowledge he¡¯d felt before coming to him as he glared at the Skill. ¡°Fuck,¡± he sighed as he dropped his head into his hands, ¡°Fuck.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He sat like that for a while, before finally dragging his eyes up to his various Titles, wondering what each did. [Leader. Rank S. Increased item drop rate when exploring new Dungeons.] [Explorer. Rank S. Increased chance to find chests and hidden rooms.] [Truly Ambitious. Rank SSS. Increased item Rank chance.] [Mage. Rank B. Increased Spell Power.] [Giant Slayer. Rank A. Increased damage against stronger foes.] [Survivor. Rank C. Increased consumable efficacy.] ¡°Okay,¡± Chriss nodded, ¡°But how did I get half these Titles? I know that I got the first three when I entered the Dungeon, but what about the others?¡± [You can check your Notifications by saying ¡°Notifications¡± or willing the screens to appear.] ¡°Notifications?¡± Chris hummed as he looked at the new screen that had appeared, sighing as several more appeared, filling his vision even more. [Achievement: Cast Magic for the first time. Rewards: {Mage} Title.] [World First Achieved: First to kill a monster of at least C Rank while still level one. Rewards: {Giant Slayer} Title.] [Achievement: Be reduced to 1 Health and win the encounter. Rewards: {Survivor} Title.] ¡°Great,¡± Chris nodded as he dismissed the screens, looking back at his Status. In the time it had taken him to read everything, he¡¯d gained another twelve Health, which made him feel surprisingly better than he had before, ¡°What are ¡®Free Points¡¯?¡± [Free Points can be assigned to Stats in order to increase them. You currently receive ten Free Points per level.] ¡°Right, of course,¡± Chris sighed, looking at his Stats again, ¡°Where to put them? It would help if I knew what any of these actually did.¡± ------ Half an hour later, Chris smiled at his new Status screen, stretching as he looked over it again. Name: Christopher Trevor Sanders Level: 2 Experience: 20/200 Health: 109/150 Mana: 25/25 Stats: Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Dexterity: 5 Intellect: 5 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 5 Free Points: 0 Titles: Leader, Explorer, Truly Ambitious, Mage, Giant Slayer, Survivor Skills: [Self-Regeneration lv 4] [Air Magic lv 2] [Studious Sage lv 1] After some investigation, he¡¯d figured out what most of his Stats did, Strength obviously affecting how strong he was, while Dexterity affected his flexibility and speed. Vitality determined how much Health he had, being one hundred plus ten times his Vitality value, with Intellect determining his Mana in a similar way, except it was a flat five times the value. He still wasn¡¯t sure what exactly Wisdom and Charisma did, but he¡¯d thrown a couple of points into each just to be safe. Chris was pretty sure having all your Stats equal like this wasn¡¯t the best idea, but right now he was more concerned about being able to survive, so upping everything felt right. ¡°Right,¡± he hummed, heading back to the small gap between the stalagmites, ¡°Let¡¯s see if anything is out there.¡± Surprisingly, nothing was, Chris almost feeling disappointed. He just stared at the puddle of goo that had been the Emperor Slime, wondering if that was what was keeping the other monsters at bay. It obviously was, as they would instinctively stay away from the puddle, thinking it was the Emperor Slime itself, at least until it completely dried up. ¡°Again with the weird knowledge,¡± he sighed, ¡°Where is it coming from?¡± Shaking his head, Chris just walked out of the circle of stone, looking around for anything that might be useful. His gaze quickly fell on the strange chest that lay in the middle of the puddle of slime, wondering when it had gotten there. Shrugging, he carefully made his way across the puddle, hissing as it started to burn his feet, but not daring to go any faster in case he slipped. He eventually reached the chest, poking it with a finger, just in case it was somehow a monster or trapped, almost falling over as it popped open, revealing a strange piece of fabric inside. ¡°Please be pants,¡± Chris chuckled as he pulled the object out, looking at the large piece of cloth in mild disappointment, ¡°I guess a cape will do too. Maybe I could fashion it into a skirt or something?¡± With a sigh, he made his way back across the slime, eventually reaching the edge and hopping around a bit as he wiped the acidic goop from his feet, the skin already red and raw from the few minutes he¡¯d been in contact with it. Checking his Status Screen, Chris saw that he¡¯d lost five points of Health from his short walk, making him cringe, before he hurried back into the circle of stalagmites to inspect his prize. ¡°Now, what to do with you?¡± Chris hummed as he spread the large piece of fabric out on the ground, ¡°I¡¯d need something to cut it up to make some clothes, but I don¡¯t have anything like that. I wonder if I could use a sharp bit of rock?¡± Chris quickly set about searching for a piece of stone that would work, managing to find a couple before he returned to the material. He knelt down on top of it, grabbing an edge and trying to saw at it with the sharp piece of stone. After several minutes, nothing had happened, except the stone was now pretty much blunt, making him groan in frustration. ¡°Of course that wouldn¡¯t work,¡± he muttered to himself, ¡°This is a Rank C piece of equipment, I¡¯d need a blade of at least the same Rank to even hope to cut it.¡± Chris paused, wondering how he knew that, before shaking the strange feeling off. At least he had something he could wrap around himself, though it wouldn¡¯t help much unless he wore it as intended. ¡°Again with the weird knowledge,¡± he huffed, ¡°Seriously, why do I know this stuff? Whatever, I¡¯ll just put the stupid cape on and see what happens.¡± Chris slung the material over his shoulders, surprised by how cool it felt against his skin, attaching the clasp in front of his neck. Immediately, he felt strangely stronger, more resilient, wondering how that could be. ¡°Well, it is an Emperor Slime¡¯s Cloak,¡± he said, ¡°So it makes me more resistant to physical and acid-based attacks. Okay, how the fuck do I know this?!¡± ------ Elizabeth sighed as she sat at the dinner table, watching as her parents argued for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few days. ¡°This isn¡¯t my fault!¡± her mother shouted, ¡°He¡¯s probably just holed up in some sleazy motel somewhere waiting for us to come find him!¡± ¡°We found his wallet and phone in his room, Lorraine,¡± her father said back, calm as ever, yet she could sense the tension in his voice, ¡°He has no money, and we have no way to contact him.¡± ¡°Then maybe he¡¯s staying with a friend, if he even has any,¡± the woman huffed. ¡°I¡¯ve already called everyone he knows, and they haven¡¯t seen him either,¡± the man replied flatly, ¡°He¡¯s missing, so I filed a missing person¡¯s report with the police. There¡¯s nothing we can do about that now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making too big a deal out of this, dear,¡± her mother said angrily, sitting back in her chair, ¡°I swear, he¡¯s only as useless as he is because you coddle him so much.¡± ¡°My son is not useless,¡± the man growled back, suddenly standing as he dropped his knife and fork on the table, ¡°Never call him that again!¡± ¡°But he is, Steven! All he ever does is play around on that stupid computer of his!¡± ¡°Enough!¡± the man suddenly roared, shocking both of them as he clenched his fists, taking several deep breaths before he finally managed to calm down, ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough about this.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± her mother shouted as the man turned to leave the room, ¡°We aren¡¯t done talking!¡± ¡°To look for my son,¡± her father replied coldly, leaving the room as the woman stared after him in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m done eating,¡± Elizabeth said quietly as her mother stormed out after her father, picking up her empty plate and carrying it to the kitchen. She quickly put the dishes in the sink and hurried upstairs, pausing as she passed the door to her brother¡¯s room. On impulse, she opened the door, looking around the familiar space worriedly, spotting his wallet and phone sitting on his desk beside his computer, which was still on. Nervously, she touched the mouse, the screen lighting up as she checked the open programs. Only a web browser was active, which she clicked on, looking at the tabs. The first was his email, already open, filled with rejection letters, the rest were for various job-hunting sites, a dozen of them. ¡°Where did you go, Chris?¡± Elizabeth asked, ¡°Where did you go?¡± Chapter 3 The cone of air tore into the Slime, popping it like a balloon as it struck the core. ¡°And that makes fifty,¡± Chris groaned, holding his head as he walked over to the fresh puddle, finding a small box lying in the middle, ¡°Wonder what I¡¯ll get this time?¡± He opened the chest, sighing as he pulled the two crystals out, slipping them into the small pouch that hung from his belt. He stood, inspecting his gear again, shaking his head in annoyance. He had almost a full set of Slime gear, except for one very important part. ¡°Why the hell are none of you dropping pants?!¡± he shouted into the darkness, immediately regretting the action as his head ached, ¡°Fuck, using Mana sucks.¡± Flopping down on the ground, Chris opened his Status Screen again, checking his progress. Name: Christopher Trevor Sanders Level: 2 Experience: 120/200 Health: 137/150 Mana: 15/25 Stats: Strength: 5 Vitality: 5 Dexterity: 5 Intellect: 5 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 5 Free Points: 0 Titles: Leader, Explorer, Truly Ambitious, Mage, Giant Slayer, Survivor Skills: [Self-Regeneration lv 7] [Air Magic lv 12] [Studious Sage lv 1] ¡°Stupid fucking Skill,¡± he muttered as he glared at Studious Scholar, ¡°This damn Dungeon already halves my Experience gain, but this thing halves it again! And it hasn¡¯t levelled up at all!¡± Because the higher the Rank of a Skill, the harder it is to level up, he thought, shaking his head as the knowledge flowed into him. At least he had figured out that the source of this knowledge was the afore mentioned Skill, or at least he thought so. Letting out an annoyed sigh, Chris just went back to hunting Slimes, forming another cone of wind in his hand as he spotted a pair. Through some experimentation, Chris had discovered that simply casting the basic air ball only took two points of Mana but forming it into a cone increased the cost by a further three points. This meant that he only had a total of five shots before he was completely depleted of Mana. Considering he¡¯d gotten a splitting headache just from firing off four of the cones, he wasn¡¯t very keen on running out completely. Focusing back on the coming fight, he carefully aimed his palm towards the closer Slime, about to fire when the two suddenly stopped, their bodies quivering. Surprised, Chris watched, holding his spell in his hand as the two immediately started heading in the same direction. A moment later, a familiar tendril shot out of the gloom, spearing one of the Slimes and absorbing it in seconds, the other seeming to try running away even faster. The Emperor Slime didn¡¯t let that happen though, its massive bulk sliding over the floor as another tentacle lashed out at the fleeing Slime, slapping it against a nearby Stalagmite. Chris sighed as he watched his prey being quickly absorbed by the Emperor Slime, carefully edging backwards so as not to draw its attention. Even as equipped as he now was, he had no intention of risking the same kind of fight as his first. At least, not yet. He quickly turned and started to run away as quietly as he could, a feat helped by his Slime boots, which softened the sounds of his footsteps. A moment passed, then he leapt forwards, crashing into the ground as the tendril slammed through several of the nearby stalagmites, sending stones and debris flying all around him. ¡°Fuck,¡± he growled, scrambling back to his feet as he started to sprint away, barely getting three steps before the cool tentacle wrapped around his ankle, hoisting him into the air, ¡°Oh for fucks sake!¡± The Emperor Slime immediately swung him up and over itself, Chris already able to feel the skin on his ankle burning, about to drop him into itself. Chris didn¡¯t let it. Pouring as much Mana into his spell as he could, his head pounding in agony as he launched the powerful air spike into the creature. The magic tore at the gooey flesh, splattering it all around as the Emperor Slime wobbled and shivered, flinging Chris away. He landed hard on the ground, coughing as the force of the landing knocked the wind from him, his aching head not helping as he staggered back to his feet. ¡°I¡¯d say eat shit,¡± Chris groaned as he looked at the writhing puddle, ¡°But you¡¯d probably like that. So just die!¡± He watched as the Slime started to reform, wondering why, before he spotted the core lying in the middle of the puddle, swearing under his breath as he charged forwards, running easily across the slime thanks to his shoes. He quickly reached the core, kicking it as hard as he could, hissing in pain as the object shot out of the puddle, bouncing along the ground as it went, before hitting a stalagmite and shattering. The puddle immediately stopped moving, Chris letting out a sigh of relief as he looked around for the item chest, quickly spotting it. Still annoyed, he threw it open, his eyes going wide at what he saw. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ------ Chris couldn¡¯t help the stupid grin on his face as he walked back to the circle of stalagmites he¡¯d first appeared in, looking down at the silly-looking tights he was wearing, the top puffed out like a balloon. He didn¡¯t even care that they¡¯d come from an Emperor Slime, he was just glad to have something to cover his lower half at long last. He was in such a good mood, that he happily went over some of the strange knowledge he¡¯s gained thanks to his Skill. ¡°So, Slimes are generally the lowest of the low in terms of Dungeon monsters, being Rank F,¡± he said to himself, ¡°Great Slimes are barely above them at Rank E, with King Slimes being Rank D. Finally, Emperor Slimes are Rank C, meaning that they¡¯re usually considered powerful monsters, but it you know how to beat them, they¡¯re still easy enough to kill.¡± Chris nodded to himself as he reached his impromptu camp site, looking around as he entered the space. It was currently lined with a bunch of random stuff he¡¯d gotten from the various Slimes and their more powerful variants he¡¯d killed. A bunch of basic clothing lay in a pile on one side to serve as a bed, while the rest of the space was taken up by various piles of the strange stones he¡¯d collected. He knew what they were, thanks to his Skill, but he had no way of using them at the moment. ¡°Magic Stones,¡± he hummed, ¡°Useful for crafting basic weapons and armor that can be used in the Dungeon. Not that they¡¯ll do me much good, seeing as I can¡¯t craft shit down here. I don¡¯t even have a Skill to let me do that.¡± Reaching into the slime pouch he¡¯d gotten off a Great Slime, he pulled the various stones he¡¯d collected from it, dropping them into their respective piles. He admired his horde for a moment, before heading over to his makeshift bed and flopping down, intending to sleep off the last of his Mana headache. Staring up at the ceiling, he wondered how things were going in the real world, if there had been more doors like the one that he¡¯d found popping up. ¡°Shit must be getting crazy up there if they have,¡± he yawned, closing his eyes and rolling over as he fell asleep. ------ ¡°No way,¡± Chris groaned as he looked at the massive blob that lounged against the wall, a door barely visible through its bulk, ¡°A Mother Slime? No wonder there are always more Slimes showing up after I kill them.¡± From what he knew, thanks to his Studious Scholar Skill, Mother Slimes were considered Rank B monsters, mostly for the fact that they could create more Slimes, and that they seldom attacked on their own. Of course, Chris wasn¡¯t about to let that knowledge fool him, as he knew full well how tricky the little balls of goo could be. His stomach growled slightly, making the man glare at it in annoyance. He wasn¡¯t sure how many days he¡¯d been down here, but it had had to be at least a week, considering how hungry he was. Thankfully his Self-Regeneration Skill kept him from losing Health from starving or dehydration, but he knew he was starting to go a little loopy from hunger and thirst. ¡°So, you¡¯re the boss of this floor, huh?¡± he muttered to himself, ¡°So, after I beat you, I can go to the next floor and find some food, right?¡± Nodding to himself, Chris opened his Status screen checking over it one last time before he launched his attack. Name: Christopher Trevor Sanders Level: 3 Experience: 8/400 Health: 200/200 Mana: 50/50 Stats: Strength: 5 Vitality: 10 Dexterity: 5 Intellect: 10 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 5 Free Points: 0 Titles: Leader, Explorer, Truly Ambitious, Mage, Giant Slayer, Survivor Skills: [Self-Regeneration lv 8] [Air Magic lv 16] [Studious Sage lv 1] Chris grinned at his new Stats, having decided that survivability and attack were his best options right now, so he¡¯d dumped five points each into Vitality and Intellect. He didn¡¯t feel all that much smarter, to be honest, but he didn¡¯t really care about that. ¡°More Mana means I can fire off around nine air cones before I need to retreat,¡± he giggled, ¡°Or I could charge them up and fire off four or five to finish this faster.¡± Of course, that was only if the Mother Slime would let him, as it took a few seconds of concentration to charge up a spell with more Mana. Shaking his head, he decided that it was best that he just stick to the plan he¡¯d come up with, hitting it hard and fast with as many spells as he could manage. Not the most elegant plan, of course, but you didn¡¯t need elegance to kill Slimes. They didn¡¯t deserve it, anyway. ¡°Prepare to die, you oversized bitch,¡± Chris hummed happily to himself, darting out from the stalagmite he¡¯d been hiding behind, an air cone already in his hand, ¡°Eat this!¡± No sooner had he stepped out than the Mother Slime let off a strange warbling cry, the sound so loud it felt like it would burst his eardrums. Chris gritted his teeth through the pain as he aimed his air cone, firing it straight at the glowing crystal in the center of the mass. He let out a slightly crazed laugh as the spell dug into the flesh of the monster, gouging out a decent sized hole, which quickly started to fill. Chris didn¡¯t let it, throwing out another air cone at the same spot, digging deeper into the Mother Slime. He launched his third air cone, the spell striking home as it exposed the core beneath, Chris grinning madly as he prepared to end the fight. Suddenly, the core shifted, moving through the fluid body of the Mother Slime at speed, easily avoiding the spell as Chris could only stare, dumbfounded. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± he shouted, ¡°You bitch! That¡¯s cheating!¡± No sooner had he said that than a piece of the core split off, falling to the bottom of the Mother Slime¡¯s body, where it quickly formed into a new Slime. ¡°Fuck,¡± Chris muttered, watching as the newly born Slime started to head towards him, ¡°Okay, time to retreat.¡± He jumped back, spinning on his heel as he started to run away, skidding to a stop as he saw the crowd of Slimes quickly approaching from behind him, several already absorbing the others, turning into Great and King Slimes. ¡°Oh, this is just bullshit!¡± he snarled, leaping to the side to avoid the swiping pseudopod of one of the King Slimes, looking back at the cracked and sizzling ground he¡¯d just been standing on, ¡°Fuck you guys!¡± Chris scrambled to his feet, running as hard as he could straight towards the horde of Slimes, seeming to confuse them for a moment, but a moment was all he needed. Gathering his magic around his feet, Chris jumped, soaring into the air high above the monsters, landing almost gracefully behind them. He didn¡¯t waste time looking back, instead just sprinting away as fast as he could manage with his head pulsing in pain. A quick check of his Mana told him he¡¯d used most of it already, only having ten points left. ¡°Because that jump and landing spell each take ten points to use,¡± he muttered, shaking his head as he continued to run, ¡°Okay, gonna need a new strategy to take down that bitch. But first, rest time!¡± Chapter 4 Chris groaned as he woke up, his throat painfully dry as his stomach growled in agony. He wasn¡¯t sure just how long he¡¯d been stuck on this floor of the Dungeon, but it felt like at least a month had passed. He was sure that the only reason he was still alive was thanks to his Self-Regeneration Skill, but now it was feeling more like a curse than a boon. With a tired moan, he lifted himself wearily from the makeshift bed, staggering around his small living space as he looked at his piles of Magic Stones. ¡°Useless pieces of junk,¡± he muttered, ¡°Can¡¯t eat them, so what good are they?¡± Shaking his head, he slapped his hollow cheeks, the sound almost haunting as he headed out of the circle of stone. ¡°Time to start the daily hunt,¡± he muttered to no one in particular, unconsciously pulling up his Status screen to check his Stats. Name: Christopher Trevor Sanders Level: 6 Experience: 3184/3200 Health: 300/300 Mana: 100/100 Stats: Strength: 10 Vitality: 20 Dexterity: 10 Intellect: 20 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 5 Free Points: 0 Titles: Leader, Explorer, Truly Ambitious, Mage, Giant Slayer, Survivor Skills: [Self-Regeneration lv 34] [Air Magic lv 57] [Studious Sage lv 1] He noted that he was almost at level seven, sighing as he tried to figure out what to put his Free Points into, before giving up, his head too foggy to think right now. Instead, he would just do what he¡¯d been doing for the last few weeks, and hunt. He quickly found his quarry, a lone Slime wandering around, Chris pulling a stone from his Slime Pouch and tossing it at the monster. The Slime reacted instantly, starting to ooze its way towards him as fast as it could. Chris just hummed quietly to himself as he started to back away, keeping an eye on the Slime as he made sure to stay just outside of its jumping range. He led it like that for several minutes, before finding another Slime, repeating the process. It didn¡¯t take long for the two to bump into each other, one absorbing the other and growing into a Great Slime. Chris picked up the pace as the new monster continued to chase him, leading it to a third Slime, which it quickly absorbed. He then had to run as the King Slime threw out its pseudopods at him, the young man ducking and weaving as he looked around for the final piece of the puzzle, spotting it quickly, another Great Slime. No sooner had the King Slime absorbed the Great Slime than it turned into an Emperor Slime, Chris skidding to a halt as the monster wobbled towards him rapidly. ¡°And now, the big finale,¡± he muttered, almost sounding bored as he gathered the magic in his palm, forming it into a long lance of swirling air, firing it at the monster without pause. The Emperor Slime shook as the magic tore through it, exposing the core, Chris not hesitating as he charged forwards, thrusting his hand into the wide hole and ripping the stone free. The massive Slime collapsed almost instantly, Chris turning on his heel and hurling the core against a nearby stalagmite, shattering it, the monster falling still a moment later. ¡°And one down,¡± he muttered, barely paying attention to the chest that had appeared as he opened it, stuffing the contents into one of his Slime Pouches, ¡°Let¡¯s see how many I can get rid of today.¡± ------ It had been about a week since Chris had started farming the Emperor Slimes, now fully geared up in the equipment they dropped. It made him look like he was dressed up as a pantomime royal, complete with the poofy sleeves and crown, except in shiny bright greens instead of the typical colors, not that Chris really knew what those were. He shook his head at the errant thought, trying to clear the distraction as he peeked out at the Mother Slime from behind a stalagmite, a slight smile cracking his parched lips. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Looks like I was right,¡± he whispered, noticing that the Mother Slime was definitely smaller than before, ¡°You can only make so many Slimes before you start to run out of materials.¡± His plan had been simple, if the Mother Slime was producing the other Slimes, then all he had to do was kill as many of them as possible each day to slowly deplete her resources. After a few days of doing so, it had become fairly easy to sweep the entire large cavern, luring every Slime he came across and turning them into Emperor Slimes, before dispatching them with a powerful blast of Air Magic. Today was the fourth day in a row that he¡¯d managed to clear the entire floor of Slimes, even reaching level eight in the process. Nodding he opened his Status screen again. Name: Christopher Trevor Sanders Level: 8 Experience: 22/12800 Health: 350/350 Mana: 100/100 Stats: Strength: 10 Vitality: 25 Dexterity: 15 Intellect: 20 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 5 Free Points: 10 Titles: Leader, Explorer, Truly Ambitious, Mage, Giant Slayer, Survivor Skills: [Self-Regeneration lv 47] [Air Magic lv 73] [Studious Sage lv 1] His Self-Regeneration Skill was still levelling a constant rate, as it was basically all that was keeping him alive right now, and his Air Magic Skill had jumped up a multitude of levels due to how much he was using it. Of course, his Rank SSS Studious Sage Skill hadn¡¯t budged at all, making Chris wonder if it would ever level up. He wasn¡¯t even sure what the purpose of leveling up Skills was, the familiar cool sensation washing through his mind. ¡°Skills increase in Rank when they reach level one hundred,¡± he muttered, his tone sarcastic as he continued, quickly dropping all ten of his Free Points into Intellect, ¡°Right, of course, why didn¡¯t I think of that? Not like I¡¯m half dead from starvation and dehydration and can¡¯t think clearly to save my life.¡± Grumbling to himself, he peeked around the rock again, watching as the Mother Slime shivered, a new Slime emerging from its mass a moment later. ¡°Showtime,¡± Chris grinned as he darted out from behind the rock, firing a small cone at the newly formed Slime, popping it in a single hit, ¡°Time to show the fruits of my labors!¡± Chris skidded to a stop as he held out both hands, a large spinning cone of air forming over each of his palms, before they shot towards the Mother Slime. The monster had no time to react as the dual cast spells slammed into it, Chris already charging straight towards her as he took a deep breath. The Mother Slime wobbled as he leapt at it, diving headfirst into the larger of the two holes he¡¯d punched into its body. Got you! He thought triumphantly as he reached for the large core, about the size of a soccer ball, before it shot away from him, going right to the edge of the monster¡¯s mass, Chris just grinning, That¡¯s what you think! Closing his burning eyes for a moment, he exhaled, willing the breath to expand as much as possible. In seconds the Mother slime was inflated like a literal balloon, its body pressing into the stalactites hanging from the ceiling above. Chris scowled as the pointed rocks didn¡¯t quite do their job, forcing more Mana into the already thin air around him, stretching the surface of the Slime bubble even thinner. Then, exactly what he¡¯d been hoping for happened, and the Mother Slime bubble popped, splattering goo everywhere, the rocks around them hissing and smoking as the acidic substance burned into them. Chris gasped for air as he fell to the ground, quickly scrambling to his feet as he hurriedly looked around for the core. He spotted it quickly, the glowing stone already pulling slime back around itself as he growled. He shot forwards, barely aware of the pain in his head as he gathered a swirling cone of air around his fist, driving it into the reforming Mother Slime, piercing easily through the thin layer of slime and shattering the core in an instant. ¡°Take that,¡± he chuckled, collapsing backwards as he laughed, staring up at the ceiling of the cavern in relief and elation, ¡°Now I can finally go to the next floor and get some food.¡± Rising to his feet, he staggered towards the large door, pausing only when he nearly tripped over the large gold-banded chest that had appeared in front of him. Shaking his head, he kicked it lightly, the chest clicking open a moment later, its lid lifting on its own as Chris glanced inside, not particularly interested in what it contained. ¡°What?¡± he muttered as he reached into the chest, lifting out the strange object in confusion, ¡°Is this a weapon? What am I saying, of course it is, Floor Bosses have a higher chance of dropping powerful weapons than regular monsters, so that¡¯s what this Superior Slime Mace is.¡± Chris blinked as he realized he¡¯d once again just gained knowledge, scowling as he cursed his stupid Skill for stealing his Experience in exchange for knowing useless trivia. Shaking his head, he reached back into the chest, lifting out the second item as he inspected it. ¡°A Carry-All-Bag?¡± he muttered, ¡°So a magic satchel? I guess that¡¯s useful.¡± Slinging the satchel over his shoulder, Chris headed towards the large imposing door that the Mother Slime had been guarding, something gnawing at the back of his mind as he reached out to touch it. Shaking his head, he took another step forward, then stopped, looking back down at his new bag. ¡°Wait,¡± he muttered, ¡°These things can hold a lot of stuff, right? So maybe I should go get at least some of the crap I¡¯ve collected, just in case it turns out to be useful later.¡± Chris looked up at the door again, the temptation of food on the other side making him want to open it right now, but the nagging feeling in the back of his mind making him turn away. ¡°This had better be worth it, brain,¡± he growled as he jogged back towards his camp, ¡°It really had better.¡± Chapter 5 ¡°FUCK!¡± The shout echoed through the dry halls as the man desperately swung his weapon at the horde of Skeletons surrounding him. He wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been since he¡¯d finally made it off the first floor of the Dungeon, but now he was in an even worse place. Twisting corridors and dead ends greeted him at every turn, along with groups of the living dead. Skeletons, Zombies and Ghosts inhabited this floor, and he was wholly unprepared. ¡°Get away from me, you fucking bastards!¡± he howled, sweeping his hand in a slashing motion, sending a blade of air crashing into the horde. Except, it barely fazed them, passing through their bones with barely a scratch. All the same, the man gave a small grin, the air blade continuing on and crashing into the small group of Zombies behind the Skeletons. The attack cut several of the Zombies heads off, the monsters collapsing to the ground and melting into a foul black substance as he swung his mace at the skull of one of the Skeletons, shattering it and sending its bones scattering across the floor. From what he had learned, Skeletons were fast, but brittle, and you had to destroy their skulls, otherwise they¡¯d just piece themselves back together and come after you again. Zombies, on the other hand, were tough as all hell, but just as slow, only dying when their heads were either destroyed, or cut from their bodies. The worst, though, were the Ghosts. They were fast and tough, though their only attack was to pass through you, making you feel cold when they did so. Of course, Chris had no intentions of dying to frostbite in some gods forsaken maze in a stupid Dungeon. ¡°Fucking hell!¡± he shouted as he finally killed the last Skeleton, throwing out another blade of wind to finish off the last two Zombies, ¡°That took way too long. I need to be more careful with how scared I feel.¡± Another feature of the undead that he¡¯d found out was that they were attracted to fear, like the smell of it was an aroma of delicious food they just couldn¡¯t resist. The man¡¯s stomach protested as he thought about food, making him scowl, already mostly used to the pain of hunger. ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± he muttered, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault there¡¯s no food on this stupid fucking floor! Blame the brain for thinking there would be!¡± Chris stalked forwards, absentmindedly emptying the contents of the various item chests around him into his Carry-All-Bag. It was mostly rusted or rotted armor, with the occasional low Rank weapon mixed in. Of course, none of it compared to his current gear, which was still pretty good, even compared to some of the higher Rank items he¡¯d found. That was mostly because he¡¯d been avoiding the stronger monsters in this labyrinthine crypt like the plague, not wanting to have to deal with the tougher creatures at the moment. ¡°Just got to find the Floor Boss and beat it,¡± he grumbled, stuffing a half-rotted leather shirt into his bag, ¡°I¡¯m sure the next floor will have something I can eat.¡± The sound of shoes on stone made him pause, looking up to see a surprisingly well-dressed man approaching him. The man would have looked every part the fancy butler, if it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that half his face was missing, showing off the white bone beneath, a glowing purple light in place of his missing eye. ¡°Uhm¡­can I help you?¡± Chris croaked, surprised by how tired and raspy his voice sounded. ¡°Ah, it would seem that you are the one destroying my Master¡¯s minions,¡± the weird Zombie Butler said in a refined tone. ¡°Oh, uhm¡­sorry?¡± Chris stuttered, not sure what to do, ¡°So, like, did he send you to stop me or something?¡± ¡°In a manner of speaking,¡± the Zombie Butler nodded, Chris tightening his grip on his mace as he prepared for a fight, ¡°I am to invite and lead you to the Master¡¯s chambers, post haste.¡± ¡°Master¡¯s¡­chambers?¡± Chris blinked, ¡°Wait, is this master the Floor Boss?¡± ¡°He is the master of this realm,¡± the Zombie Butler replied, ¡°Now, if you would please follow me, the others shall not attack you as long as you remain close.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Chris said as he continued to stare dumbly at the Zombie Butler, ¡°Okay?¡± ------ The room was impressive, with high vaulted ceilings and elegant furniture arranged around it. It would have looked positively inviting if it wasn¡¯t for the thick layer of dust and grime that covered everything, the tables littered with strange looking objects and half dissected corpses. Chris found himself licking his lips as he looked at a partially rotted corpse, its flesh still wet, wondering if any of it was still edible, before he caught himself. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with me?¡± he muttered, looking towards the figure at the far end of the room, its large black cloak billowing as it moved in front of a table lined with various strange looking jars and bottles. ¡°Ah,¡± the dry voice said as the creature turned to look at him, ¡°You have arrived.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­hello?¡± Jake said, trying to smile as he stared at the mummified corpse that was talking to him, ¡°You¡¯re a Lich?¡± ¡°I am,¡± the Lich nodded, ¡°You are quite well informed, it would seem. Not that that will matter shortly.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Chris blinked, the sickly-sweet smell of rotting flesh that pervaded the room making him start to feel a little nauseous, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I shall be adding you to my collection,¡± the Lich laughed, turning to face him head on, Chris spotting the blood red broach that fixed its cloak over its shoulders, a cool feeling rushing through his head, ¡°Not the best specimen, but considering the damage you did to my forces, I suppose your body will suffice as payment. Now, bow before me and-!¡± Chris gathered the air around his legs, launching himself forwards as the Lich continued to talk, catching the undead off guard as he snatched the broach, ripping it free of the fabric and throwing it to the ground. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± the creature screamed as it raised its hands, magic starting to gather in its skeletal fingers as Chris lifted his mace. ¡°I! Don¡¯t! Have! Time! For! This!¡± he shouted, punctuating each word with a strike of his mace against the broach, each blow seeming to knock the Lich off balance, ¡°I! Need! Food! Not! Another! Fight!¡± ¡°Stop, you cretin!¡± the monster shrieked, trying to grab Chris¡¯s arm as he swung it down again, the man just kicking the Boss away, ¡°No! You¡¯re going to break it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point!¡± Chris growled as he lifted his mace again, bringing it down on the broach, ¡°Now just fucking die!¡± The next strike cracked the blood red stone, a wave of magical energy pulsing out of it, throwing Chris back as the Lich screamed in agony. Chris coughed as he sat up, watching the Lich writhe about, its body and clothes dissolving into ash. ¡°You!¡± it screamed, ¡°I shall kill you! I shall kill everyone dear to you! I shall-!¡± The Lich didn¡¯t get to finish its sentence as its head finally dissolved, the dust floating down into a small pile on the floor. ¡°Well, that was easy,¡± Chris groaned as he got up, looking around the room again, quickly spotting the door to the next floor, and the large gold banded chest just in front of it, ¡°Guess I¡¯d better check what¡¯s in there, it would be a waste otherwise.¡± Chris quickly opened the chest, looking at the two items inside, a twisted black scepter and what appeared to be a short flute made of bone. ¡°A Scepter of Undead Control, and a Death Call Whistle?¡± he muttered, ignoring the feeling of knowledge entering his mind, ¡°So, a way to summon undead, and control them? Guess that might be useful.¡± He quickly stuffed the two items in his bag, walking over to the large door and touching it, the door swinging open silently to reveal the same pitch-black darkness it had before. ------ ¡°It has been eight weeks since the first of the ¡®Dungeons¡¯ was discovered and entered,¡± the news anchor said from the television, ¡°And the government is once again urging the general populace not to enter them without proper permission or preparation. We still do not know the origin of these strange doors, but efforts are being made to locate and properly secure them, to prevent any further loss of life. Again, we urge all the general populace to not enter any unsecured Dungeon you find and instead report it to the proper authorities.¡± Elizabeth frowned as she watched the news, waiting for the list of people that had died in the Dungeons to begin scrolling up the screen. She had been doing this every day for the last two weeks since the program had started the service, desperately hoping not to see her brother¡¯s name on the list, yet also wanting some sort of closure about his disappearance. She read every name, letting out an anxious sigh when she didn¡¯t see his appear, her chest still tight. ¡°Elizabeth,¡± her mother said from the door to the room, making her jump slightly, ¡°You¡¯re watching this again? It¡¯s just depressing.¡± ¡°I just¡­¡± the teen muttered, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll turn it off.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been glued to the TV for weeks now,¡± her mother huffed disapprovingly, ¡°Your grades are starting to slip as well. You need to study more.¡± ¡°Yes, mom,¡± Elizabeth sighed as she stood, heading to her room. She paused beside the door to her brother¡¯s room once again, as she did almost every time she passed it, wondering if he really had managed to find a Dungeon and go inside. And if he had, had he managed to survive it. She sniffed as she carried on, thinking about her kind and silly older brother, how he¡¯d always do his best to cheer her up whenever she felt sad or stressed. ¡°Chris,¡± she muttered, ¡°Please, just come home. Please.¡± Chapter 6 Chris sobbed as he knelt on the ground, tears he didn¡¯t know he had left pouring down his face as he looked around the new floor. It was a forest, at least of sorts, if you considered the giant mushrooms trees and the mycelium that coated the floor grass and dirt. And where there was a forest, there was always something else. ¡°FOOD!¡± Chris screamed happily, rushing towards the nearest patch of mushrooms and reaching for them, his hand stopping barely a centimeter from touching them, ¡°Wait, not these ones, they¡¯re poisonous.¡± He darted to the next patch, also pausing, a scowl forming on his face as he glared at the fungus. ¡°Also poisonous,¡± he muttered, moving onto the next group, then the next, finding that every patch of the strangely colored fungus he looked at were toxic in some way, ¡°Oh for fucks sake!¡± Frustrated, he stormed around the small clearing he found himself in, glaring at every mushroom in anger, willing them to stop being toxic just so he could have something to eat. His gaze swept over a singular small brown mushroom, barely noticeable, until Chris¡¯s brain managed to catch up with the information it was receiving. The man froze, turning to look at the mushroom again, knowing immediately that it was edible, and even had some medicinal properties. ¡°Food!¡± he shrieked as he rushed over to the pinky sized fungus, picking it and stuffing it straight into his mouth, chewing the bitter cap and stem and swallowing in satisfaction. His stomach suddenly growled loudly, making Chris painfully aware that a single small morsel was in no way going to satisfy his massive hunger. Looking around again, he spotted another of the mushrooms a short distance away, which he quickly approached and picked, eating it as well. This continued for several minutes, Chris following the trail of mushrooms through the strange forest, picking and eating each as he went. After a while, he started to feel strangely numb, looking at the latest mushroom for a moment, his brain realizing that it was because of them. ¡°Medicinal properties, right,¡± he groaned, ¡°They have an anesthetic effect when eaten raw. If I boil them, they¡¯ll make a basic health potion, and the mushrooms themselves will be entirely edible.¡± Sighing, Chris stuffed the mushroom into his bag, wondering how exactly he was supposed to boil them when he didn¡¯t have a pot, water, or way to start a fire. Feeling slightly dejected, Chris continued through the forest, following the trail of mushrooms and picking each one, though they now went into his bag instead of his stomach. After half an hour, he blinked, a familiar sound reaching his ears in the eerie quiet of the fungal forest. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± he gasped, rushing towards the sound, his eyes going wide as he broke through the tree line, staring at the glistening beauty in front of him, ¡°It is! It¡¯s water!¡± The stream was small, barely a small trickle of liquid over a rock, but it was water all the same. Chris reached out to cup his hands beneath it, before he stopped again, frustrated by the information washing over his thoughts. He¡¯d just spotted the large mushrooms perched on either side of the rock, long tendrils hanging down into the flow of the water. ¡°Reaper¡¯s Kiss,¡± he growled, ¡°Those tendrils produce a powerful neurotoxin that will make anyone who consumes even a gram of it go into immediate brain death. Fuck.¡± Chris looked at the slowly dripping water again, his mouth dry, licking his lips as he considered whether brain death was worth just getting a drink, even if it would be his last. ¡°No,¡± he barked, ¡°No! Absolutely not! Fuck that!¡± Instead, he started following the trickle of water, tracing it back as he made his way through the forest once again. ------ Chris pinched the bridge of his nose as he stared at the source of the water, a mixture of annoyance and confusion filling his mind as the water poured steadily out. ¡°That¡¯s just a regular garden tap, isn¡¯t it?¡± he sighed, staring at the obviously concrete pillar it was attached to, several mushrooms growing up the sides, ¡°What the fuck is with this place? You know what, who cares? I found a hopefully reliable source of water!¡± Chris quickly knelt in front of the tap, cupping his hands under the flow of water and staring in awe as the liquid gathered in his palms. He lifted his hands to his face, taking a small sip, before his eyes shot open and he let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°It¡¯s been so long,¡± he sobbed, ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had water and food, and now I have both! I never want to leave this floor!¡± Chris continued to drink, making sure to take slow sips, stopping when he felt his stomach start to fill. Once again, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure why, but he just knew that drinking a lot of water after being dehydrated for as long as he had would just as likely kill him as any of the toxic mushrooms in this forest. ¡°Hah,¡± he sighed in relief as he splashed his face, scrubbing off some of the dirt and grime that had built up on him, ¡°It¡¯s so nice to have water again! Even if it¡¯s from a weird tap in the middle of a Dungeon! Oh! I have water now! That means I can cook!¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Chris quickly set about finding a suitable place to cook, clearing a small patch of mycelium to expose the stone floor beneath. Once he was sure his fire wouldn¡¯t spread, he set about gathering some mushrooms he¡¯d noticed before, grinning as he stacked them in a pile. ¡°Beggar¡¯s Grace,¡± he hummed as he prepared the fire, ¡°It¡¯s toxic to eat, but burns well and for a long time. Perfect for a campfire!¡± Chris blinked as he looked at the pile of fungus, his expression going blank for a moment, before he let out a shout. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lighter or matches!¡± Flopping to the ground, Chris groaned as his plans were foiled once again, looking up at the dense canopy of mushrooms above him, their soft glow filling the air with a gloomy light. ¡°Shit, and it¡¯s not like I know how to start a fire any other way,¡± he sighed, looking around, ¡°I mean, I know about hitting steel with flint to make sparks, but it¡¯s not like I even have any of that, do I?¡± Letting out another sigh, he pulled a mushroom from his bag, popping it into his mouth and chewing, the slight numbness making him feel strangely better as he sat beside the running tap. Where was he going to find a source of fire in this place? It wasn¡¯t like he could just go exploring and hope to find a mushroom that spat fire, right? Sighing, he placed his hand on his Carry-All-Bag, checking its contents. A long stream of information appeared in his mind, listing everything in the satchel, from the mushrooms to his spare Slime Pouches, various types of arrows and iron weapons. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Chris blinked, looking down at the bag, ¡°What kind of arrows do I have?¡± A quick check sent a rush of excitement through him, the man quickly reaching into the bag and pulling out an arrow tipped with a dark stone. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it!¡± he laughed excitedly, looking at the stone on the tip, fashioned into a simple arrowhead, a piece of cloth soaked in resin just below it, ¡°Sparkstone Arrows! I can light my fire with these! Where did I get them though?¡± Thinking back, Chris vaguely remembered some of the Skeletons he¡¯d killed in the previous floors using bows. He hadn¡¯t really given them enough time to use them properly, though, having been more interested in clearing out the monsters so he could get to the next floor. Shaking his head, he dragged the Sparkstone arrowhead against the stone floor, the friction immediately causing the fabric and resin to ignite. Excitedly, Chris held the flames up against the Beggar¡¯s Grace, the fungus catching quickly and starting to burn. ¡°Fire achieved!¡± he cheered, checking his supply of Sparkstone Arrows, ¡°Though I only have seven more, so I¡¯ll have to ration them carefully. Now, I just need to boil the mushrooms in a pot and¡­and I don¡¯t have a pot, do I?¡± A quick search of his bag revealed that he did not, in fact, have a pot, but an old iron helmet would suffice. Chris made sure to wash it out thoroughly under the water from the tap, scrubbing the dirt and rust away as best he could with some of the spare clothing he had. Satisfied that he wasn¡¯t about to get metal poisoning or something, he filled the helmet with water and set it down beside the fire, watching excitedly as it slowly started to boil. Several minutes later, the smell of boiling mushrooms filled the air, the rich earthy scent making Chris¡¯s stomach groan in hunger. ¡°Shut up,¡± Chris huffed, ¡°You¡¯ll get your food soon, but I have to boil these mushrooms for at least ten minutes to get all the numbing agent out. Then I¡¯ll need to let them dry a bit before I can eat them.¡± His stomach growled again, Chris growling back as he stood up, walking over to the tap. ¡°Whatever, while that¡¯s going, I should see about carrying some water with me,¡± he hummed, reaching into his bag and pulling out the seven Slime Pouches he had, ¡°These are supposed to be waterproof from the outside, so then they should be from the inside as well. I¡¯m so smart!¡± Grinning like a child, Chris quickly filled the first of the pouches, tying the top tightly shut with the length of cord attached to it. It wasn¡¯t a perfect seal, but he was pretty certain it wouldn¡¯t spill in his Carry-All-Bag regardless. He quickly filled up the rest of the pouches, grinning to himself the entire time as he placed them back in his satchel. Spare water now secured, Chris went back to check on the mushrooms, amazed to see that they had lost all their brown colour, turning a pale, ghostly white. Shrugging, he scooped them out with an old dagger, which he¡¯d already cleaned in the water, laying the hot mushrooms on a Slime Shirt he''d also washed to dry. ¡°And now we wait,¡± Chris hummed, looking at the mushrooms hungrily, ¡°Soon, my pretties, soon you will be filling my empty belly after so long!¡± Chris hummed happily to himself, blinking as he noticed that the water was still boiling in the makeshift pot. Intrigued, he looked at it, quickly realizing what it was. ¡°A very basic kind of Health Potion,¡± he nodded, ¡°Well, basic in that it mostly just numbs the pain of wounds instead of actually healing anything, but it¡¯s better than nothing, I suppose. Actually, now that I think about it, do I have any actual potions?¡± Checking his bag, Chris sighed as he shook his head. ¡°Not even an empty bottle,¡± he muttered, ¡°I mean, where would I have even gotten one anyway?¡± An image flashed through his mind, remembering the strange bottles of liquid that had been sitting on the table behind the Lich. He¡¯d ignored them because he¡¯d just wanted to get to the next floor and find some food, but now he was cursing himself for doing something so stupid. ¡°Oh well, live and learn,¡± he chuckled to himself after a moment, ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just have to dump this out for now. Bit of a waste, but it¡¯s all I can do. But first, let¡¯s have some dinner!¡± Chris grabbed one of the cooled mushrooms, biting into it and moaning in pleasure. Even if it had lost all its color, it still had the same earthy flavor as before. He devoured the mushrooms in minutes, lying back on the soft mycelium as he stared up at the mushroom canopy above him. Soon, he was fast asleep. ------ Chris stared at the large metal door, the golden chest in front of it. ¡°Seriously?¡± he asked, looking around for the Floor Boss, ¡°That¡¯s it? No fight? Just loot and the exit?¡± Shaking his head, he walked up the short flight of stairs that separated the door and chest from the rest of the forest, the mycelium seeming to not dare even grow on the pure white stone. Reaching the top, he tapped the chest, which popped open with no real fan faire, making Chris scowl for some reason. Shaking his head, he just looked inside, his expression turning even more sour as he grabbed the two items inside. One was a camping cook set, complete with magical heating element and several pots, pans and utensils, and the other was a shield shaped like a mushroom cap. He stuffed both into his bag, stalking towards the door before kicking it. ¡°Bastard Dungeon,¡± he muttered, watching as the door swung open silently, once again revealing the darkness beyond, ¡°The next floor had better be worth it.¡± Chapter 7 ¡°Not fucking worth it!¡± Chris growled as he swung his mace into the side of a Giant Rat, throwing the creature against the wall as it let out a pained squeak, two more quickly replacing it. ¡°So not worth it!¡± He shouted as he sent a blade of air flying towards a group of the vermin that were charging him, slicing several of them apart, only for even more to show up, ¡°Is there a fucking end to this bullshit?!¡± He continued to fight for what felt like hours, his Emperor Slime gear getting covered in blood and grime as he fended off the waves of monsters. Finally, he crushed the last rat beneath his mace, his head pounding as he was almost out of Mana, his body aching from the exertion. A quick glance at his Status screen told him that he hadn¡¯t even levelled up from that prolonged fight, making him swear loudly. ¡°I swear, if I ever find the bastard that made this place, I am going to shove my foot so far up their ass!¡± he grumbled, trying to wipe some of the dirt and blood off himself, ¡°And I just had a bath before coming down here!¡± Letting out a tired sigh, he looked around again, making sure there were no more rats, before pulling a cloth from his bag, wiping off his gloves as best he could. He then stuffed the dirty rag back into his bag, pulling out a Slime Pouch of water and a handful of cooked mushrooms, devouring the latter before washing them down with a healthy gulp of cool water. ¡°Ah, that hits the spot, now, I guess I should gather the loot from these bastards, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± he hummed, looking out over the piles of corpses, an equal number of small wooden chests laying scattered about as well, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get lucky and get something good.¡± ------ ¡°Only one decent thing out of all of that?¡± Chris sighed as he checked his bag, having basically just thrown everything he¡¯d found in the chests into his Carry-All-Bag, reaching inside and pulling out the short knife, ¡°At least this Rat Tooth Dagger is Rank D, so it should be able to cut up some of the Slime gear. I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to salvage any decent materials from them?¡± Chris hummed as he stood back up from where he¡¯d been sitting on the floor, a good distance away from the area where he¡¯d fought the rats. He now found himself in what could only be described as an underground warren, twisting tunnels leading all over the place, and no light to speak of. He¡¯d been forced to use one of his Sparkstone Arrows as a makeshift torch, though the light only seemed to attract the attention of the Giant Rats even more. Looking around, he started heading down the tunnel he was in. ¡°I have no idea where I even am,¡± he muttered, ¡°I really hope I don¡¯t get lost; it¡¯s not like a Zombie Butler is going to come take me to the Floor Boss again.¡± ¡°It enters our domain,¡± the squeaky voice said suddenly, making Chris spin around as he saw a pair of eyes reflecting the light of his makeshift torch in the shadows, ¡°It brings the pain of the uplands to our eyes. This is unacceptable!¡± ¡°What?¡± Chris blinked, holding the burning arrow out towards the speaker, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Geeeh!¡± the creature spat, skittering back as Chris caught a glimpse of a rat-like face, ¡°It aims to blind us with the pain of the uplands! My children, kill it!¡± ¡°Oh shit,¡± Chris muttered as the Giant Rats started to emerge from the shadows, ¡°Not again.¡± ¡°We will feast upon you flesh!¡± the strange creature from before giggled manically, ¡°We shall crack open your bones and sup upon your marrow! Now, die!¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± Chris huffed as he tossed the arrow towards the strange figure, the rats scattering as the light landed directly in front of it, making it hiss in pain. ¡°Kill it!¡± the creature shrieked, Chris now able to identify it as a Ratfolk, another type of monster commonly found in the Dungeons, though this one seemed¡­slightly unhinged. It was waving something that looked like a short pole around, pointing it at him, Chris figuring it might be like the Scepter of Undead Control in his bag, throwing out a blade of air as it lifted the object above its head. The blade slashed straight through the monster¡¯s wrist, making it scream in agony as it leapt back, clutching the wound, the hand and pole completely forgotten. ¡°It has attacked us! In our own kingdom! You shall rue the day you injured the Rat King, upland filth!¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± Chris sighed, stepping towards the so-called Rat King, ¡°I figure you¡¯re probably the Floor Boss, right? That means I can get out of here if I kill you.¡± ¡°Kill me?¡± the creature blinked up at him, a look of fear in its milky eyes as he continued to approach, the other rats staying out of the light even as their king tried to scramble away, ¡°Blasphemy! Treason! Kill it!¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You¡¯re not getting away that easy!¡± Chris shouted as the Ratfolk tried to retreat into the darkness again, raising his hand, a cone of air punching into the Rat King¡¯s back, making it scream as blood sprayed from its mouth. Chris blinked as he watched the creature crumple to the floor, a hole punched straight through its chest where its heart was. Looking around, he quickly realized that the rest of the rats had already fled, making him rub the back of his head with his free hand nervously. ¡°Well, that was anti-climactic,¡± he muttered, ¡°Now, how do I get out of here?¡± He spotted the pole the Rat King had dropped earlier, leaning down to pick it up, his eyes going wide as he realized what it really was. ------ ¡°An Explorer¡¯s Map, huh?¡± Chris grinned as he looked down at the scroll in his hands, watching as the tunnel drew itself onto the paper in real time in the flickering light of his makeshift torch, ¡°Pretty useful, though it doesn¡¯t exactly help me find the exit, at least I won¡¯t get lost with this.¡± Chris continued down the tunnel, looking up as he spotted a faint glow at the end. Intrigued, he picked up the pace, hurrying towards the source of the light. It took him a few minutes, but he stepped into a large cavern dug out from the earth, a familiar looking door and chest opposite him, a pair of torches burning on either side of the door. ¡°So, I guess this is meant to be the Boss room, right?¡± he asked no one in particular, heading towards the chest, frowning as he noticed it was already open, ¡°Did that Rat King guy manage to open this? Is that where he got the map from?¡± Looking side, Chris frowned as he saw the shattered remains of what looked like a crystal ball inside, picking them up and inspecting them. ¡°Dammit,¡± he sighed, ¡°This was a Glow Orb. That would have been useful in these tunnels. Actually, pretty much all of the Boss Chest rewards would have been useful in the floor you find them on. I wonder if that¡¯s a thing?¡± Shrugging, Chris simply scooped up as many of the pieces of the Glow Orb as he could, dropping them into his bag and heading towards the door. ¡°Well, next floor it is then.¡± ------ Chris coughed as he surfaced, the water around him stained red with blood. He quickly pulled himself up onto the platform, looking out over the pool he¡¯d entered from as he watched the corpse of the Floor Boss rise slowly to the surface, the giant fish looking like something out of a horror movie, with lobster claws growing out of it where the side fins would be, and ape-like legs at the back. Chris wasn¡¯t even sure how he¡¯d managed to beat it; his head having gone fuzzy from having to hold his breath for so long. ¡°At least I figured out how those crystals worked,¡± he sighed, ¡°Though only giving you the ability to breath underwater for a minute? I almost drowned so many times!¡± Shaking his head, Chris just pulled himself back to his feet, staggering tiredly over to the golden chest, opening it to see a pair of rings, sighing as he realized what they were. ¡°A Ring of Water Breathing and a Ring of Cold Resistance,¡± he muttered as he slipped them onto his fingers, ¡°Okay, the whole getting items that would have been useful on their floor thing is definitely true.¡± He glanced at the door, yawning as he did so, deciding that it would be best to rest before continuing to the sixth floor, especially as he didn¡¯t even know how many floors this Dungeon had. He quickly pulled the stacks of clothes he had gathered on the first floor out of his bag, forming them into a makeshift mattress, before flopping down and going to sleep. ------ ¡°Okay,¡± Chris gasped as he walked alongside the lava flow, ¡°First a water floor, now a lava floor? What the fuck is with this place?¡± Chris groaned as the rocks suddenly shifted around him, rising from the floor as they formed into vaguely humanoid shapes. He drew his mace, taking a deep breath of the dry and hot air, willing his magic around himself as he shot forwards. The two Rock Elementals were too slow to stop him, the man skidding to a stop just behind them, before he leapt high into the air, landing on top of one¡¯s shoulders, bringing his mace down hard on its head. The geode cracked open, the elemental collapsing back into a pile of rocks, Chris having just enough time to jump off before the other one swung at him. Chris dodged it as the creature continued to swing wildly at him, leaving craters in the floor as he danced around it, his head starting to ache. ¡°Okay, time to end this,¡± he muttered, sliding between the monster¡¯s legs and jumping up onto its back, bringing his mace down on its head as well, cracking it open and causing the elemental to collapse, ¡°And that¡¯s done. Once you know how to deal with them, these guys are actually pretty easy to handle.¡± Chris continued down the tunnel, his body sweating as he was forced to walk closer and closer to the lava as the path thinned. Eventually, when he was basically shimmying along a small ledge, he finally reached what he figured what the Boss room, a massive form crouched down in the center. ¡°Oh!¡± he gasped as he looked at the massive Clay Golem, ¡°I know this one! You have to erase one of the letters written on its forehead to make ¡®Truth¡¯ into ¡®Death¡¯. Though was it the first or the last letter?¡± As if to try answering his question, the Clay Golem suddenly started to move, its joints grinding as it stood. ¡°Well, guess I¡¯ll have to guess!¡± Chris shouted as the massive Floor Boss turned its head to look at him, the strange writing clear on its forehead, ¡°I¡¯ll take letter number one for the win, please!¡± Chris gathered the magical energy in his palm, concentrating as the huge construct started walking towards him, each foot fall shaking the ground. He kept compressing more and more air into the ball, willing it to spin faster and faster as he waited until the last possible moment, the Clay Golem almost on top of him. The spell shot out as he thrust his arm forwards, the ball of air striking the first letter, before it exploded, actually managing to make the Golem stumble back. ¡°Well, shit,¡± Chris said as he looked up at the golem, a large chunk of its head now missing as it simply stood there, Chris realizing that he had somehow managed to erase the first letter, ¡°Guess that means I win, right?¡± The Golem remained silent, Chris shrugging as he skirted around the edge of the room, just in case it was faking, before opening the chest and grabbing the two items inside. ¡°Ring of Heat Resistance, obviously,¡± Chris hummed as he slid the ring onto his finger, ¡°And¡­boots?¡± Chapter 8 ¡°Right,¡± Chris sighed as he looked at the items laid out in front of him as he sat in the Boss room of the ninth floor, the golden chest open beside him, ¡°What the hell is up with these items?¡± From what he knew, each of the six items was from the same set, the only problem was what that set actually was. ¡°Pontentia Garb?¡± Chris muttered, ¡°All I can figure out is that they¡¯re equipment that hasn¡¯t reached its full potential yet, whatever that means.¡± Shaking his head, he looked over the pieces again. ¡°I got the boots from the sixth floor,¡± he said, ¡°Then the gloves from the seventh floor after that forest that was full of plant monsters, along with a ring of Poison Resistance. The shirt and legs came from the eighth floor, which was a swamp full of all sorts of nasty reptiles, and the cloak and hat came from this floor, where everything was made from crystals. What exactly does that mean?¡± Chris wracked his brain for a moment, trying to figure out if there was some sort of pattern to the distribution of the items. After a while, he just shook his head, giving up on making sense of it all, simply picking up the items and going to put them back in his Carry-All-Bag. ¡°Wait,¡± Chris muttered, looking down at his full set of Emperor Slime gear, the material ripped and burned in various places, the shoes and gloves almost entirely worn out, and the cloak shredded, even the crown was badly dented in a couple of places, ¡°Dammit, I don¡¯t think that my current gear is going to last another floor, even if it¡¯s the last one, and I don¡¯t exactly have anything better.¡± He looked back at the Pontentia Garb in his hands, before letting out a loud sigh and stripping off. It took him a few minutes to remove all the items, but once he had, he could only marvel at himself. His slight gut was gone, replaced by firm and noticeable abs, his muscles in general were larger and more defined. His hair was also considerably longer, and he was now sporting a full decent length beard, though it was a bit wild and unkept. He also just felt better than he had in a long time. Shaking his head, he pulled his last Slime Pouch of water out of his bag, using a piece of fabric he¡¯d cut from some of the myriads of items he¡¯d been collecting to carefully wash himself. Once he was done, he poured the rest of the water over his head, rinsing the last of the grime away. ¡°I feel like a new man,¡± he chuckled, stretching a bit, amazed by his own flexibility, ¡°Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t really looked at my Status screen in a while. I wonder how I¡¯m doing?¡± Name: Christopher Trevor Sanders Level: 10 Experience: 139/51200 Health: 350/350 Mana: 150/150 Stats: Strength: 15 Vitality: 25 Dexterity: 20 Intellect: 30 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 5 Free Points: 10 Titles: Leader, Explorer, Truly Ambitious, Mage, Giant Slayer, Survivor Skills: [Self-Regeneration lv 97] [Air Magic lv 4] [Studious Sage lv 1] ¡°Wait¡­what?¡± Chris said as he read over the screen, ¡°When did I hit level ten? And why is Air Magic back to level four?!¡± Worried, he quickly checked the Skill, staring at the screen that appeared. [Air Magic lv 4. Rank B. Utilize Mana to control air.] ¡°Wait, it went up a Rank? But that only happens when a Skill hits level one hundred!¡± Chris gasped, ¡°Did I really do that?¡± Shaking his head, Chris just closed the screen, rubbing the beard on his chin as he tried to decide what to put his Free Points into. ¡°I haven¡¯t actually put any points into Wisdom or Charisma since my first level up,¡± he mused, ¡°So I guess I could boost those, though I¡¯m not entirely sure what they actually do¡­okay, maybe not Charisma, that¡¯s not exactly useful to me anyway. So¡­just Wisdom then? I think I¡¯m strong enough in the other Stats to handle this last floor, so it should be fine.¡± Nodding at his choice, Chris dropped all ten points into his Wisdom Stat, feeling happy with his choice. ¡°Now, about this gear,¡± he hummed, quickly putting the Pontentia garb on. The entire outfit was various shades of grey, consisting of a shirt with a steel chest guard, and dark leather pants with steel knee pads. The boots and gloves were also made of leather, with steel plates rivetted into them, though they moved almost silently and didn¡¯t restrict his movement at all. The cloak was plain, just a thick dark grey material, and the head piece was little more than a band of steel that sat comfortably on his head. He was surprised by how well it all fit, like it had been personally tailored for him, though he wondered if that was just more Dungeon bullshit going on. Shrugging it off, he gathered his things and walked to the door, touching it and watching as it opened, revealing the impenetrable darkness behind it. Chris blinked and suddenly found himself standing in the middle of an arena, more like a colosseum actually, the seats all empty as he looked around the sandy floored arena. ¡°Okay, so what? Combat gauntlet?¡± he mused, looking behind him as he heard the sound of grinding metal, his eyes widening as he watching a group stagger out of the lifted gate, their clothes ragged and torn, their bodies dirty. What really surprised him though was that they all looked mostly human, with a few being slightly taller with pointed ears, or shorter and very stocky. They were all also chained together, shackles on their wrists and ankles, with chains wrapped around their waists. Several collapsed as they walked forwards, the sudden sound of cheering coming from the empty stands. ¡°And today, good people!¡± the voice boomed over the arena, ¡°For the first show, the Challenger will be tested! Will he simply act to survive on his own, or will he fall protecting others?!¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Oh, fuck off!¡± Chris shouted at the invisible crowd and announcer, eliciting a number of boos and jeers right back at him, making him mutter, ¡°What kind of bullshit is this?¡± The sound of grating metal drew his attention to the other side of the arena, his eyes going wide once again as the massive creatures stepped out into the light. They looked like a cross between a lion and a Komodo dragon, dull scales lining their legs and sides, with a large mane around their feline heads. They also had spikes down their spines, and long, vicious looking claws. And there were three of them. ¡°Fuck,¡± Chris muttered to himself as he gripped the handle of his mace tighter, ¡°How the hell do I do this?¡± ¡°Please!¡± a weak voice called out, making Chris glance back at a girl that looked to be barely in her teens, ¡°Please don¡¯t let them eat us!¡± ¡°Dammit,¡± Chris sighed, turning back to the three creatures, which seemed to be adjusting to the light of the sun above them, before he grabbed his bag, reaching inside and pulling out a number of weapons, throwing them back towards the chained people, ¡°Use those to help defend yourselves!¡± ¡°What is this?¡± the announcer called, ¡°He¡¯s arming these failed challengers? And what good will that do them?¡± Chris just scowled at the stands, glancing back to see that one of the stocky men had grabbed a pair of daggers, and looked to be trying to pick the locks on his shackles, though he was struggling with how close his hands were to each other. ¡°Hold out your hands,¡± one of the tall pointy-eared women said, lifting a longsword, the man pausing for a moment, before doing so. She brought the sword down with surprising speed for her thin body, slicing straight through the chains with ease. The man looked at his freed wrists in surprise for a moment, before hopping over to the woman and grabbing her wrists, sticking the point of one of his daggers into the keyhole on her shackles. A moment later, the lock clicked open, the man giving her a wide grin from behind his thick beard, before dropping down and doing the same to the manacles on her ankles. ¡°Come!¡± the woman shouted, drawing the attention of the others as she raised her sword, ¡°We shall free you as fast as we can, but be ready to fight for your lives!¡± Chris just nodded as he heard the woman¡¯s shout, rolling his shoulders as he saw that the three creatures had adjusted to the light, and were now stalking towards them. Gritting his teeth, Chris took a breath, gathering his Mana in his free hand. Just as the creatures reached the range that they could probably jump on him, he threw the spell out at the lead monster, which dodged back easily, a look of contempt in its eyes as it looked at him. The spell hit the ground, exploding into a massive plume of sand, startling the creatures as they were temporarily blinded. Chris wasted no time, gathering the air energy around himself, before leaping forwards, sweeping his hand towards the location of the first monster. The blade of air shot out of his hand, cutting through the falling sand, giving him just enough time to see that the monster was already gone. A shadow passed over him a moment later, Chris looking up to see the beast about to land directly on top of him. The monster slammed into the ground, Chris rolling backwards as it immediately righted itself and leapt at him again. He swung his mace at it, the monster dodging to the side, before swiping at him with its razor-sharp claws, Chris just barely able to avoid them thanks to his magic. A sudden scream made him glance back at the group, seeing that the other two monsters had already gone straight to them, the short man and the tall woman somehow managing to fend them off, for now. The monster in front of him took advantage of the momentary distraction, swatting him with its paw, throwing Chris to the side as he gasped for air, skidding across the ground for several meters before finally coming to a stop. The monster didn¡¯t give him a break though, immediately pouncing on him again, Chris barely able to get his mace up in time to block its bite, the monster biting down on the shaft, which groaned and crackled under the strain. ¡°You fucker!¡± Chris shouted as he swung a fist up, punching the monster in the nose, making it stumble back in surprise, ¡°I like this mace! You don¡¯t get to break it!¡± Chris let out a guttural yell as he jumped back to his feet, charging straight at the monster, his weapon raised as a spell formed in his other hand. The monster just jumped back, avoiding the wild swing of the weapon, before jumping forwards again to avoid the spell as Chris thrust out his hand. It opened its mouth as it went for his arm, the look of fear on Chris¡¯s face palpable, before it shifted to a grin. ¡°I don¡¯t remember releasing my spell!¡± he shouted, pointing the palm directly down the monsters open throat, ¡°Eat shit and die!¡± The spell shot straight into the creature¡¯s maw, making it stumble as it snapped its mouth closed, dodging to the side, before it shuddered, blood spraying from its mouth as the spell exploded inside it. Chris roared again as he charged in, bringing his mace down on top of the beast¡¯s head, a horrible squelching sound echoing over the arena as he crushed one of its eyes. He continued to beat on its skull for several minutes, slowly wearing it down, even as it continued to cough up blood. ¡°Just fucking die!¡± Chris screamed as he swung his mace down again, the sound of shattering wood filling the air, the creature growling as the man slammed his mace down so hard it broke the shaft, sending the head spinning into the air. The monster, a look of rage and excitement on its face, leapt at him again, as if trying to ensure that he was taken down with it, Chris just screaming as it charged. It slammed into him, closing its jaws around his chest, before Chris drove the broken shaft of his mace into its crushed eye, making it yowl in pain. His free hand shot up, somehow grabbing the head of his mace from the air, before bringing it down with all his strength on the end of the shaft, driving it deeper. He did it again and again, until the piece of wood finally pierced through the monster¡¯s skull and into its brain, killing it. The creature collapsed as Chris stumbled back, looking over his shoulder to see how the others were faring. They weren¡¯t doing well, the tall woman had one arm covered in blood hanging limply at her side, while the stocky man was only just able to keep dodging the other monster¡¯s attacks. ¡°Fuck this!¡± Chris shouted as he spun on his heel, reaching into his bag and pulling out a long pole, the end tipped with a steel point. He gathered the elemental energy around the spear, hurling it as hard as he could at the creature fighting the woman, the beast turning its head to look at him. The woman immediately took advantage of its distraction, slashing it across the nose, making it reel as the enhanced spear slammed into its side. Chris charged in, grabbing the spear and willing more magical energy into it, focusing it into a cone around the tip. The spear had barely managed to pierce the thick scales of the monster before, but with his full weight behind it, as well as the magic tearing at its skin, Chris managed to bore a hole straight into the monster¡¯s chest, piercing its lungs as he let out another guttural roar. Yanking the spear out, he shoved another spell into the hole he had created, blood spraying out onto him as he let the orb explode inside the beast. The creature fell a few seconds later, Chris about to celebrate before the warning shout caught his attention a moment too late, the final monster already bearing down on him. With a frustrated shout, he grabbed the monster¡¯s jaws as they tried to close on his neck, barely able to keep them from snapping down on his throat. He quickly found himself losing in this contest of strength, the teeth of the beast already on his neck as he fought to stay alive. Just as he was sure he would die, there was a flash of silver as the tall woman and stocky man appeared on either side of the monster, slashing at its eyes and neck, making it rear back in pain and let out a bone shaking roar. Chris took advantage of this as he shoved his hand down its throat, using the last of his Mana to fire yet another ball of air straight into it, the monster gagging as it started to throw up blood. Exhausted and in agony, Chris stumbled back, his legs ready to give out on him as his head pounded like he¡¯d just been hit in it with a sledgehammer. Darkness started to creep around the edges of his vision, the beast already leaping at him again. Chris closed his eyes, swearing under his breath that he¡¯d made it this far, yet still failed. The wet squelch made him blink, opening his eyes to see the two other fighters with their bodies between him and the monster, both having jammed their arms down its throat, their weapons missing. With an almighty battle cry, they each yanked their arms out of the creature¡¯s throat, spraying blood everywhere as the monster finally fell. ¡°Sorry, kid,¡± the stocky man chuckled as he stumbled back, collapsing to the sand, ¡°We stole your kill.¡± ¡°It was a necessary slight to save your life, however,¡± the woman laughed as she stabbed her sword into the ground, clutching her still bleeding arm, ¡°I am sure you can forgive us.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Chris smiled back, ¡°Thanks for the save.¡± ¡°No,¡± the woman shook her head as she started to glow, Chris looking around as all the chained people started to glow as well, ¡°Thank you. You have freed us from a millennium of torture at the hands of this place. We are finally free to seek our loved ones in the afterlife.¡± ¡°What?¡± Chris blinked as the woman started to fade. ¡°What she means is,¡± the stocky man chuckled, ¡°You freed our souls. Thanks, kid.¡± ¡°You souls?¡± Chris blinked as the group of people suddenly faded away, the invisible crowd cheering and booing in equal parts. ¡°Well, that was unexpected!¡± the announcer shouted, ¡°But that¡¯s not all we have for you today, good ladies and gentlemen of the audience! No, our Challenger will now fight the Champion for the right to his very soul!¡± Chapter 9 Chris was exhausted, his head pounding from using almost all of his Mana in the previous fight, and his Self-Regeneration Skill hadn¡¯t had the time to heal him up enough to face another opponent. ¡°No break?¡± he chuckled weakly, looking up at the empty stands, ¡°That seems a little unfair.¡± ¡°And now, ladies and gentlemen of the audience!¡± the announcer shouted, unperturbed by his comments, ¡°The Champion!¡± The invisible crowd roared with excitement as the far grate lifted once again, Chris turning to look at the figure walking out. His eyes went wide as he watched the man, dressed in almost blinding white clothing, the metal of his armor gleaming a polished silver, leave the tunnel. His hair was neatly cut in a familiar hair style, his beard trimmed, unlike Chris¡¯s. Brown eyes stared at Chris with contempt and confidence as the man hefted his one-handed mace onto his shoulder, a calm smile on his lips. ¡°Oh, you have got to be kidding me,¡± Chris muttered as he looked at the copy of himself, looking every part the hero, especially compared to Chris¡¯s sorry state, ¡°Is this some sort of joke?¡± ¡°Fighters ready?¡± the announcer shouted, Chris scowling as the voice didn¡¯t give him a chance to even properly process what was happening, ¡°BEGIN!¡± The copy charged forwards, air swirling around it in a familiar way as it moved far faster than it should have been able to. Chris swore under his breath as he reached into his bag, pulling out a Steel Mace of his own, barely managing to block the empowered strike from the white-clad clone. The copy proceeded to continue swinging wildly at him, a grin on its face as it attacked relentlessly. ¡°Is this how I fight?¡± Chris gasped as he tried to defend, several powerful strikes getting through even as he tried to defend himself, ¡°It¡¯s so¡­sloppy.¡± The strange realization triggered something in his mind, a cool wave of knowledge flowing over his thoughts as Chris continued to dodge and block, weathering the occasional hit. Gasping for air, he ducked under a wide swing, bringing his mace up to strike the other him in the chin, but the clone just leapt back, a shit-eating grin on its face. ¡°Right,¡± Chris hummed as he watched the copy, the man slowly walking around him as he adjusted his grip on his mace, ¡°I can do this.¡± ¡°And it seems that the Champion is finally done with his warm-up!¡± the announcer shouted, ¡°Now the real show begins!¡± Chris watched as the clone launched itself right back at him, amazed by how its speed seemed to have doubled, not giving him enough time to react as the mace slammed into his side. Chris bit back a scream of pain as he tried to counterattack, the clone simply grabbing his wrist as he tried to raise his weapon. The sharp point of the copy¡¯s knee guard dug into Chris¡¯s stomach, making him gasp as the air was forced from his lungs, before another powerful blow sent him flying back, landing hard on the sandy floor. Stunned, Chris¡¯s mind was working overtime, trying to fight and process the strange knowledge that was flooding his brain at the same time. Why was this happening now, he wondered, his Studious Sage Skill had never done anything like this before, so why was it suddenly feeding him so much information? Shaking his head, he tried to stand, coughing up blood as he wheezed for breath, the pain in his side lancing through his chest. ¡°Fuck¡­you¡­¡± he coughed as the copy simply walked slowly towards him, the same confident look on its face as he staggered to his feet, ¡°I am not going down without a fight, you bastard!¡± The copy shot forwards again, Chris scowling as he let the knowledge that was filling his head take over for a moment, simply stepping to the side as the clone swung its mace straight down. The crowd gasped as Chris easily evaded the simple attack, leaving the copy exposed as he brought up a knee, slamming it into the copy¡¯s gut. The so-called Champion rolled away, gasping for breath as Chris gave a cruel smile, his head swirling, though if it was from overusing his Mana or the strange knowledge currently filling his thoughts, he didn¡¯t know. ¡°Not so nice, is it?¡± Chris chuckled, lifting his own mace, ¡°Now, get out of my way!¡± The clone quickly lifted its mace to block, the two weapons clashing as they bounced off each other, Chris grinning as he swung a foot up, catching the copy in the jaw and throwing it onto its back. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I managed to survive while fighting like that,¡± Chris hummed as he approached the clone, ¡°I was so full of openings, it¡¯s almost laughable!¡± The copy just scowled at him, the sand swirling around it as it launched itself back at him, Chris easily dodging the clumsy strike, bringing his own mace down on the copy¡¯s back. The copy grunted as it hit the ground, Chris hopping backwards to avoid the wide swing as it tried to hit his legs, feeling almost giddy from the deluge of information flooding his brain. With a grunt, Chris brought his mace down on the exposed shoulder of the clone, making it scream in pain as he felt bones break under the hit, its arm going limp as it dropped its weapon. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Wait...¡± Chris muttered as he looked at the prone copy, clutching its arm as it stared up at him defiantly, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you been using any magic other than the power up? Don¡¯t I usually weave in spells to my attacks? Does that mean you¡¯re not a perfect copy?¡± ¡°Go to hell,¡± the clone said, Chris blinking at the strange sensation of hearing his own voice coming from another mouth, except it was weirdly off. ¡°So, you really aren¡¯t a perfect copy?¡± Chris nodded, ¡°Guess it won¡¯t be as weird then.¡± ¡°Weird?¡± the copy snorted, staggering to its feet as it glared at him, ¡°Why weird?¡± ¡°I mean, if you really were a perfect copy,¡± Chris hummed, ¡°Then I¡¯d be kicking myself in the balls.¡± ¡°What?¡± the creature said as the armored foot slammed into its crotch, making it gasp in pain, collapsing back to its knees. ¡°Also, this would have probably counted as suicide,¡± Chris hummed as he raised his mace, swinging it at the head of the stunned clone as hard as he could. The crack echoed over the coliseum as the strike hit the copy in the side of the head, crushing the side of its skull, the so-called Champion collapsing to the ground, lying completely still as blood soaked into the sand. Silence hung in the air for a moment, before the invisible crowd erupted in cheers, startling Chris as he looked around at the empty seats. ¡°And the Challenger has won!¡± the announcer screamed out, ¡°Congratulations! Your final prize lies in wait just through the gate! Go, new Champion, seek your destiny!¡± Chris watched as the gate the clone had entered from lifted again, nothing coming out this time. He walked tiredly towards it, forcing himself to stay on his feet even as the adrenaline faded, and he felt the waves of exhaustion hit him. Shaking his head as the crowd continued to cheer, he staggered into the darkness of the tunnel, almost tripping on the flagstones as he went. He walked forwards for a while, his body screaming at him to stop and rest, but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so. Suddenly, he found himself in a white room, a familiar door on the opposite side. The massive bronze structure looked exactly as it had when he had first entered the Dungeon, still glowing with a strange inner light. Chris staggered forwards, looking around for the final golden chest, scowling when he only saw a silver one just in front of the door. Then a screen popped up in front of him. [Congratulations! You have completed the EX+ Rank Dungeon {The Trial of Turmoil}! You may now select a Class and Job.] ¡°Class?¡± Chris blinked, ¡°Job? How does that work?¡± He immediately knew that his Class would be determined by how he¡¯d fought through the Dungeon, basically, it would define his fighting style, while his Job was chosen by his actions outside of combat and could be anything from a crafting profession to something totally inane. Letting out a tired groan, he simply glared at the screen, which was quickly replaced by a list of Classes and Jobs, each list split into Ranks. ¡°Let¡¯s see then,¡± Chris muttered as he scrolled through the list, ¡°Stuff like Fighter and Mage are both Rank D, so they¡¯re out. Actually, let¡¯s just skip right to the S Rank Classes.¡± Chris looked over the three options, scowling as none of them seemed to fit his style. ¡°Commander? I don¡¯t really like the idea of ordering people around. And Survivalist? Did I only get these because of my Titles or something?¡± Shaking his head in disappointment, he looked at the A Rank Classes instead, reading several of the descriptions as he went. Then one caught his eye, a slight smile cracking his lips as he selected it, scanning the description. ¡°Perfect,¡± he hummed, ¡°I¡¯ll be a Battlemage! Now for Jobs!¡± The process was much the same as with Classes, Chris being wholly disappointed by the two choices he had for S Rank, and not even being that interested in any of the options for A Rank either. He scrolled down to the B Rank Jobs, looking through them for a moment, before he saw the Alchemist Job, something in the back of his mind telling him it would be a good pick. He quickly read the description, nodding thoughtfully. ¡°So, an Alchemist uses magic to make stuff like equipment and potions? While it tends to take longer, the products are usually of a higher quality, though,¡± he muttered, ¡°Did I get access to this because I made some basic Health potions when I was cooking mushrooms?¡± Shrugging, he selected the Job, watching as the screen vanished, only to be replaced by another one, then several more. [Five Skills gained.] [Like Skills detected. Skill {Air Magic} has been fused with Skill {Elemental Magic}.] [World First Achieved: Complete an EX+ Rank Dungeon. Rewards: Skill Rank increase.] [World First Achieved: Complete an EX+ Rank Dungeon Solo. Rewards: Class and Job Rank increase.] [World First Achieved: Complete a Dungeon on Hell Difficulty. Rewards: {Demon} Title.] [Class Evolution in progress. Your new Class is {War Magister}.] [Job Evolution in progress. Your new Job is {Master Alchemist}.] [Skill Evolution in progress. Multiple Skills have Evolved.] Chris could only stare dumbfounded as the screens flashed in front of him, his mind and body too tired to properly process what was happening. Then another screen appeared, Chris reading over it in confusion. [Your {Potentia Garb} is Evolving. {Potentia Garb} Evolved into {War Magister¡¯s Raiment}.] ¡°Okay,¡± Chris sighed as he dismissed the screen, staggering tiredly towards the door, pausing only long enough to open the large silvery-white chest just in front of it, stuffing the contents into his bag without looking before he touched the door, which swung open silently, revealing the darkness beyond, ¡°Time to go home.¡± Chapter 10 ¡°Hey, Sam,¡± the soldier said as the two stood in front of the large bronze door, ¡°Got a smoke?¡± ¡°Shut it, Richy,¡± the other man grunted, glancing at his fellow guard, ¡°We have a job to do.¡± ¡°What?¡± the first man chuckled, ¡°Stare at a door all day? Don¡¯t worry man, this is an EX+ Rank Dungeon, no one¡¯s going to be stupid enough to try entering it. Plus, we¡¯re completely surrounded by reinforced concrete. And it¡¯s not like someone¡¯s going to just randomly pop out of the Dungeon either.¡± The two men glanced over at the door, nothing happening for a minute, before Richy chuckled again. ¡°See, told you.¡± ¡°Just shut up,¡± Sam sighed, ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re going to get court marshalled or something one of these days for being so lazy.¡± ¡°I just wanted a quick smoke,¡± Richy muttered, both of them blinking as the door suddenly began to hum, the pair spinning around to point their guns at it. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sam asked. ¡°No clue,¡± Richy replied, grabbing his radio and calling in the strange occurrence, ¡°We have a five-two-four, unknown activity from the Dungeon.¡± ¡°Roger that,¡± the radio buzzed back, the two men slowly backing away as they kept their eyes on the object. Less than a minute later, a dozen more soldiers had joined them, all of them with weapons raised as the door started to swing open. They watched, eyes wide, as a man in gleaming gold and crimson red armor stepped out, his cloak flowing majestically behind him as he strode confidently out of the void beyond the door. ¡°Is this the outside?¡± he asked, his voice low and menacing, looking at the soldiers with hard eyes, before he focused on one of them, ¡°I asked if this was outside the Dungeon. Is it?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­yes?¡± Richy squeaked, his heart racing as he was stared down by the man. ¡°Really?¡± the relief in the stranger¡¯s voice was palpable as he relaxed, dropping to his knees with a clang as his armor struck the concrete floor, tears pouring from his eyes as he smiled, ¡°Thank fuck! I¡¯m finally out of that stupid fucking Dungeon! I¡¯ll be able to eat something other than mushrooms and have a real shower!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± the soldiers muttered as they watched the man sob happily, their captain stepping forwards, his gun still trained on the man, ¡°Excuse me, sir. Could you please identify yourself?¡± ------ ¡°Christopher Trevor Sanders,¡± the uniformed man said as he sat at the table opposite Chris, who was eating a simple meal voraciously, pausing every bite to savor the taste as though it was a steak from a five-star restaurant, ¡°No priors, only a couple of speeding tickets. Currently unemployed.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me,¡± Chris nodded as he swallowed a mouthful, ¡°Fuck, it feels so good to be eating real food again.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really call that ¡®real¡¯ food,¡± the uniformed man chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s just a hamburger steak MRE after all.¡± ¡°Close enough,¡± Chris shrugged as he ate another bite, ¡°I¡¯ve only been eating mushrooms for months. At least, I think it¡¯s been months. Easy to lose track of time in a Dungeon.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the other man nodded, ¡°It¡¯s been over six months since you were first reported missing.¡± Chris suddenly choked on his food, grabbing the glass of water from beside his tray and taking a deep gulp. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he coughed, ¡°How long?!¡± ¡°Six months, two weeks and three days, to be exact,¡± the man replied, checking the folder in front of him, ¡°That¡¯s how long it has been since your father reported you missing to the police. Coincidentally, that was also the day after the Dungeons first appeared in our world. Is it safe to assume you went missing because you entered one?¡± ¡°I mean, yeah?¡± Chris said as he cleared his throat, looking back down at the food, before taking another bite, ¡°I was¡­out for a walk, and I found this weird door. Stuff happened when I touched it, and I went inside.¡± ¡°Yes, we know about the Leveling System,¡± the other man hummed, Chris looking at him in surprise, ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one that¡¯s entered, or even touched, these doors. Thousands of people worldwide disappeared into them shortly after they appeared. Barely a few hundred have managed to come out so far.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Chris nodded, thinking back to his first experience in the Trial of Turmoil, shuddering as he remembered how close he¡¯d been to dying to that Emperor Slime. ¡°Anyway,¡± the uniformed man said, ¡°I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Sergeant Ryan Peterson, the person that has been put in charge of your debriefing.¡± ¡°Debriefing?¡± Chris muttered as he sopped up the last of the gravy from the meal with a bit of bread, ¡°What do I need a debriefing for?¡± ¡°You just spent over six months inside a high Rank Dungeon,¡± the sergeant explained, leaning back in his chair, ¡°A Dungeon that has already claimed the lives of over a dozen highly trained soldiers.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Chris asked, ¡°I mean, I know it was set to Hell difficulty, but it wasn¡¯t that bad¡­I think?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± the sergeant asked calmly, Chris just shrugging as he continued. ¡°Well, the first floor was just Slimes. I mean, yeah, they could turn into Great, King and Emperor Slimes way too easily, but if you hit them with some magic, they¡¯re easy enough to beat.¡± ¡°Slimes?¡± the sergeant hummed, ¡°I see. Please, continue.¡± ¡°The hardest part of that floor was the fact that there was absolutely nothing to eat,¡± Chris sighed, ¡°Not even any water. Just this glowing moss that tasted terrible and gave you glowing diarrhea. Oh, and Slimes, but it¡¯s a bad idea to try eating those as well.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the sergeant nodded, indicating for Chris to continue. ¡°Second floor was undead, stuff like Skeletons, Zombies and Ghosts. There wasn¡¯t anything to eat there either. The third floor was a mushroom forest, lots of mushrooms, though most were extremely toxic,¡± Chris continued, ¡°And the fourth floor was a rat¡¯s nest, literally. Like, actual Giant Rats.¡± ¡°And the Bosses of those floors?¡± the sergeant asked, Chris just giving him a friendly smile. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I can tell you everything,¡± Chris hummed, ¡°Not without getting something in return.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the sergeant nodded, ¡°Then how about an exchange of information? You answer a question for me, and I¡¯ll answer one for you?¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Chris nodded, ¡°That first bit of info was a thank you for the meal, so ask away.¡± ¡°What were the Bosses like?¡± ------ ¡°Why are we here?¡± Elizabeth asked as she watched the four boys chatting casually, each holding a bat or piece of pipe. ¡°To check out this Dungeon, duh,¡± her best friend laughed, ¡°I mean, it¡¯d be rude not to come when Peter invited us.¡± ¡°But the news said-,¡± Elizabeth muttered as she looked at the strange wooden door standing in the middle of the forest. ¡°Blah blah blah,¡± Jessica cut her off, ¡°Jeez, you gotta live a little, girl! Break some rules every now and again! Plus, we¡¯re just going to be doing the Tutorial Difficulty, so even if we get hurt, we¡¯ll just reappear outside the Dungeon.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Elizabeth asked. ¡°Cause it¡¯s happened to plenty of people,¡± she said, holding up her phone, ¡°Lots of online posts talking about it. At least before they get taken down.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I trust that,¡± Elizabeth said, looking over as the four boys approached them. ¡°You two ready to go? Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll protect you from the monsters inside!¡± Peter laughed as he hefted the bat on his shoulder. ¡°I still think this is a bad idea,¡± Elizabeth whispered to Jessica as the other girl rolled her eyes, grabbing Elizabeth by the wrist and pulling her towards the door. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine!¡± she laughed, pressing Elizabeth¡¯s hand to the wood as she touched it herself, a screen appearing in both of their visions, ¡°Oh! That¡¯s pretty cool!¡± ¡°Right?¡± Peter laughed again, ¡°Now, everyone has to touch the door at the same time to go in together. So, get ready!¡± ------ ¡°Sounds like you had quite the experience,¡± Ryan hummed as he sat back in his chair, ¡°What level are you now, anyway?¡± ¡°Ten,¡± Chris replied, Ryan nodding as he made an impressed expression, ¡°What? It¡¯s not like that¡¯s all that high, is it?¡± ¡°Actually, yes,¡± the sergeant answered, ¡°The highest level we know about currently is only eight, and that¡¯s held by an elite in China.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Chris blinked in amazement, ¡°So what, does that make me the strongest guy in the world or something?¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Ryan shook his head, ¡°We don¡¯t know their actual Stats, but it¡¯s believed that they¡¯ve done several Dungeon Dives on at least Normal Difficulty, meaning that they had a Free Point multiplier of at least two.¡± ¡°Two?¡± Chris hummed, thinking back to when he¡¯d first appeared in the Hell Difficulty Dungeon, ¡°Cause mine was five.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Free Point multiplier for Hell Difficulty is five,¡± Chris repeated, watching as Ryan¡¯s mouth dropped open in shock, ¡°Uhm¡­is that a bad thing?¡± ¡°No,¡± the sergeant said, quickly schooling his expression back to neutral, ¡°It was just a bit of a shock to find out you were getting, what? Ten Free Points a level?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Chris nodded, ¡°What¡¯s the normal number?¡± ¡°Two,¡± Ryan hummed, rubbing his cleanly shaven chin, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you might just be the strongest person on the planet after all.¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Chris nodded, ¡°That¡¯s kind of a scary thought, to be honest.¡± ¡°Oh, why?¡± ¡°Because,¡± he chuckled nervously, ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure how I even survived. I don¡¯t know shit about fighting or survival, it was probably all thanks to one of my Skills that I¡¯m even here to begin with.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± Ryan asked, leaning in closer. ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t say,¡± Chris shook his head, ¡°I know it¡¯s a strong Skill, so I¡¯d prefer to keep it a secret.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± Ryan nodded, unable to hide the disappointment on his face, ¡°Well, would you be willing to share some information on your other Skills?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Chris shrugged, ¡°I haven¡¯t actually looked at my Status screen since I completed the Dungeon, so I¡¯d like to see what I¡¯ve got now as well.¡± Chris quickly summoned the screen, his eyes going wide at what he saw. Name: Christopher Trevor Sanders Level: 10 Class: War Magister Job: Master Alchemist Experience: 5876/51200 Health: 350/350 Mana: 150/150 Stats: Strength: 15 Vitality: 25 Dexterity: 20 Intellect: 30 Wisdom: 20 Charisma: 5 Free Points: 0 Titles: Leader, Explorer, Truly Ambitious, Mage, Giant Slayer, Survivor, Demon Skills: [Self-Regeneration lv 2] [Studious Sage lv 2] [Elemental Mastery lv 3] [Weapon Mastery lv 1] [Armor Mastery lv 1] [Alchemical Magic lv 1] [Potioncraft lv 1] ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Ryan asked, Chris jumping at his words, before shaking his head frantically. ¡°N-no, just surprised by all the new Skills I have after getting a Class and Job,¡± he said, taking a deep breath to calm himself down, ¡°Sorry, do you mind if I check all of these before I tell you anything?¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Ryan nodded. Chris quickly opened the screens explaining the new Skills, his face going pale as he stared at the words. [Self-Regeneration lv 2. Rank S. Regain 1 Health and Mana per second when out of combat. Regain 1 Health and Mana per 5 seconds when in combat.] [Studious Sage lv 2. Rank SSS. Halves Experience gained. Grants Knowledge on myriad topics.] [Elemental Mastery lv 3. Rank S. Control all elemental energies with magic.] [Weapon Mastery lv 1. Rank S. Handle all weapons expertly.] [Armor Mastery lv 1. Rank S. All armor is 50% more effective when worn.] [Alchemical Magic lv 1. Rank A. Alter the shape, state and composition of materials using magic.] [Potioncraft lv 1. Rank A. Craft superior potions.] ¡°What the actual fuck?¡± Chris whispered as he read over the screens again, ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Ryan asked again, Chris looking at him in confusion and more than a little fear. ¡°All my Skills¡­they¡¯re at least Rank A.¡± Chapter 11 ¡°What do we do?¡± Jessica sobbed into Elizabeth¡¯s chest as the two girls sat in the Safe Zone, the three remaining boys standing guard around the edge even though they knew they were supposed to be safe. ¡°That¡­that thing just killed Tyler like it was nothing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯s actually dead,¡± Elizabeth tried to comfort her, ¡°He was just sent out of the Dungeon, just like you said, right?¡± ¡°Dammit!¡± Peter growled, stepping towards the edge of the Safe Zone, ¡°This is ridiculous! We¡¯ve been here for hours! It¡¯s just a stupid rabbit!¡± ¡°Pete, stop!¡± One of the other boys shouted as the boy stepped out of the area, looking around until he spotted the offending monster. Leaning down, he grabbed a nearby stone, weighing it in his hand, before hurling it at the creature as hard as he could. The others watched in amazement as the rock hit true, striking the rabbit-like creature on the side of the head, sending to tumbling to the ground. Peter quickly turned back to them, a triumphant look on his face as he started to speak. ¡°There, see? They¡¯re just bunnies with stupid horns on their heads. Nothing to be afraid o-!¡± He was cut off as the foot long horn suddenly burst out of his stomach, his face going pale as he looked behind him, the bloody rabbit monster he¡¯d hit yanking its horn out with a sickening sound. Peter immediately collapsed, clutching his stomach as he screamed in pain, desperately reaching for the others as blood sprayed from the wounds. ¡°H-help me!¡± he wailed, tears pouring down his face as he tried to move, before the rabbit charged him again, driving its horn into his chest, his pained and scared expression going blank as he coughed up a bit of blood, before collapsing. A moment later, his body dissolved into light, leaving no trace of him except for the blood coating the rabbit monster¡¯s horn, which it promptly started to clear off with its paws. ¡°NO!¡± Jessica screamed, ¡°I don¡¯t want to die! I just want to leave this place and never come back!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t!¡± one of the boys shouted, ¡°We¡¯re fucked! The only way out is to complete the floor of the Dungeon you¡¯re on!¡± ¡°Shit,¡± the other boy snarled, ¡°Fuck Pete and his stupid plans! I¡¯m never listening to that asshole again!¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± Jessica wailed, burying her face deeper into Elizabeth¡¯s chest, ¡°What do we do?!¡± ¡°Well,¡± one of the boys muttered, ¡°If I have to die, then I¡¯m not doing it a virgin!¡± ¡°What?¡± the other three said as he stalked towards the two girls. ¡°I¡¯m sure you all feel the same way, right? Come on, if we¡¯re all gonna die anyway, let¡¯s have some fun first.¡± ¡°Dude, no!¡± the other boy shouted as he tried to block the first, who swung his pipe into the side of his friend¡¯s head, knocking him to the ground. ¡°Fuck you!¡± he shouted, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to help, then you can just fucking watch!¡± Elizabeth stared at the boy as he continued to approach, licking his lips hungrily as he lifted the now bloody pipe onto his shoulder. ¡°So, who wants to go first?¡± he chuckled, the sound cruel and desperate. ¡°G-go away!¡± Elizabeth shouted as she tried to scramble back, dragging Jessica with her, ¡°Please, just leave us alone!¡± ¡°Not happening!¡± the boy shouted as he picked up the pace, quickly approaching them as he grabbed Jessica by the back of her jacket, ¡°I think I¡¯ll start with you! You¡¯ve got pretty nice tits after all!¡± Elizabeth could only watch in horror as her sobbing friend was thrown to the ground, the boy pulling on her shirt as he tried to rip it off. The next thing she knew, she was standing with the other boy¡¯s pipe in her hand, swinging it as hard as she could at the back of the first boy¡¯s head. The attack struck true, sending him toppling forwards as he gasped, rolling over and landing hard on the ground. Elizabeth immediately dropped to her knees beside Jessica, who was still sobbing, her shirt stretched and a little torn. ¡°Jess!¡± she shouted as she tried to pull the girl to her feet, ¡°We have to get out of here!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to die!¡± the other girl wailed, ¡°We¡¯re all going to die!¡± ¡°You bitch!¡± the shout made Elizabeth¡¯s blood run cold as she looked back to see the first boy staggering to his feet, blood dripping down the back of his head, ¡°I¡¯m gonna make you regret that!¡± He charged towards them, Elizabeth flinching back as he swung a fist at her face. Suddenly, the second boy tackled the first, throwing both of them to the ground. ¡°Run!¡± he shouted as he tried to pin the other boy, ¡°Forget about me, just get the fuck out of here!¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°R-right,¡± Elizabeth gasped, not having realized she¡¯d been holding her breath. Unsure of what to do, she stuck her arms under Jessica¡¯s back and legs, lifting the girl as she bolted out of the Safe Zone, the two boys still fighting as she ran. ------ ¡°What do we do?¡± Elizabeth looked up as she tried to start the fire using the lighter from the small survival kit Peter had handed out to each of them after they¡¯d entered the Dungeon, the two girls currently resting in a small cave they¡¯d found. It was already getting dark outside, so they¡¯d decided to try and find shelter for the night and continue on in the morning. ¡°Those monsters are still out there,¡± Jessica sniffed, ¡°They¡¯re going to hunt us down and kill us, just like they did to Tyler and Peter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Elizabeth muttered, smiling as happily as she could at Jessica as she got the fire going, ¡°I mean, I ran past plenty of them on the way here, and they all acted like normal rabbits. So maybe¡­maybe they only attack if you attack them first?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡± Jessica shouted, fresh tears running down her cheeks, ¡°We¡¯re already dead! I lied to my mom and dad about where we were going as well! They¡¯ll never find us!¡± ¡°For now, let¡¯s just rest a bit,¡± Elizabeth sighed as she shuffled over to her friend¡¯s side, petting the crying girl¡¯s head, ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll make it out of here, I promise.¡± The two remained silent for a while, Jessica with her head in her arms, Elizabeth watching the fire burn. After a long time, Jessica spoke again. ¡°You¡¯re not trying to seduce me, are?¡± she chuckled weakly. ¡°No,¡± Elizabeth laughed, ¡°I might be gay, but you¡¯re not my type.¡± ¡°Ouch,¡± the other girl sniffed, a slight smile on her lips as she looked up at Elizabeth, ¡°If I were, I¡¯d probably date you in a heartbeat, though. You really are the full package.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty, smart, athletic, kind and friendly,¡± Jessica sighed, leaning up against the wall of the cave, ¡°I mean, pretty much all of the boys at school have had a crush on you, and a few girls as well.¡± ¡°How do you even know this?¡± Elizabeth said flatly, ¡°You haven¡¯t been stalking people again, have you?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t stalking,¡± Jessica huffed, ¡°I just like learning gossip and checking people¡¯s posts. It¡¯s not anything as creepy as stalking.¡± ¡°Sounds like stalking to me,¡± Elizabeth replied, chuckling as Jessica pouted at her, ¡°But whatever, let¡¯s have something to eat, then you get some sleep, I¡¯ll take first watch.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the other girl nodded as they each pulled out a granola bar from the survival kits, eating them slowly. ------ ¡°Seems like I was right.¡± Elizabeth laughed as the two made their way over the hilly fields, watching as the rabbit monsters seemed to mostly ignore them, one occasionally looking in their direction and then running away if the pair got too close. ¡°I still don¡¯t trust them,¡± Jessica muttered, hiding behind Elizabeth as they watched a particularly fluffy rabbit hop away from them. ¡°You don¡¯t have to,¡± Elizabeth chuckled, ¡°Look, let¡¯s just find the way out so we can go back home. I¡¯m sure Peter and the rest have reported what happened by now.¡± ¡°I am so getting grounded when we get home,¡± Jessica sighed, ¡°It¡¯s going to suck so much!¡± ¡°Same,¡± Elizabeth muttered, thinking about her mother and father, and how the disappearance of her older brother had affected them. Shaking her head, she looked up at the sky, watching as fluffy clouds moved lazily across the bright blue sky. ¡°You know,¡± she hummed, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the weird horned rabbits, you could think this place was from Earth. It¡¯s actually really beautiful here.¡± ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Jessica laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t start turning native on me, Beth. I¡¯d lose my mind if you started growing a horn out of your head.¡± ¡°Why would that¡­you know what, never mind,¡± Elizabeth chuckled, ¡°Let¡¯s just keep going. I think I see some trees over there, so we can rest for a while in their shade.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jessica replied quietly, the two walking towards the distance, ¡°Hey Beth?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°For what?¡± Elizabeth asked, looking at her friend in confusion. ¡°For saving me back there, when Dylan was¡­trying to hurt me.¡± ¡°Oh, of course,¡± Elizabeth smiled, pulling her friend into a hug, ¡°I¡¯ll always do my best to protect you.¡± ¡°You sure you¡¯re not trying to seduce me?¡± Jessica laughed as she hugged the other girl back, ¡°Cause you¡¯re doing a really good job of it.¡± ¡°And moment ruined,¡± Elizabeth sighed, shaking her head at her friend as they smiled at each other, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get moving, otherwise it¡¯ll be dark before we even see the trees.¡± ------ The pair crouched behind the tree as they stared at the rabbit. It was at least three times the size of any of the other monsters they¡¯d seen so far and had three horns jutting out of its head instead of just one. It was also lounging in front of a large wooden door, cleaning itself with its paws. Looking at each other, the two girls slowly backed away, creeping between the trees as quietly as they could until they reached the edge of the small, wooded area. ¡°What do you think that thing is?¡± Jessica asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Elizabeth shook her head, ¡°Maybe the boss rabbit monster?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll never manage to beat it if we have to fight,¡± Jessica sniffed, looking like she was about to start crying again. ¡°Maybe¡­maybe we don¡¯t have to?¡± Elizabeth asked, trying to think of a plan, ¡°Wait, don¡¯t we have abilities or something? The screens said we got two when we first came in here, right?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Jessica sniffed, ¡°I never bothered checking mine cause we had the boys with us.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s both look now,¡± Elizabeth smiled, ¡°Status.¡± Name: Elizabeth Audrey Sanders Level: 1 Experience: 0/100 Health: 160/160 Mana: 40/40 Stats: Strength: 5 Vitality: 6 Dexterity: 7 Intellect: 8 Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 5 Free Points: 0 Skills: [Throwing lv 1] [Stealth lv 1] ¡°What Skills do you have?¡± Jessica asked as Elizabeth read over the screen, ¡°I have one called Taming and another called Enhancement Magic. I don¡¯t know what either of them do, though.¡± ¡°Throwing and Stealth,¡± Elizabeth muttered, ¡°I wonder¡­¡± Elizabeth focused on the two Skills on her Status screen, smiling as the two new screens popped up, explaining what she¡¯d done to her friend. The two quickly read over the descriptions, Jessica groaning as she sat on the floor. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Elizabeth asked. ¡°This Skill, the one called Taming,¡± the girl muttered, ¡°It lets me make a contract with a monster to have it fight for me.¡± ¡°That sounds pretty useful,¡± Elizabeth hummed, sitting beside her friend, ¡°But you don¡¯t like it, right? Because you¡¯re-.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m scared of the rabbits, yeah,¡± the other girl interrupted her, ¡°So that¡¯s one Skill that¡¯s useless to us.¡± ¡°Maybe not,¡± Elizabeth smiled, making the other girl look at her in confusion as she stood back up, holding out a hand to help her friend back to her feet, ¡°Come on, I have a plan.¡± Chapter 12 ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The two men stared at each other as Chris looked at the list of his Skills that he¡¯d written on a piece of paper. ¡°These are your Skills? And your Class and Job?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Chris nodded. ¡°War Magister¡­¡± Ryan sighed, ¡°What does that even mean?¡± ¡°Well, it Evolved from Battlemage, so I guess something similar to that?¡± Chris quickly opened his Status screen again, focusing on his Class, reading over the text that appeared when he did so. [War Magister. Rank S. The War Magister is an elite among elites, their skill with any weapon matched only by their magical might. An army of one, War Magisters are known to change the tides of battle with their expert knowledge and overwhelming strength.] ¡°That¡¯s all it says,¡± Chris sighed as he read the text out loud, ¡°This is ridiculous. I wasn¡¯t really paying attention when I left the Dungeon because I was tired and hungry, but this is just¡­it¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ryan nodded, glancing at the mirror on the wall beside them, ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure this is all very overwhelming, but we appreciate your honesty about your Skills and abilities.¡± Chris muttered something as he sat with his head in his hands. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I want to go home,¡± Chris repeated louder, suddenly standing and walking towards the door, ¡°I¡­I need to see my dad. My sister. I need to tell them what¡¯s happened.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ryan said as he shot to his feet, grabbing Chris by the shoulder, ¡°But we can¡¯t let you do that!¡± ¡°Can you stop me?¡± The words sent a shiver down Ryan¡¯s spine as he looked into the cold brown eyes staring back at him. ¡°No,¡± he admitted after a moment, ¡°I doubt we could. But we need to finish this debriefing first. After that, I promise, we¡¯ll get you in touch with your family.¡± ¡°You swear?¡± Chris growled, sending another shiver down Ryan¡¯s back, the sound guttural and aggressive. ¡°I swear on my life,¡± the sergeant nodded, feeling the sweat drip down his forehead as the other man stood silently for a moment, before turning and heading back to his chair, Ryan only able to breathe a sigh of relief, ¡°Right, then let¡¯s get this done as quickly as possible.¡± ------ ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The two stood at the edge of the small forest, looking out over the fields around them, several of the horned rabbits trotting about as they ate the grass and flowers. ¡°You seriously want me to try¡­making friends with one of these things?¡± Jessica asked again. ¡°Yes,¡± Elizabeth nodded. ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± the other girl shouted, startling a couple of the closer rabbits, making them scamper away, ¡°They¡¯ll kill me!¡± ¡°Only if you attack them first,¡± Elizabeth hummed, pulling out another granola bar from her pocket and pressing it into her friend¡¯s palm, ¡°Come on, you can do this!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Jessica said again, ¡°I¡­I just can¡¯t! I¡¯m too scared!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you, I promise,¡± Elizabeth said, ¡°You might not notice me, but I¡¯ll be there. I won¡¯t let any of them hurt you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to do the thing with your Skill again?¡± Jessica asked, the other girl nodding, ¡°You gave me such a fright the first time you did that, I thought you¡¯d left me behind!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t warn you,¡± Elizabeth sighed, placing a hand on her friend¡¯s shoulder, before spinning her around and pushing her towards a rabbit that had hopped closer to them, ¡°Now go.¡± Jessica swallowed nervously as she glanced back, not seeing her friend for a moment, before she noticed the presence crouching down a short distance away. Turning back to the rabbit, she took a hesitant step forward, then another, slowly making her way towards the monster. ¡°H-hey, little guy,¡± she said softly as she got closer, the rabbit immediately turning to look at her, making Jessica flinch back, tears forming in her eyes, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to s-scare you. I¡­I was wondering if you¡¯d like to be my friend?¡± Jessica was shaking uncontrollably as she looked down at the rabbit, which stared back at her. Suddenly, she felt a comforting hand touching her shoulder, making her feel a little braver, before she held out the granola bar to the monster. ¡°I¡¯ll give you this,¡± she said softly, the rabbit¡¯s nose twitching cutely as it hopped closer, Jessica freezing as it approached. The rabbit sniffed at the granola bar, before opening its mouth and biting into it, the sound of crunching filling the empty field. It quickly finished the half of the treat that was exposed, trying to pull Jessica¡¯s fingers away from the rest. ¡°D-did you like that?¡± the girl asked, the rabbit looking up at her with pleading eyes, ¡°I can give you the rest, okay? But only if you¡¯ll be my friend.¡± Jessica swallowed nervously again, almost screaming as the screen appeared in front of her, reading over it in confusion. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a girl? And I need to give you a name?¡± she said softly, ¡°O-okay, uhm¡­Loppy.¡± The screen quickly vanished, Jessica gasping as the rabbit began to glow, a small circle with a simple flower design in it appearing on its chest, an identical symbol appearing on the back of her hand. Gingerly, Jessica reached out to the rabbit, the monster immediately pressing its head into her hand, purring quietly as she scratched it behind the ears. After a moment, it pulled back, looking at Jessica in expectation, staring at her other hand. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh, right!¡± the girl gasped, opening her hand and giving the rest of the granola bar to the rabbit, ¡°A deal¡¯s a deal, right Loppy?¡± Loppy quickly ate the rest of the bar, before hopping up into Jessica¡¯s arms, making the girl gasp as she instinctively caught it. ¡°Oh,¡± she said as the rabbit nuzzled her cheek, ¡°You¡¯re really soft, Loppy.¡± ¡°Congratulations,¡± Elizabeth said as she stepped up beside her friend, making both the girl and rabbit jump in surprise, Loppy hopping to the floor and growling at her. ¡°Loppy, no! This is Beth! She¡¯s my friend!¡± The rabbit looked between Jessica and Elizabeth for a moment, before Elizabeth pulled out another granola bar, opening it and offering it to the tamed monster. ¡°Here, as a way of apology for scaring you,¡± she chuckled as the rabbit snatched the treat and devoured it in a few bites, before pressing its head against her hand as well, ¡°I think we¡¯ll get on fine.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Jessica said happily, picking the large rabbit up in her arms again, ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Now,¡± Elizabeth hummed, looking out over the fields, ¡°Now we fight.¡± ------ ¡°Go, Loppy!¡± Jessica shouted as the Horned Rabbit charged another, ¡°And take this with you! Speed Up!¡± Loppy immediately shot forwards even faster, spearing its horn into the side of the startled rabbit, which flailed wildly as it was thrown to the ground. A rock suddenly shot out of thin air, striking it in the back of its head as it tried to get to its feet, making it spin around to find its new aggressor. It quickly spotted Elizabeth, charging towards her even as it bled out, before skidding to a stop when she seemed to fade into the shadows of the trees. ¡°Loppy, again!¡± Jessica shouted, making the rabbit look her way, before the horn pierced its neck, making it squeal in pain, before going limp. ¡°And that¡¯s another one down,¡± Elizabeth said as she emerged from the shadows, ¡°Have you leveled up again yet?¡± ¡°No,¡± Jessica shook her head, ¡°It¡¯ll take a while, because I share all the Experience I gain with whatever tamed monsters I use in the fight, so Loppy is getting half of it.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s tough,¡± Elizabeth hummed, ¡°I mean, we¡¯re both already splitting the Experience between us, but you¡¯re still only getting half of that as well.¡± ¡°But the other half is going to Loppy and making her stronger,¡± Jessica chuckled, kneeling down to pet the rabbit, ¡°Aren¡¯t you, girl? You¡¯re going to be the strongest bunny ever!¡± Loppy happily accepted the attention, quickly cleaning off her horn as she looked around for another rabbit to fight. ¡°Calm down, Loppy,¡± Jessica gently scolded the Horned Rabbit, ¡°You¡¯re only allowed to attack when I tell you to, remember?¡± The rabbit just looked at her, then nodded, Jessica squealing as she picked the tamed monster up and cuddled her. ¡°You¡¯re such a smart girl!¡± ¡°Right,¡± Elizabeth hummed, ¡°I think we¡¯ll be good to try getting past that big rabbit from before after you two level up again. What did you put your Free Points into?¡± ¡°Charisma,¡± Jessica said confidently, ¡°It¡¯s the most important stat for making friends, so I put all my points into it.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Elizabeth nodded, ¡°Just remember to up your other Stats from time to time, you can¡¯t always rely on Loppy or me to protect you.¡± ¡°Yes, mom,¡± Jessica said sarcastically, laughing as she buried her face in the rabbit¡¯s soft fur. Elizabeth watched for a moment before opening her Status screen, looking at her new Stats as well. Name: Elizabeth Audrey Sanders Level: 3 Experience: 5/400 Health: 170/170 Mana: 40/40 Stats: Strength: 5 Vitality: 7 Dexterity: 10 Intellect: 8 Wisdom: 4 Charisma: 5 Free Points: 0 Skills: [Throwing lv 8] [Stealth lv 12] Each Horned Rabbit only gave ten Experience when killed, which was then shared between the two girls, so they only got five for each successful kill. They¡¯d already killed over sixty of the rabbits, having spent another night in the cave they¡¯d found before. At the rate they were going, they were about halfway to getting Jessica and Loppy to level three, meaning they¡¯d have to stay in the Dungeon for at least two more days. Sighing, Elizabeth checked her Skills again, happy to see that both Stealth and Throwing had leveled up. Even if both were only D Rank Skills, they had proven extremely useful. She was even getting used to the idea of sneaking around and attacking from the shadows. She wondered what would happen when they managed to get out. Would they be in trouble? Would the police have to get involved because they¡¯d technically broken a law by entering a Dungeon without permission? She was pulled from her thoughts by a loud laugh and crooning call, the two girls turning to see a familiar figure walking towards them from over the hill. ¡°Found you,¡± Dylan cackled, lifting his bent and dented pipe onto his shoulder, ¡°You bitches have made me walk all over this fucking hellscape looking for you!¡± ¡°W-wait? Dylan?¡± Jessica gasped, the boy almost unrecognizable under the layer of dirt and blood that covered him, ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Why? Cause I killed that bastard Kyle for stopping me before!¡± the boy shouted angrily, before his tone turned sickly sweet, ¡°But he¡¯s not around to protect you two anymore, so you¡¯re all mine!¡± ¡°Go away, Dylan,¡± Elizabeth said as she held an arm in front of Jessica, standing between them, ¡°Leave us alone.¡± ¡°Oh? You want to have some fun first?¡± the boy laughed, ¡°I¡¯m happy to oblige the queen of the school! Hey, would fucking you make me the king, then? I like the sound of that!¡± ¡°He¡¯s gone crazy!¡± Jessica whispered hurriedly, ¡°We have to run!¡± ¡°Run where?¡± Dylan shouted as he suddenly shot towards them, startling the two girls as he moved far faster than he should have been able to, ¡°You¡¯re right where you need to be! With me!¡± ¡°L-Loppy!¡± Jessica shouted as she threw the rabbit forwards, the beast landing on the ground and charging towards the boy, ¡°Speed Up!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Dylan blinked as the rabbit shot towards him, ¡°You think I¡¯m scared of a stupid bunny?! Go to hell!¡± He swung his pipe at the Horned Rabbit, Loppy jumping into the air to avoid it, allowing it to spin and plant a kick right to his face. He was sent flying backwards, blood spraying from his nose as he crashed to the ground. ¡°You fucking rat!¡± he howled as he staggered back to his feet, ¡°I¡¯m going to kill and roast you!¡± The rock struck him on the side of the head, making him stagger as he looked around for its source, only seeing Jessica and Loppy. Before he could react, another rock hit his shoulder, making him stagger forwards. The Horned Rabbit immediately took advantage of his broken stance, charging in again and driving its horn into his calf. Dylan screamed in pain, swinging his pipe down at the monster as it pulled free, managing to clip it with the end. ¡°Loppy!¡± Jessica screamed as the monster bounced along the ground, mewling as it stood, lifting one of its legs as it hobbled around. ¡°Ha!¡± Dylan laughed, ¡°Take that, you stupid animal!¡± The third rock slammed into the back of his head, making him spin around and glare at the tall grass around them, blinking as he saw some of it move. ¡°There you are!¡± he cackled, shooting forwards again as he swung his pipe through the grass, Elizabeth gasping as it slammed into her chest, knocking her out of Stealth and throwing her to the floor, ¡°Right where I want you!¡± Elizabeth groaned as she tried to stand, suddenly finding herself pinned as Dylan sat on top of her, fiddling with the button on his jeans. She tried to struggle, the boy just grabbing her wrists with one hand as he used the other to undo his pants. ¡°I have waited so long to do this!¡± he cackled, pulling his jeans down, about to expose his crotch when a shout made him turn and look over his shoulder. ¡°Strength Up!¡± Jessica shouted as she swung the pipe he¡¯d dropped in his excitement, smashing it into his face as he was flung back, before she lifted it over her head and brought it down on his head again. Elizabeth watched in horror as her friend continued to smash the pipe into the boy¡¯s head over and over, blood splattering on her clothes and face. After the fourth hit, Dylan¡¯s body faded into light, Jessica panting as she stared at the puddle of blood on the ground. ¡°Jess?¡± Elizabeth wheezed, her chest still aching from the earlier hit. ¡°I¡­¡± the girl choked, tears pouring down her face as she turned to look at her friend, ¡°I killed him.¡± ¡°You saved me,¡± Elizabeth said quickly as she got to her feet, pulling the sobbing girl into a tight hug, ¡°Thank you. You saved me.¡± Jessica just clung to her as she cried like a child, Loppy hopping over awkwardly and nuzzling her leg. Chapter 13 Elizabeth groaned as she rubbed the ointment on the large bruise that stretched across her chest. Loppy hopped up to her as she flinched from the pain, nuzzling her hand comfortingly. The girl smiled down at the rabbit, both turning to look at Jessica, who was fast asleep on the cave floor, her jacket draped over her as she twitched and muttered in her sleep. ¡°Go to her,¡± Elizabeth whispered, watching as the rabbit hopped over to its master, the bandages wrapped around its front leg making the movement slightly awkward. This changes things, Elizabeth thought, We¡¯re going to have to stay even longer, at least until Loppy¡¯s leg heals so we can continue hunting and then fight the big rabbit that guards the exit. Sighing, she checked their supplies. They¡¯d already been in the Dungeon for three days, and they only had three granola bars, and half a bottle of water left. There was a small pond nearby, and the survival kits came with six chlorine tablets, so they could at least have safe water for a while, but the problem would be food. Elizabeth checked the piles of items they¡¯d collected from the rabbits they¡¯d hunted so far, all pelts and horns, not a single piece of meat appearing in the strange chests, and the bodies of the rabbits simply disappeared after a while. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± she whispered as she looked over at her friend, the girl clinging to Loppy as she cried in her sleep. ------ ¡°She¡¯s where?¡± ¡°In a Dungeon,¡± Ryan said again as he sat opposite Chris, the two now in the man¡¯s office instead of the sterile interrogation room, ¡°Some of her friends reported it two days ago, just before you left your own Dungeon.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to tell me?!¡± Chris roared, standing up as the air in the room began to blow, scattering papers everywhere. ¡°I only just found out today as well,¡± Ryan replied calmly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Take me there, now,¡± Chris growled. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°So I can go in and rescue her!¡± he shouted back. ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Ryan shook his head. ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°Because the Dungeons are instanced.¡± ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± ¡°That you won¡¯t find them even if you enter the same Dungeon at the same Difficulty,¡± Ryan explained, ¡°You can only enter with a group if all of you are present and agree to go together. If another group goes in after the first, they¡¯ll end up in a different version, or instance, of the Dungeon.¡± ¡°So, there¡¯s nothing I can do?¡± Chris asked, his shoulders slumping forwards as he gritted his teeth. ¡°Luckily, they entered the Dungeon at the Tutorial Difficulty, so even if they die in the Dungeon, they will just appear outside it,¡± Ryan tried to comfort the man, ¡°I¡¯m not saying that the experience of dying is pleasant, but it¡¯s better than them actually being dead.¡± ¡°You keep saying ¡®them¡¯,¡± Chris muttered, ¡°Who else is in there with her?¡± ¡°Currently? Another boy and a girl,¡± Ryan said, ¡°Dylan Parker and Jessica Manderville.¡± ¡°I know Jess, she¡¯s Beth¡¯s best friend, but I don¡¯t know this other guy,¡± Chris growled again, ¡°He better not touch her, or I¡¯ll-.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll what?¡± Ryan cut him off, ¡°Do I need to remind you that you¡¯re currently confined to these premises not only for your own safety, but for that of the public as well? Do you have any idea what would happen if people found out that a civilian could gain enough power to topple a country just by surviving a Hell Difficulty Dungeon?¡± ¡°They¡¯d flock to the Dungeons,¡± Chris sighed, flopping down in the chair as he looked at the trashed office, ¡°Sorry about this, it¡¯s just, she¡¯s my little sister¡­¡± ¡°I get it,¡± Ryan laughed, ¡°I have two younger siblings of my own, and I would gladly kill to keep them safe. But that¡¯s not an option right now.¡± ¡°So, what aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± Chris asked, Ryan starting slightly at the question, ¡°Don¡¯t try to deny it, you¡¯re hiding something from me. Say it.¡± ¡°One of the original four boys that went in with them,¡± Ryan sighed, ¡°He appeared outside the Dungeon yesterday.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°He says he was killed by the final boy,¡± Ryan continued, ¡°Who apparently tried to rape your sister and her friend.¡± ------ Elizabeth started awake, looking around in confusion, wondering when she¡¯d fallen asleep. Getting up, she blinked as the jacket fell off her shoulders, looking at it in confusion. It was Jessica¡¯s, neither the girl nor her tamed monster anywhere to be seen in the cave. Panic immediately rose in Elizabeth¡¯s chest, making it ache as she rushed out of the cave, calling for her friend. ¡°Jess? Jess, where are you?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m right here,¡± the voice said as Elizabeth spun around, staring at the other girl in shock, before rushing forwards and wrapping her arms around her neck, ¡°Woah, what¡¯s up, sleepyhead?¡± ¡°I was so scared!¡± Elizabeth gasped as she released her friend, ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know what I was thinking when I didn¡¯t see you in the cave.¡± ¡°What? Did you think I offed myself or something?¡± the other girl laughed, the sound slightly hollow, ¡°Nah, I¡­I thought about it, but then I realized that doing that would leave you all alone, and I¡¯d probably just appear outside the Dungeon anyway.¡± ¡°Where Dylan is,¡± Elizabeth sighed, a strange sense of relief washing through her, ¡°We can¡¯t have that, can we?¡± ¡°No, at least not without my best friend to back me up,¡± Jessica chuckled, ¡°Love you, Beth. Platonically.¡± ¡°Yeah, platonically,¡± Elizabeth muttered as she hugged the other girl again, noticing that she was carrying something, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Oh, a bunch of plants from the fields and forest,¡± Jessica laughed, holding them out, ¡°Loppy helped me find them, I think most of them are edible.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Oh,¡± Elizabeth said, ¡°That¡¯s actually really smart.¡± ¡°Thank you, oh top of the class,¡± Jessica chuckled, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get the fire going again and see if we can roast these.¡± ------ Dylan scowled as he was dragged through the strange building. He had been blindfolded before coming here and still had the stupid mask over his eyes. Why were they dragging him around like this? He didn¡¯t deserve to be treated like some common criminal, his dad was the president of Helix Corp for fucks sake! ¡°Here he is,¡± the stranger¡¯s voice said as the blindfold was lifted from his eyes, making him blink in the bright light of the small space, looking strangely like an interrogation room. ¡°Great,¡± the other man in the room said as he sat on a chair at the far end, ¡°Leave him.¡± ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± the first man asked, ¡°I¡¯m only doing this because¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, he¡¯s not worth killing,¡± the other man sighed, ¡°I just need to know that my sister is okay.¡± The first man sighed, then turned away, leaving Dylan in the room with the other man. ¡°And who the fuck do you think you are?¡± Dylan spat at the guy across the room from him, ¡°You think you¡¯re some kind of big-shot or something?¡± ¡°No,¡± the man said as he stood, Dylan noticing the strange clothes he was wearing, looking like gold and crimson armor, ¡°Though apparently I am.¡± ¡°Yeah right,¡± Dylan huffed, looking around the room as he walked towards the other guy, ¡°So, who the hell are you anyway, Mr. ¡®Big-shot¡¯?¡± ¡°Christopher Trevor Sanders,¡± he replied, walking forward as well, ¡°I¡¯m Elizabeth¡¯s older brother.¡± Dylan scowled, about to use his Skill to charge the man, before he suddenly appeared in front of the boy, moving far faster than Dylan could. ¡°How is she?¡± he asked flatly, Dylan having to fight the urge to piss his pants at the simple question, the aura coming off the older man just so intense, ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t do shit to her!¡± Dylan squeaked, ¡°H-her friend killed me before I could!¡± ¡°So you tried to do something to her?¡± ¡°N-no! I swear! I wasn¡¯t thinking straight! I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°So she¡¯s fine?¡± the man asked, his presence suddenly fading as Dylan collapsed to the ground, nodding dumbly in terror, ¡°Good. Let¡¯s make sure to keep it that way, understood?¡± ------ ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Completely,¡± Jessica nodded, ¡°Loppy¡¯s foot is already healed, so we¡¯re both ready to go hunting again.¡± ¡°But separately?¡± Elizabeth asked. ¡°It¡¯ll be more efficient if we hunt apart,¡± Jessica explained, ¡°That way we¡¯ll only have to kill half the number of rabbits, then we can take on that big one together sooner. I really want to get out of here, I need a shower and a proper bed asap.¡± ¡°You could just wash in the pond,¡± Elizabeth chuckled. ¡°With you around to ogle my girly bits?¡± the other girl laughed, ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°Girly bits? What are you? Four?¡± Elizabeth laughed as well, falling silent a moment later. ¡°What¡¯s up, Beth?¡± ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± Elizabeth sighed, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, forget about it.¡± ¡°No,¡± Jessica said flatly, ¡°Start talking.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really want to.¡± ¡°Elizabeth,¡± Jessica said as she took her friend by the shoulders, ¡°Start. Talking.¡± ¡°I¡­I think I¡¯m falling in love with you,¡± Elizabeth muttered, her cheeks lighting up in a blush as she spoke, ¡°But¡­not in a romantic way, or a sexual way either. I just¡­I can¡¯t think of a world without you in it, without you by my side.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Jessica said, her own cheeks red, ¡°That¡¯s the sweetest thing I¡¯ve ever heard.¡± ¡°What?¡± Elizabeth blinked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean I feel the same way about you, Beth,¡± Jessica smiled, ¡°You¡¯re my best friend, and I love you, just not like that. It¡¯s like¡­it¡¯s like your closer than a sister to me.¡± ¡°I¡­yeah,¡± Elizabeth nodded, ¡°I feel like that too.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s be best friends forever, alright?¡± Jessica laughed, pulling Elizabeth into a hug, ¡°Just don¡¯t try to sleep with me, okay?¡± ¡°Why do you always do this?¡± Elizabeth groaned as she hugged the other girl back. ------ Dawn came as the two girls woke up, stretching as they stoked the embers of the fire, cooking a simple meal of roasted roots and plants. They drank some of their water before packing as much of their haul as they could carry into the simple sacks they¡¯d made by roughly sewing a bunch of hides together. ¡°It still feels like kind of a waste to just leave all this behind,¡± Jessica said as she hefted the sack over her shoulder, looking at the two left over piles of horns and pelts, ¡°But it¡¯s not like they dropped anything else.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Elizabeth nodded as they left the cave, looking up at the rising sun as it started to burn away the morning dew from the grass. ¡°This place is weirdly beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Elizabeth nodded. ¡°Just like you,¡± Jessica giggled, ¡°Platonically.¡± ¡°And moment ruined,¡± the other girl sighed, readjusting her grip on her sack and walking off, ¡°Come on, I don¡¯t want to leave you behind.¡± ¡°Just because you¡¯re two levels higher than me doesn¡¯t mean you get to boast,¡± Jessica said as she stuck out her tongue at Elizabeth, ¡°Bully.¡± ¡°Stalker,¡± Elizabeth chuckled back. The two hurried towards the small forest, arriving just as the sun reached the middle of the sky. They quickly weaved through the trees, making their way to the center of the wood, carefully placing down their sacks of loot as they reached the edge of the clearing where the large rabbit was once again lounging, cleaning itself like before. The two nodded to each other, Elizabeth giving Loppy a quick pat for luck as she disappeared into the shadows. A few minutes later, a rock sailed through the air, hitting the large rabbit on the flank, making it leap up and spin around to face the direction the rock had come from. ¡°Go Loppy!¡± Jessica shouted, ¡°Speed Up!¡± The Horned Rabbit shot forwards, catching the larger one off-guard as she rammed into its leg, her horn only sinking halfway in before it stopped, though it was enough to injure the other monster. The larger rabbit kicked out its foot, sending Loppy flying towards the trees. ¡°Endurance Up!¡± Jessica shouted as Loppy hit the trunk, causing the whole tree to shake, the small rabbit hopping back to its feet easily as it glared at the larger one. Another stone flew through the air, striking the rabbit on the side of the head this time, making it look around in annoyance, searching for the source of the attacks. No sooner had it allowed itself to be distracted than Loppy dove in again, driving her horn into the same leg as before. This routine continued three more times before the large rabbit seemed to have had enough. This time, it pretended to be distracted, immediately spinning to face Loppy as the Horned Rabbit charged it, only for the smaller monster to dart to the side, leaving the larger rabbit confused. The pain erupted in its neck as the two horns were driven into its soft flesh, blood spraying out as it squealed loudly, trying to jump away from the woman who had just appeared beside it, stabbing it repeatedly with a pair of horns with strips of leather wrapped around the base. It lurched as its injured leg gave out just as it jumped, sending it careening to the floor, where the woman from before dove onto it, sinking a horn deep into its throat. A moment later, the monster fell still, its body already starting to fade into light as the two girls rushed over to each other, hugging tightly despite one being covered in blood. ¡°We did it!¡± Jessica squealed happily as Loppy danced around them, ¡°We actually did it!¡± ¡°We did!¡± Elizabeth laughed, blinking as the screen appeared in front of her. [Congratulations on completing the Tutorial of {Meadow Fields}. Would you like to continue your Dive?] ¡°No,¡± both girls said at once, glancing at each other and giggling. [For completing the Tutorial, you may now choose a Class and Job.] ¡°What¡¯d you get?¡± Jessica asked as she scrolled through her own list, ¡°I already know what I¡¯m choosing for both.¡± ¡°A bunch of E and F Rank Classes, and a few D Rank ones.¡± Elizabeth hummed, ¡°I think I¡¯ll go with Rogue, which is a D Rank Class, though I don¡¯t know what to pick for a Job.¡± ¡°I chose Cook,¡± Jessica smiled proudly, ¡°It¡¯s only an E Rank Job, but it¡¯ll help me make snacks and food for Loppy and her future friends!¡± ¡°Future friends?¡± Elizabeth laughed, ¡°You aren¡¯t seriously thinking about doing something like this again, are you?¡± ¡°Only if you come with me,¡± Jessica nodded, her expression going serious, ¡°I mean it, Beth. Let¡¯s do this like it¡¯s a real job, I bet it¡¯ll become one soon enough, anyway!¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in,¡± Elizabeth nodded as they approached the golden chest, both touching it as it popped open, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Looks like a three-pointed horn and a long stick,¡± Jessica pouted, ¡°That¡¯s kind of disappointing.¡± ¡°It looks like a shepherd¡¯s crook,¡± Elizabeth hummed as she handed the staff to Jessica, the end curved into a hook shape, ¡°I think it suits you. What Class did you choose anyway?¡± ¡°Tamer,¡± Jessica grinned, ¡°It¡¯s C Rank.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Elizabeth laughed, ¡°Well, for once your score is higher than mine.¡± ¡°Whatever, little miss smarty pants,¡± Jessica chuckled, heading over to the door, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± The two girls touched the door, which swung open to reveal the darkness beyond. Chapter 14 ¡°Why did you bring us here?¡± the woman huffed, ¡°And where is my daughter? You said she came out of the prison thing yesterday!¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a Dungeon, Lorraine,¡± the man sighed as they were led through the grey concrete hallway, ¡°And I¡¯m sure they just had to make sure Elizabeth was okay before we saw her.¡± ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± the woman muttered, ¡°It should be illegal to keep a mother from her child like this!¡± ¡°Here is the room, Mr. and Mrs. Sanders,¡± the man said as he stopped beside a door, ¡°Now, before you go in-.¡± ¡°Elizabeth!¡± Lorraine shouted as she flung the door open, ¡°Oh, mommy has been so worried about you! You aren¡¯t hurt, are you?¡± ¡°Some bruises and scrapes, but nothing serious,¡± her daughter said flatly, not turning away from the man she was sitting opposite. ¡°Elizabeth, sweety? What¡¯s going on? Why are you acting strange?¡± ¡°Hello Lorraine,¡± the familiar voice said as her husband followed her into the room, his face the very image of shock, ¡°Long time no see.¡± ¡°W-what are you-?¡± ¡°CHRIS!¡± his father shouted, running forwards and grabbing the man by the shoulders, looking him over in disbelief, as though he wasn¡¯t sure it was really his son, ¡°You¡¯re¡­you¡¯re alive!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± the man chuckled weakly, ¡°Sorry I worried you, dad.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, you¡¯re alive and well! Both of you are! I¡¯m so happy!¡± the older man said, tears forming in his eyes, ¡°I was so worried I¡¯d lose you both! Even when they told me that Beth was just in a Tutorial Dungeon, I was so scared she would come out different.¡± ¡°I have, dad,¡± Elizabeth said, standing up as she smiled at the man, ¡°Also, I¡¯m gay. Have been for a while.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± her father said, before chuckling, ¡°Well, hello gay, I¡¯m dad.¡± ¡°Dad, really?¡± Chris and Elizabeth groaned as their father pulled them into a hug. ¡°I¡­you¡­what?¡± Lorraine sputtered, ¡°Absolutely not, young lady!¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Lorraine?¡± their father sighed, ¡°Are we really going to have this conversation again?¡± ¡°Again?¡± Elizabeth said in confusion, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve had my suspicions for a while,¡± their father said as he let the two go, ¡°So it¡¯s hardly a surprise for me. I decided that I would love you no matter who you loved. Your mother on the other hand¡­¡± ¡°This is unacceptable, young lady! You cannot be¡­be gay! What about your future husband?¡± ¡°Except I am,¡± Elizabeth said flatly, ¡°And what future husband? If I¡¯m going to marry anyone, it¡¯ll be my future wife.¡± ¡°You¡­how dare you defy your mother like that!¡± the woman screamed, stomping forwards, before a wall of flame erupted in front of her, making her shriek as she fell back. ¡°Enough,¡± Chris growled, glaring at the woman as she stared at the sheet of fire, the flames dying down just as quickly as they had appeared, ¡°I¡¯m done dealing with your crap.¡± ¡°You¡­what was that?¡± the woman sputtered. ¡°I¡¯d also like to know,¡± their father asked, looking at his son and daughter. ¡°One of my Skills,¡± Chris shrugged, ¡°I can cast a bunch of elemental magic now thanks to it, though it¡¯s taken a lot of practice to get it down right.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re some kind of freak now?!¡± Lorraine spat, ¡°Well obviously a low life leech like you would become a freak of nature as well!¡± ¡°Lorraine,¡± Chris said, looking back at the woman as she froze, ¡°I could kill you with a snap of my fingers, so shut the fuck up for once in your pathetic life.¡± ¡°You do not talk to me like that, young man!¡± she shouted, trying to get back to her feet, suddenly finding herself frozen to the ground, ¡°What did you do? Steven, make him stop!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can, Lorraine,¡± their father sighed, ¡°It seems like they¡¯ve grown up too much for my words to have much impact anymore.¡± ¡°Oh, your words will always have an impact on me, dad,¡± Chris sighed, smiling at the man, ¡°You¡¯re my father after all, I will always respect you. Lorraine on the other hand¡­¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t finish that sentence,¡± Steven sighed as he looked at his son, ¡°I¡¯m just glad to have you back, Chris.¡± ¡°Yeah, well none of this would have happened if not for Lorraine,¡± Chris laughed, making his father look at his in confusion, ¡°Oh, I suppose she lied about what happened that night I disappeared?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Steven blinked, looking between his two children as they glanced at each other. ¡°Lorraine was berating me for being a failure, amongst other things,¡± Chris shrugged, ¡°So I left. I was so done with her crap I didn¡¯t even go grab my phone or wallet, I just walked out the door.¡± ¡°And this¡­it happened often?¡± ¡°Anytime both you and Beth were out of the house,¡± Chris nodded, ¡°When you two were around, she was tolerable. But when you weren¡¯t¡­it wasn¡¯t pleasant.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the man said softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I had no idea.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I never told you before,¡± Chris smiled, ¡°But I have now. What you choose to do with that information is your business.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Steven said softly, looking at Chris happily, ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re safe. What happened to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really allowed to say,¡± Chris chuckled, glancing past his father at Lorraine, who was still scowling at him, ¡°At least, not to people I don¡¯t trust will keep it secret.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± the woman spat. ¡°That I don¡¯t trust you,¡± Chris replied flatly, walking past her to the door, opening it and speaking to the two soldiers standing guard, ¡°You can remove Lorraine now. I want to speak to my father and sister in private.¡± ¡°Right away, sir,¡± one of them said, saluting, the two coming in and looking at the woman, still frozen to the floor, ¡°Uhm¡­can you free her please?¡± ¡°Right, sorry,¡± Chris chuckled as he waved a hand, the ice vanishing as the two soldiers lifted the woman to her feet, trying to escort her from the room. ¡°No!¡± she shouted, ¡°I refuse to leave just because this¡­this upstart thinks he can order me around! Steven, talk some sense into your son!¡± ¡°Just leave, Lorraine,¡± the man sighed, looking at her in annoyance, ¡°Please.¡± ¡°But-!¡± she started to say, before the two soldiers hooked their arms under her shoulders and pulled her from the room, ¡°Let me go this instant! I deserve to know what¡¯s going on!¡± The door closed, the three still able to hear the woman¡¯s protests for a while until they finally faded. ¡°Thank fuck she¡¯s gone,¡± Chris sighed in relief, ¡°I¡¯ve been dying to tell you everything, but-.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust her not to try and use it against you?¡± Steven asked, Chris flinching slightly before he nodded, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll talk to her later, calm her down. So, what did you want to tell me?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Chris started, ¡°Do you know how the Ranking system works for the Dungeons?¡± ------ Sergeant Ryan Peterson sat at his desk, listening to his superiors talk like he wasn¡¯t there over the video call. ¡°Are we sure this is safe? Letting civilians know about the subject?¡± one of them asked, Ryan cutting into the conversation. ¡°We don¡¯t have much choice,¡± he said, ¡°Christopher is, as far as we know, currently both the highest level and strongest Diver in the world. Without his support and cooperation, we won¡¯t be able to more safely explore any of the higher Ranked Dungeons in the country.¡± ¡°This is still a dangerous matter,¡± another of the older men huffed, ¡°Maybe we should take the subject¡¯s family into protective custody, just to be sure.¡± ¡°Christopher has already told me that he doesn¡¯t want that, and that he trusts his father and sister not to spread the information until it has already become publicly available,¡± Ryan replied, ¡°I understand that you are worried about the ramifications of this, but we don¡¯t have much choice in the matter. It would be a mistake to lose his trust at this ti-.¡± ¡°Bullshit,¡± the last man growled, ¡°You¡¯re coddling the brat. Why let him do what he wants like he¡¯s some sort of god?¡± ¡°Because,¡± Ryan said more forcefully, ¡°As far as we¡¯re concerned, he might as well be one. I¡¯ve gotten his permission to share his Stats and Skill Ranks with you all, maybe then you¡¯ll understand.¡± ¡°Like that even matters,¡± the man continued, ¡°Skills and Stats? A bunch of bullshit. He wouldn¡¯t last a second against a trained soldier in real combat!¡± ¡°I thought you might say that,¡± Ryan sighed, ¡°Which is why I¡¯ve also gotten his permission to show you videos of his training sessions with some of our trained soldiers.¡± The call went silent as Ryan opened the video file, sharing his screen as the men watched Chris easily dodging and weaving around a dozen soldiers like he wasn¡¯t even trying. One of the men seemed to get the drop on him, swinging a punch at the back of his head, Chris just sliding to the side, before punching the man in the gut, sending him flying from the mats. ¡°And that¡¯s just him learning basic martial arts,¡± Ryan said as the video switched, now showing Chris swinging a sword around, his movements fluid and controlled, ¡°He said he¡¯d never used a sword before that day, but the master swordsmen we got in to help teach him said he¡¯s already at an intermediate level and quickly improving. In fact, every person we called in to teach him has said much the same.¡± ¡°So, he¡¯s good with some toys?¡± the man scoffed, ¡°So what? It¡¯s not like he could stop a bullet with a weapon like that.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t need to,¡± Ryan hummed, switching the video again, showing Chris sitting on the floor with several balls floating around him, one each of air, fire, water and stone, ¡°Firstly, because modern weapons and technology don¡¯t work in the Dungeons, and secondly because he has extremely powerful magic.¡± ¡°So, he¡¯s basically a nuclear warhead,¡± the final member of the call finally spoke, the woman staring at the video in interest, ¡°One with a personality and opinion. Extremely dangerous, but as long as we can keep him on our side, a valuable asset.¡± ¡°Yes, Major,¡± Ryan nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing all I can to earn and keep his trust, and I don¡¯t think going against his wishes is in our best interest right now.¡± ¡°Obviously,¡± the Major nodded, ¡°So, gentlemen, shall we go ahead with my suggestion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s crazy,¡± the old man grumbled, ¡°Giving civilians the chance to gain so much power.¡± ¡°Power that we could use,¡± the Major said, the other two men looking down for a moment, before nodding, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, I¡¯ve already made the necessary preparations to start.¡± The call ended shortly after that, the woman pushing herself back from her screen in her office, a slight smile on her lips. ¡°Let¡¯s get the Diver¡¯s Association started, then.¡± ------ ¡°And that¡¯s that,¡± Chris shrugged as his father stared at him in shock, ¡°Turns out I¡¯m probably the strongest person on the planet right now.¡± ¡°This is¡­it¡¯s a lot to take in, son,¡± Steven muttered, ¡°S and A Rank Skills? Magic and fighting monsters? What are you planning to do with all this¡­this power?¡± ¡°Currently?¡± Chris hummed, ¡°Work for the government. Sort of. I¡¯ll be an independent contractor of sorts, going into high Rank Dungeons to clear them out and stuff.¡± ¡°An independent contractor for the government?¡± his father chuckled, ¡°Sounds quite lucrative. Makes me almost want to get in on the ground floor myself.¡± ¡°We can,¡± Elizabeth suddenly said, making the two men look at her in confusion, ¡°It¡¯s simple, we just need to take dad into a Dungeon. He¡¯ll get some Skills and levels, and then we can all work together.¡± ¡°And who exactly is this ¡®we¡¯?¡± Steven asked, Elizabeth smirking at him. ¡°You, Chris, me and Jess, obviously,¡± the girl explained, ¡°If we all go into a Hell Difficulty Dungeon, then we¡¯ll all come out as strong as Chris!¡± ¡°No,¡± the two men said as one, ¡°Absolutely not!¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± the teen huffed, ¡°It¡¯ll be the fastest way to level up and get tons of Free Points, won¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Beth,¡± Chris said as he kneeled in front of the girl, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think, but if you go into a Hell Difficulty Dungeon, you will die. I only survived because of my specific Skills, without them I would have been Slime food in the first five minutes of being there.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Elizabeth muttered, before smirking again, ¡°Then a Hard Difficulty Dungeon. If you¡¯re with us, it¡¯ll be simple to get through, right?¡± ¡°Beth,¡± Chris groaned, looking at his father for support, ¡°Why are you so determined to go back into a Dungeon?¡± ¡°Because,¡± Elizabeth said, ¡°Jess and I promised we¡¯d become professional Divers together. You can¡¯t change my mind.¡± ¡°Dad, please try talk some sense into her,¡± Chris sighed. ¡°Sorry, kiddo,¡± the older man chuckled, ¡°But I know that look. She¡¯s made up her mind, and just like her mother, when that happens, hell itself couldn¡¯t stop her.¡± ¡°Dammit,¡± Chris muttered as he stood back up, ruffling his hair as he tried to figure something out, ¡°You¡¯re serious about this?¡± ¡°Deathly,¡± Elizabeth nodded, ¡°Both of us are.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Chris sighed, ¡°But it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to be able to just get permission to take you three into a Dungeon anyway. So, we¡¯ll have to see.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± the voice said as the door opened, Ryan walking in, ¡°Sorry, I just heard the last part of your conversation. But there are already plans to open the Dungeons, at least the lower Ranked ones, to the public. As such, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to get permission for you and your family to enter one of those.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not helping, Ryan,¡± Chris groaned as his sister jumped up from her seat, hugging her father and telling him about what to expect in the Dungeons. Chapter 15 ¡°This is the Rank C Dungeon ¡®The Mighty Peaks¡¯,¡± the woman explained as the group stood outside the large iron door, ¡°As the name implies, it¡¯s a Dungeon themed around a mountain climb. This is the first time it¡¯ll be attempted on Hard Difficulty, so we¡¯re not entirely sure what you¡¯ll experience in there.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Chris nodded as checked his armor, making sure it was all secured properly. He still wasn¡¯t quite used to the instinctive knowledge he had gained of how to wear and use the gear from his Armor Mastery Skill, but that didn¡¯t matter right now. He turned to look at the others that were entering with him, a sizeable group of soldiers of various Classes and Jobs, and, of course, his sister, her friend, and his father. Everyone was dressed in combat gear, bulletproof vests, army fatigues and with large packs on their backs. All except him, of course, his armor far superior to anything they could find or make. Chris glanced over at his father, the older man currently staring at the door nervously, jumping slightly when Chris put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay, dad,¡± he said, ¡°You can still back out.¡± ¡°No,¡± the man shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t. Not when you and Beth are going to risk your lives in there. I have to go with you, if only for my own sanity.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Chris nodded, looking back at the door, ¡°Go ahead and touch it then, we need to know your basic Stats before we go in.¡± ¡°Right,¡± the man nodded, walking up to the door as confidently as he could, laying his hand against it. He jerked back as the screen appeared in front of him, staring at it in amazement. ¡°Huh,¡± he said as he opened his Status screen, ¡°Most of my Stats are below five, except Intellect, which is a seven.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± Chris muttered, making his father look at him in confusion, ¡°You might not get any combat Skills in that case, so you won¡¯t be able to fight very well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± the man laughed, ¡°I have the two of you, and all these soldiers, to protect me, don¡¯t I?¡± ¡°And me and Loppy,¡± Jessica suddenly cut in from her conversation with Elizabeth, holding up the large Horned Rabbit, ¡°Don¡¯t forget about us!¡± ¡°Right, of course,¡± the older man chuckled, ¡°I apologize. To be honest, I¡¯m feeling quite excited about all this. It feels like a real adventure.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Chris sighed, his anxiety rising slightly as he realized his father might be at a disadvantage in the Dungeon, ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± the soldiers shouted as they all stood to attention, Chris swallowing nervously as the dozen people stared at him in expectation. ¡°Right,¡± he sighed, ¡°Then let¡¯s go in.¡± ------ The group appeared at the foot of a massive mountain, looking around in amazement. ¡°It¡¯s not as cold as I thought it would be,¡± Jessica hummed, putting Loppy on the ground as the monster started to investigate the surroundings for food. ¡°It¡¯ll get colder as we go up the mountain,¡± one of the soldiers explained, ¡°The higher you go, the colder it gets. No one has managed to reach the peak yet, but it¡¯s predicted to be below freezing up there.¡± ¡°Below freezing?¡± the girl gasped, looking down at her gear, ¡°I¡¯m really glad they made us pack extra jackets then.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Chris called, ¡°Everyone, keep only the essentials on you, give me everything else you have.¡± ¡°What?¡± Elizabeth said as she watched the soldiers dropping their packs in front of her brother, ¡°What are you doing, Chris?¡± ¡°Just this,¡± he grinned as he opened the simple leather satchel hanging from his shoulder, lifting one of the large rucksacks and putting the entire thing inside, making the girl gasp, ¡°It¡¯s called a Carry-All-Bag. It can hold just about anything, up to about a ton of stuff without getting heavier.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Jessica squealed, happily shedding her own pack, ¡°This way we won¡¯t have to lug these heavy things all over the mountain!¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Chris nodded as he put her bag in the satchel, ¡°Though it is still dangerous if you get separated from the group, because you won¡¯t have all the things you brought with you. So make sure to stick close by, alright?¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± the girl giggled as she imitated the soldiers, making Chris shake his head as he laughed. ¡°Alright, everyone set?¡± he called, the soldiers shouting their affirmation, before they started up the faint path that led up the mountain. Elizabeth sighed as she opened his Status screen, checking her new Skills again as she fidgeted with the knives at her hips. Name: Elizabeth Audrey Sanders Level: 5 Class: Rogue If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Job: Spy Experience: 225/1600 Health: 180/180 Mana: 40/40 Stats: Strength: 5 Vitality: 8 Dexterity: 12 Intellect: 8 Wisdom: 5 Charisma: 5 Free Points: 0 Skills: [Throwing lv 15] [Stealth lv 27] [Small Blades lv 12] [Lockpicking lv 11] [Sense Presence lv 10] The only reason it had taken them over a week to actually get to the Dungeon was because her brother had stipulated that he¡¯d only allow them to come if all of their Skills were above level ten. This meant that she and Jessica had spent the last ten days training madly to get their new Skills high enough to go, only just managing it before Chris was going to cut them off and go without them. ¡°I still don¡¯t like the idea of putting you in danger,¡± her brother muttered under his breath, making her look up at him in surprise, ¡°But you seemed determined, so please stay safe.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she replied, looking over to Jessica as the girl watched her tamed monster hop around the sparse trees. A shiver suddenly ran down her back, making her shudder as she looked around, unable to pinpoint the source. ¡°You sense something?¡± Chris asked, Elizabeth nodding, the man tapping one of the soldiers on the shoulder and indicating for them to stop. The whole group quickly came to a halt, their father and several others in the middle while the other soldiers drew their weapons, a mixture of swords, knives and bows, a few others summoning balls of fire in their hands. They stood silently for a moment, Elizabeth closing her eyes as she tried to locate the source of the strange feeling, blinking them open as she pointed to her left. ¡°That way!¡± she shouted, just as the shadowy figure darted out of the tree branches, flying towards them. ¡°Fire at will!¡± one of the soldiers shouted, the others opening up with arrows and spells, the strange form darting through the air between them, ¡°Melee, engage!¡± Those armed with swords and knives stepped forwards, forming a barrier between the others and the creature, blinking as it suddenly seemed to sink into the ground, the dark blob sliding under their feet. ¡°Shit!¡± someone shouted, ¡°It¡¯s going for the girls!¡± Elizabeth drew her knives as the form suddenly loomed in front of her, before it was engulfed in flames, crying out in pain as Chris tackled it to the ground, pinning it down before bringing his mace to bear on its head, killing it instantly. ¡°Damn,¡± one of the soldiers muttered as the creature lay there, looking like an oversized crow, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one of those bastards get taken down so easily¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re usually only on the third floor as well,¡± another said, ¡°Hard Mode really is different.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the highest Difficulty any of you have done?¡± Chris asked as he got back up, his father walking over and inspecting the bird corpse. ¡°Normal,¡± one of the soldiers said, stepping forwards as he revealed himself to be the captain of the squad, ¡°Most of the others here have only done Easy.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Chris nodded, looking around at the soldiers, ¡°Seems we¡¯ll need to adjust to the increased difficulty a bit before we can call ourselves safe to continue.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± the captain saluted, turning to the other soldiers and starting to shout orders. ¡°Right, let¡¯s find a place to camp,¡± Chris said to the two girls, ¡°I think it would be best if we got your levels a little higher before we try the next floor. And dad?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± the man hummed as he was doing something to the bird corpse, Chris slightly surprised it hadn¡¯t disappeared yet, ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m almost done.¡± ¡°With what?¡± Jessica asked, walking to his side and grimacing slightly. ¡°Just dressing this bird,¡± he grinned as he stood, lifting the large carcass in his hand, ¡°One of my Skills is called Harvesting, so I figured I could do something like this. We¡¯ll need to hang it up so the last of the blood can drain, but I know an army marches on its stomach, so I figured some extra meat would be appreciated.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s actually true,¡± Chris sighed, ¡°Thanks dad. We¡¯ll have to be careful about that though, the smell of the blood might attract other monsters.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± the man nodded, ¡°I know a few tricks for keeping animals away. Maybe they¡¯ll work on these monsters as well?¡± ------ ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but I don¡¯t think this is a good idea.¡± ¡°Honestly, Captain?¡± Chris sighed, ¡°You¡¯re probably right, but it¡¯s also the only way we¡¯re going to be able to make sure you¡¯re all strong enough to survive on the higher floors.¡± The group had chosen to camp beside a small cluster of trees, Chris having pulled out their packs to allow the soldiers to set up. He looked over at his father, who was watching the bodies of the several birds that had attacked them as they moved, four other soldiers guarding him. ¡°I know,¡± he said, cutting off the captain before the man could speak, ¡°We¡¯re technically still civilians, so it¡¯s not our place to make demands.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t about to say that, sir,¡± the captain blushed slightly, ¡°I just don¡¯t think that splitting up our group is safe.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Chris agreed, ¡°But as I said, it¡¯ll be the fastest way for you to gain levels.¡± ¡°Permission to speak freely, Captain!¡± one of the soldiers barked, standing beside them, Chris recognizing him as one of the men with a shield earlier. ¡°Go ahead, Private,¡± the captain sighed. ¡°I agree with Mr. Sanders, sir,¡± the man said, making the captain stare at him in surprise, ¡°We¡¯re all only level three at the highest, sir. I think this is because we always enter with a large group, and the Experience is shared amongst everyone.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± the captain sighed, turning back to Chris, ¡°Good point. Very well, we¡¯ll try it your way, sir. Any advice for how we should divide the groups?¡± ¡°Well, there are sixteen of us here, so I think four groups of four should be fine. Have at least one person who can attack at range, and someone who can defend per group. Do we have any people who can heal?¡± ¡°Two Medics with the Healing Magic Skill, sir,¡± the captain nodded. ¡°Okay, in which case, make sure only one of them goes out at a time,¡± Chris nodded, ¡°Two groups will explore the surrounding area for four hours at a time, with the other two resting, but also ready to come help them if need be. How does that sound?¡± ¡°Decent,¡± the captain nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll inform the men. What of you and your¡­companions, Sir?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll rotate members between the groups regularly,¡± Chris hummed, scratching his chin, stubble already starting to grow back, ¡°To make sure everyone has a chance to get used to fighting in different kinds of groups. This includes us, though I hope your soldiers won¡¯t rely on me too much when it comes to fighting.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the captain nodded again, turning away and starting to shout at the soldiers, who were almost done setting up the camp. ¡°So, we¡¯re not going to be fighting together?¡± Elizabeth asked as Chris looked over his shoulder at her, a slightly disappointed look on her face. ¡°We¡¯ll be in the first group, so we¡¯ll go on a few hunts together,¡± Chris chuckled as he ruffled her hair, ¡°I want to see what my baby sister can do, after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already eighteen,¡± the girl huffed, straightening her mussed up hair, ¡°I¡¯m not a baby anymore.¡± ¡°Then prove it,¡± Chris said seriously, even as he smiled kindly at the girl, ¡°Show me how strong you¡¯ve managed to get.¡±