《The Villainess is the Strongest Ranker》 Chapter 1 - Dungeon of the Lizard King I Do you know what one of the best inventions in modern times is? Self-service checkouts in supermarkets! An introvert''s dream! But Hana! What about ordering groceries online? Well, you see, you either have to go to the store to pick up the order and have to talk to someone, or some annoying delivery boy keeps knocking on your door wanting you to sign the delivery off while you hide behind the sofa and freak out. With self-service checkouts, you avoid human contact altogether¡­ unless you buy a bottle of ros¨¦ and a supervisor walks over to ask for your ID¡­ A bag of groceries in hand, I pull my hood up¡ªbecause wearing a hood in a shop is ¡°socially unacceptable¡±, or something¡ªand start walking back to my apartment. The full moon brightly illuminates the street. It is quiet, except for me. Not even a car in sight. Just the faint hum of traffic on the main street a few streets down. One of the benefits of going out at night, even if it is more dangerous. My phone screen lights up as I plug an earbud in one ear. It shows art of my favourite while her beautiful voice tears through my brain, screaming how society should just shut the fuck up! You know, normal girl music. I''d discovered her a few months ago, and immediately fell in love with the relatability of her song lyrics and just her voice. Her deep huskiness contrasts my own squeaky and mousy voice. Yet another reason why I dislike talking to people. I turn off the street into an alley that leads to my apartment, still looking at my phone. There''s an earlier message from Jake, my bestest friend in the world. And only friend. We''d known each other as nextdoor neighbours since childhood, so we kinda drifted together. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Jakeron: hey where r u rn? heard a dungeon showed up near u u ok? stay put im coming That''s Jake, more commonly known to the world as Jakeron, an A Rank hunter and #32 in Oceania. I''m just a civilian, and a weak one at that, so he''s always been protective of me, even before he became one of the top hunters in the region. I quickly message him back. hanablossom: I''m fine. Just heading back from the shops. The messages appear in red. No connection? I look up. The small alleyway expands into a large tunnel with cave walls. A small info box appears in the air in front of me. [You have entered ] [Dungeon Rank: D] I quickly turn back the way I came, only to face a wall of golden light blocking my way out of the alley. Okay, okay, I tell myself. I just need to wait for Jake to get here¡ª Scittering noises come from further ahead, quickly getting closer. Well, shit. Chapter 2 - Dungeon of the Lizard King II Dungeons first appeared about 5 years ago. They were small pocket dimensions that intersected our own. Around that time came the first hunters, people chosen by some System to unlock special powers. These hunters were split into ranks based on their power and dungeon clear score. Filling out the vast majority of hunters are the E and D Rankers, people with powers only slightly above those of a peak human. Many of these Rankers steer clear of dungeons and just get on with their lives; working in an office is far safer than dungeon delving, after all. Above those are the C Rankers, the ones you are most likely to see delving into dungeons. There are tens of thousands of these in each region. B Rankers are far more rare, with only a few hundred here in the Oceania region, but their abilities are far beyond what a human can achieve. A Rankers have a similar disparity. Jakeron is only one of fifty in the entirety of Oceania. And his skills are phenomenal. Just the other week, he led a raid team against Sydney¡¯s great A Rank dragon-type dungeon, and his buff abilities and strategic command allowed the team to suffer no casualties. At the pinnacle of hunters are the 5 S Rankers, of which only one is in the Oceania region: Shae, a resident here in Melbourne. But I''m not any of them. I''m just a below-average civilian. About to be skewered and eaten by the lizardfolk run towards me, their clawed feet making loud ¡°tink¡± echoes through the tunnel. I turn on my phone''s flashlight, revealing two scaley figures, about a metre tall in height, scampering on their hind legs in my direction. One held a dagger in its hand, the other a hammer, the metal part about the size of my head. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do??? I look around me, looking for anything I can use to defend myself. And I see dirt, dirt, and, well, what do you know? MORE FUCKING DIRT The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. One of the lizardfolk¡ªthe one with the dagger¡ªlets out a loud KREEEEEEE before charging down the tunnel at frightening, its blade held high. 30m¡­ 20m¡­ shit, shit, shit! Okay Hana, I tell myself. It¡¯s just like a little kid with a toy. Kid with a toy. An annoying little kid only 10m away. I charge at dagger boi¡ªsorry, shrieking bratty kid¡ª, letting out an aggressive noise (see: scared whine) of my own. We collide and go down, my hands wrapped out its head, beating its skull repeatedly against the cave floor. It wriggles in my grip, attempting to free itself, but I put my long nails to good use and gouge my thumbs into each eye with a satisfying squelch, continuing to beat its head. There is a pool of blood forming and its wriggles become slower and slower, before coming to a stop. I blink. Did I just¡­? I know I should feel sick from this, but¡­ Why am I giggling? I glance up and see Hammer Boi with a look of horror on its face. It shakes its head, as if to compose itself, and charges at me. Its shriek sounds less like ¡°INTRUDER¡± and more like ¡°YOU KILLED BROTHER! I KILL YOU!¡±. Without much time to think, I grab the dead lizardfolk by the wrist and ankle, and swing it around like those drunk parents do with their kid in those Drink Responsibly adverts. The lizardfolk is surprisingly light, even for a weakling like me. I guess size really does matter most in fights? Or maybe it''s just my adrenaline. Who knows? The two skulls connect, and Hammer Boi stumbles back, dropping its hammer. I stoop to grab the hammer off the floor, and gosh, is it heavy. How did this little fella lift this? I reaffirm my grip with both hands, and heave. It barely budges. So I lean back and throw my whole body into lifting it. And the hammer shifts, arcing up as I fall on my butt, the metal head striking Hammerless Boi in the neck. It goes flying, its body landing limp and unmoving, the head making a completely unnatural angle to the torso. I¡­ I did it? Did I actually survive? My bloodied hands tremble. I did it! I let out a sigh of relief, and immediately wince as pain flares in my side. I fall to my knees and clutch at my waist, finding the first lizardfolk¡¯s dagger sticking into me. The adrenaline must have pumped so much during that fight that I didn''t feel it. Chapter 3 - Dungeon of the Lizard King III Grabbing the blood-soaked hilt, I pull the blade out of my body. A wave of dizziness washes over me. I fall to my side and vaguely recall something about keeping the knife in so you don''t bleed out. Thanks for only reminding me now, I tell my brain. I crawl across the ground, wincing as each movement sends a spike of agony through my side. After what feels like 30 minutes, but in reality is more like 30 seconds, I make it back to where I had dropped my shopping. I thank the convenient timing of Mother Nature as I pull out a pack of tampons. From what I remember, these were originally made for soldiers to plug up bullet wounds. A stab wound is basically the same, right? I swear a bit (a lot) as I fumble with the stupid plastic applicator¡ªlike why????¡ªbut eventually manage to plug the hole in my side. From my shopping bag, I also pull out some wet wipes, and set about cleaning my hands, and then my side, as best I can. I''d bought some painkillers earlier too, so I down like five. As I struggle to my feet, I finally noticed the glowing blue window floating in the air. [Congratulations! You have gained the unique skill !] [You have Awakened!] This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. [Gained 5xp] [Gained 5xp] [You have successfully reached Level 1] [Class Advancement unlock! Please select a class!] I look at the class list, still perplexed at what is happening. Me? A Ranker? I''d laugh if the situation wasn''t so dire and I wasn''t slowly bleeding out. I don''t want to be a Ranker! I just want to stay in my apartment and code, and not have to deal with anyone. Although¡­ I do need to get out of here alive. What Class would increase my chance of survival, I wonder. A Tank like Jake? While pondering a class choice, another notification pops up. [You meet the conditions for the Hidden Class ] [Do you accept? (Y/N)] Berserker? I haven¡¯t heard of any Rankers with such a class. So, either it¡¯s utter garbage and everyone who chose it died or retired. Or¡­ perhaps? This is a class just for me¡­? It at least sounds fun though! I reach out a hand to the message in front of me and tap ¡°Y¡±. The screen flashes again with a new set of messages. [You have chosen the Class!] [You have gained the skill ] [You have 3 Attribute points to allocate] After dismissing these notifications, a screen with my stats shows up. [ID: ] [Rank: D] [Berserker Level 1] [HP: 5/20] [MP: 5/5] [STR: 3] [AGI: 0] [ARC: 0] [VIT: 0] [INS: 0] [Status: Bleed] [Take 1 damage every minute] [Skills] [(Passive) Fury of the Small] [(Active) Berserk] Most are set to 0, which is the default attribute value for non-Rankers. My STR, however, is already a 3! It seems this Berserker class really values strength, but unlike something like a Warrior class, its vitality is lacking. More worryingly is my health, only at 5. I had very nearly died just from that one stab wound. I wince as my side aches and my health drops another point. [HP: 4/20] Shit. I have 4 minutes before I bleed out. Chapter 4 - Dungeon of the Lizard King IV Should I put those 3 attribute points into my vitality? Or would that boost only my maximum HP but not my current HP? Can I afford the risk? I decide to quickly check out my two skills. With any luck, one of them might stop bleeding. [(Passive) Fury of the Small] [Landing the killing blow on a target restores HP equal to the size ratio between and target (min: 1)] [(Active) Berserk] [Cost: 1MP/5s] [While active, double your STR attribute] I inhale deeply and let out a sigh. That kind of settles it, I tell myself, as I put all my attribute points into STR. Hit hard, don¡¯t get hit, and out-life-gain the Bleed status effect until I figure out a way to get rid of it. In theory: easy! [STR: 6] Picking up my shopping, I walk back over to the hammer I had dropped earlier and grab the handle. It is surprisingly light compared to what it was before, when I had to heave with all my might with both hands. [Iron Hammer] [Requirement: 2 STR] [Rarity: Common] [Deal 5 + STR (6) damage on hit] Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Okay. This looks decent. 11 damage could kill me in 2 hits. Judging from how Hammer Boi died in a single strike before I Awakened, these things probably have between 5 and 10 health, assuming the blow to the neck dealt critical damage. [HP: 3/20] Time to find more lizardfolk! I wander further into the cave, moving at a quick shuffle, not making any attempt to hide my approach. I want these creatures to come to me, after all! Out of curiosity, I loop my shopping bag around my shoulder and grab the hammer with both hands. The item damage now reads: [Deals 5 + STR (9) damage on hit] Interesting. So two-handing a weapon increases your strength by 50%. With my [Berserk] ability, I could be hitting for 23 damage. I make a mental note of that. It will likely be useful against tougher enemies, but with only 5MP I had to use it sparingly. [HP: 2/20] With my health basically a breath away from death, I turn a corner and finally find 3 more lizardfolk, standing around a small campfire. Two of them hold daggers like the first one I encountered. The third notches an arrow into a bow and pulls back the draw string. You don¡¯t need to be the best gamer to know ranged enemies are a nuisance, especially when your character has a low evasion or agility stat. If it shoots, it will hit. And if it hits, it will kill me. Without wanting to take any chances, I activate [Berserk] and fling the hammer at the ranged lizardfolk. As you might expect, even without the best aim, when the hammer did connect with it¨Chitting it in its left knee¨Cthe leg is obliterated and the creature ragdolls through the air. [HP: 3/20] [MP: 4/5] Taking advantage of the WTF expressions on the two dagger-wielding lizardfolk, I close the distance on the nearest one and bitch slap him hard across the face. On the second slap, its skull fractures and the body falls. [HP: 4/20] The death of its second comrade knocks the final lizardfolk out of its shocked state, and it runs at me, slashing with the dagger. My side screams like a customer threatening to file a complaint with the manager as I throw myself to the side to narrowly avoid death, landing next to the hammer. With the hammer back in my possession, I feign another throw with it. The final Dagger Boi, having seen what happened to its ranged companion, ducks to the side, and I use this moment to bring the hammer down on its spine, splattering the torso into pieces. [HP: 5/20] [MP: 3/5] [Gained 5xp] [Gained 5xp] [Gained 5xp] I let out a relieved sigh and deactivate [Berserk]. [Unable to deactivate ] I try again. Still, the same error window. I panic as my MP slowly drops to 0, and the [Berserk] condition drops off me. It looks like my trump card is only a one-time-use thing. Chapter 5 - Dungeon of the Lizard King V I quickly hobble deeper into the cave, bludgeoning lizardfolk as I go. [HP: 9/20] [XP: 45/50] [Warning: Further strenuous activity may increase Bleed status] What is my plan from here? There are typically 3 ways to leave a dungeon. The first is to find an exit portal. These are often located separately from dungeon entrances, so civilians who end up in a dungeon are usually screwed unless help arrives before the monsters do. The second is with a portal scroll, able to be purchased at the Grand Exchange, a market for Rankers to trade their loot. Speaking of loot, since my priority is set on Not Dying, I mainly left the remains of the corpses alone and continued on. Finally, option 3 requires killing the dungeon boss, typically the most powerful creature in a given dungeon. Based on the name of this dungeon, that would be the Lizard King. My only real option is trying to find an exit portal. Facing down a boss is entirely unreasonable; it typically takes a raid team to do so. The tampon in my side is already completely soaked through, so I quickly replace it for the second time¨Ctampon #1 ended up in the face of a ranger lizardfolk as a distraction¨Cand continue onwards. Another option could be killing another lizardfolk to get the XP needed to level up. In many games, leveling up tends to recover life and mana, and sometimes clear status effects. But I was already bleeding before I Awakened, and leveling up to Level 1 didn¡¯t heal or cure me. Could it just be a Level 1 thing? Maybe the Ranker system is just hardcore¡­? Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I turn the corner and finally find the answer to my question. A blazing blue-and-white portal blazes in front of me, about 100 or so metres on the other side of a room. A very big room. A room so large and spacious, my gamer senses scream BOSS ROOM. One way in. No pillars or crates or rubble to act as cover. Back when I was still in high school, the teachers would force us to participate in 100m sprints as part of our school¡¯s athletics day. I was fitter then, since PhysEd was unfortunately a mandatory subject, not to mention not in pain and bleeding out of two holes, and even then my personal best was in the twenties. In my current condition, it will likely take me upwards of forty seconds to cross the room. Will that be fast enough to escape before the boss shows up? I grit my teeth, hold my side, and run like an old woman late for bingo night. It must be quite the sight to behold: a small, overweight woman with a bag of shopping looped around one arm and holding a big hammer in the other, stumbling in the most awkward sprint ever. I¡¯d laugh if I saw that in a video clip, probably titled ¡°Top 10 Idiots in a Dungeon¡±. Perhaps the boss is too busy laughing too, because I make it halfway across the room before it shows up, dropping down from the ceiling and landing in front of me. I almost trip as the ground trembles under its massive weight. Before me is a fat and towering lizard man, so big I barely make it to his knee. He is dressed in extravagant purple robes with a golden trim. Atop his head is a crown embedded with gemstones. With both of his hands, he carries a gigantic hammer, looking kind of like an anvil and a metal tree fused together. [You are in the presence of ] [Due to strenuous activity, the effect of your Bleed status has increased] [Status: Bleed] [Take 1 damage every 30 seconds] My health ticks down by another point to 8 and Lathokar licks his bare fangs with a tongue as slimy as it is massive. A small thought pops into my head as he widens his stance and raises the hammer: maybe I could win if I only had picked a spellcasting class and kited him. Some inner gamer instinct within me activates, and I dash forwards towards his legs. When fighting big bosses like this, stick to the butt where they have a limited moveset. It may not be the place for optimal DPS, but it often ends up being safe. The hammer smashes the ground where I had just been standing a second or two prior, the stone splintering into many shards, and I run under his bulging belly and between his legs, almost getting clotheslined by the tail. [HP: 7/20] Fighting back a great sense of repulsion, I realise this is not the tail. I grin, and swing my hammer. Chapter 6 - Dungeon of the Lizard King VI There are many things that suck about being a woman, but fortunately ruptured testicles aren¡¯t among them. Perhaps I score a critical hit. Perhaps this is the boss¡¯ weak point. Perhaps I am the most powerful of shut-ins. Either way, striking the scaly sack with my hammer proves tremendously effective. He howls and his legs quiver, before giving out entirely. I barely move out of the way before his ass flattens the ground beneath him. I do not waste this opportunity. This is just like when you break a monster¡¯s poise and you score a free critical hit. Taking the dagger I¡¯d been stabbed with by the very first lizardfolk, I stick it into the second testicle. I swing my hammer back in an arc and down on the blade, driving it through like a nail. I scuttle back as Lathokar, the Lizard King, mightiest of all lizardfolk, falls forward with a gurgle, clutching his bloodied and eviscerated crotch. [HP: 6/20] His head lies beside me, the eyes teary and dazed. The teeth are cracked from clenching too hard. This is likely my only chance. I swing, and my hammer hits his eyeball, covering me in yucky eye goop. He barely even yelps, so I vault over his snout¨Csurprising what 6 STR and some adrenaline can do¨Cand budgeon his other eye into paste. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. [HP: 5/20] At least now, blinded and hopefully slowed by the destroyed balls, I have time to make my escape. I hobble off in the direction of the portal. My side is a lot more bloodied now. The only reason I¡¯m even able to move right now is my extra STR making me strong enough to lift my feet. [Due to strenuous activity, the effect of your Bleed status has increased] [Status: Bleed] [Take 1 damage every 15 seconds] [Due to excessive blood loss, you gain the Shock status effect] [Status: Shock] [You are unable to move for 1 minute] I keel over, landing on my uninjured side. Blood trickles out of the side of my mouth. The hammer I was holding dissipates into particles. [HP: 4/20] Fuck me. I was looking forward to making egg fried rice tonight. I¡¯m going to miss Jake too¡­ actually, are the dead even capable of missing people? At least Jake knows how I wish to be buried¨Cthat one sci-fi show has permanently scarred me. Please don¡¯t cremate me. [HP: 3/20] In the edge of my vision, the Lizard King shifts, uses his hammer to stablise himself like a walking stick. Oh well, I die soon anyway. What difference does it make if I bleed out or get squashed. [HP: 2/20] Just 15 seconds until the Shock wears off. And another 15 until I bleed out. When I die, I would very much like to be reincarnated as a cat in a good household. Eat, sleep, cuddles. In the distance, Lathokar stumbles and he collapses. [You have slain ] [HP: 11/20] Some more system messages show up, but my vision is too blurry to make them out. Everything just turns into blurs and eventually blackness. Chapter 7 - I’m… Not Dead? My bed is warm and snuggly. I pull the cover over my head to block out the sunlight peaking in through the blinds and the annoying noise of vehicle engines. Why did people have to be up at this hour? I move the covers slightly, barely enough to reveal my nose and an eye. The clock on my wall reads 2pm. I stand by my previous comment. Before I can return the 10% of my face to the sanctity of my blanket burrito, a pleasant smell reaches the scent receptors in my nostrils. Egg fried rice. My head emerges a bit further, like a tortoise poking its head from its shell. Hovering in front of me is a glowing blue panel. [You have the Rested status] [Status: Rested] [Passively regenerate 10% of HP and MP per minute] It takes a bit for it to register with me, but I immediately let out a yelp and clutch my side. Nothing. No pain either. I pull up my camisole and examine my side. There¡¯s only a faint jagged scar where the stab wound was. The sound of footsteps come from the kitchen to my right. ¡°Oh hey, you¡¯re awa¨CHANA PULL YOUR TOP BACK DOWN!¡± I squeak and cover myself. It¡¯s not the first time Jake¡¯s seen my tits, but it¡¯s not like I want him too either. Blood rushes all through my face and I suddenly wish I had died back in the dungeon. Jake emerges from the kitchen area, all one-eighty-cm-jacked-af of him. Prior to the dungeons appearing, he was a combat medic in the Australian Defense Force, and he¡¯s maintained his physique for years, with biceps that threaten to burst the sleeves of his shirt and pecs so buff they¡¯re bigger than my chest. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. He rushes at me and wraps me in a hug with his strong arms. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay! You''ve been out for about 16 hours.¡± His voice cracks, and there¡¯s a tremor like he¡¯s holding back from crying. ¡°Do you know how terrified I was finding your body in an alley lying in a pool of blood with a stab wound?! I needed a mid-tier potion just to stabilise you! Were you assaulted?¡± He pulls back, gripping me by the shoulders. Tears run down his cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s it, we¡¯re moving you out of this back alley apartment for good! It being cheap is not worth you getting jumped in an alley! Come live with me. I''m an A-Ranker, so I earn quite a decent amount. I can easily cover our costs.¡± He makes a good point. Even if I rarely leave the apartment and I''m unattractive, a back alley apartment isn''t the safest for a woman. I just like that the rent is cheap and the Internet is decent. Having already known Jake my whole life, it''s not like I''d be rooming with a stranger either. In fact, the only reason we didn''t move in together in the first place was because he was on deployment with the military. Jake sighs and lets go of my shoulders. They are a bit sore from the tightness of his grip. He takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down and looks me in the eye. ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± This is it. Do I tell him I Awakened? I don''t want to deal with this Ranker nonsense. Just let me stay inside already!!!!! Maybe just part of the truth is okay? ¡°Umm¡­ so I needed supplies, so I quickly went to the shop. And then I saw your text on the way home, and kinda wasn''t paying attention, and¡­ well, I ended up in that dungeon you warned me about¨C¡± His eyes went wide. ¡°You WHAT?!¡± ¡°I-I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± I stutter, and turn to avoid his gaze. ¡°It was an accident. I was looking at my phone, listening to music and¨CFUCK! It was scary! This lizard guy ran at me with a knife and stabbed me, soon after I ended up there.¡± My heart hammers, reliving the moment. I thought I was going to die there many times. ¡°Th-this woman showed up,¡± I continue. ¡°I couldn''t see her face, but she had this big hammer. She told me to stay put and she''d kill the boss and g-get me out. I didn''t realise my wound was that bad until I blacked out, and then woke up here.¡± I cringe slightly at the partial lie. I don''t like deceiving my best friend, but sometimes a girl''s gotta do what she''s gotta do to maintain her shut-in lifestyle! ¡°That bitch,¡± he mutters. Huh? Excuse me, that''s me! ¡°She leaves you alone in a dungeon, bleeding out? What if she''d taken longer to find the boss?? Every good Ranker knows to make sure civilians are looked after!¡± Okay, okay, I get his point, but also this is me he''s badmouthing, even if I didn''t tell him it was me?? ¡°M-maybe she was out of potions¡­?¡± I offered. He snorts. ¡°Any Ranker good enough to solo a dungeon would know better than to enter a dungeon without supplies.¡± Jake looks off at a point on the wall, what he tends to do when thinking. ¡°I wonder who she is? If she solo¡¯d a D-Rank dungeon boss, she must be like B-Rank, surely?¡± A ping comes from the kitchen and he jumps up with a smile. ¡°Oh good! The rice is ready!¡± Chapter 8 - Jake is a Good Guy Another invention that was revolutionary for someone as unskilled at cooking as me: the rice cooker. You chuck in some rice and some water, press a button, and presto magicko! Rice! The egg fried rice he made is pretty good. Better than what I could do. Perfect husband material, to be honest. Shame I don''t like him like that. He''d cleaned the apartment while I was unconscious, and my hoodie and leggings are washed and neatly folded on my dresser. Getting someone out of bloody clothes and into clean ones is something he¡¯s used to. At least I know he''s professional about it and wouldn''t oggle. But still, I''m standing around in my apartment in a camisole and my knickers. My face still decides to turn red at the thought. Bad brain, I tell myself. Bad Hana, my brain tells me back. ¡°I''m getting dressed,¡± I yell to Jake in the kitchen. I don''t need a repeat of 10 minutes ago. From my dresser, I grab some black shorts, a bra, and a merch t-shirt of my favourite singer, before locking myself in the bathroom for extra security. On the sink are a couple new packs of the tampons I used part of in the dungeon. What a lad. While getting changed, I finally decide to check out the hovering panel. [You have unread notifications] [Do you wish to read? (Y/N)] I reach out and tap on ¡°Yes¡±, and get hit by a barrage of notifications. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. [ has slain ] [You gain 1,000 XP] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] [XP: 245/1,000] [You have 9 attribute points to allocate] Not really caring about stats because that would be my first and last dungeon, I dump the points into my STR, bringing it up to 15. The notifications keep coming. [You have gained the skill ] [ has leveled up!] [You have obtained ] [ has solo¡¯d ] [You have gained additional rewards] [Rank D -> Rank C] [ is now ranked 10,380th in the Oceania region] My jaw drops. Soloing a boss has that much of an impact on your rank? I didn''t really do much. I''d just lucked out. Still, that hammer looks really interesting. Was that the big anvil tree the Lizard King was using? Curiosity gets the better of me and I open my inventory. [Lizard King¡¯s Great Hammer] [Requirement: 20 STR] [Rarity: Rare] [Deal 2 * STR (15) damage on hit] [(Active) Pound the Great Hammer into the ground to create earth spikes in a 3m radius around you, dealing STR (15) damage. Cooldown: 60s] Woah, that''s pretty neat. Still unusable for me though, unless the two-handed strength boost counted towards the requirements. The skills are great too! [(Passive) Fury of the Small] [Landing the killing blow on a target restores HP equal to twice the size ratio between and target (min: 2)] [(Passive) Blood Frenzy] [Gain a percent bonus to STR equal to ¡¯s percent missing HP] Hmmm. At half of my HP that would boost my STR all the way to 22.5, possibly 23 if the system rounded up. Actually, the system is quite mean. It would likely be a STR of 22. But still, that would leave me with only 10 HP. Maybe I should invest in VIT? Before I could tell myself not to have stupid ideas, there''s a small knock on the bathroom door. ¡°Hana? Food''s ready!¡± Who cares about dungeons? Nothing beats egg fried rice! Chapter 9 - is Highly Effective True to his word, after a day of rest, Jake makes me pack up my apartment and loads it for me into a moving truck. He even paid off the 4 weeks of notice in my contract to the landlord. A-Rankers must seriously be loaded. This is further confirmed once he opens the door to his apartment, a big place on the 5th floor of a skyscraper. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a fancy-ass kitchen (even if I can''t cook, I can appreciate a good kitchen), and a balcony. He hands me a key card. ¡°Use this to get in and out of the apartment. Your room is second on the right, so feel free to set it up. There''s a knob on the wall for underfloor heating, and¡­¡± I''ll be honest. I didn''t hear anything after ¡°underfloor heating¡±. Oh. My. Gosh! How did I not know he lived in a place like this? I mean, I rarely left my apartment, but still! This is a dream place for someone who hates society and the world. Did I mention the underfloor heating? I''m gonna nap on the floor! ¡°Right, take care,¡± he finishes. ¡°I''ve got a raid to attend on the other side of the city. It''s only a C-Rank dungeon, so I should be back this evening. There''s leftover lasagna we can have tonight.¡± He closes the door behind him, leaving me alone in this magnificent abode. Fortunately I only have 4 boxes with me. One for my PC, one for bedding, another one for my clothes, and the final one contained my kitchen utensils and rice cooker. I leave the rice cooker in the kitchen, and take the rest to my new room. Having 15 STR means this is a piece of cake, and I manage to safely transfer and unpack everything without any struggle. Is this what life is like for fit people? I turn the underfloor heater in my room to a cosy 32¡ãC and lie down, the warmth gradually increasing on my back. What bliss. Maybe I should just date this guy? Life here would be great. He cooks great food. My parents would approve, which would be the first thing in my life they''d approve of. But¡­ I don''t know, I just don''t feel it. On the dresser is the photo of the Senior Ball I unpacked. The only photo of me I own. Jake invited me because ¡°even if you hate the idea of people and music, every girl should at least experience a Ball¡±. There he was in a nice maroon suit, next to my scrawny little ass in a black dress that starkly contrasted my ghostly pale skin. He was right, of course. The music taste was awful and there were too many people. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! I¡¯d had my first and only kiss then, and honestly? I still don''t get what the deal is. No fireworks, just two wet skin flaps smooshing against each other. Kinda gross if you ask me. Maybe that''s what dating a guy is like? Is this what women just have to deal with and get used to? I shake my head and smack my cheeks. Enough of this nonsense thinking. I sit up on the floor, and that''s when I realise something. My butt''s cold. Is the underfloor heating on a timer or something? I get up and shuffle over to the knob on the wall. It is off. Even the digital display isn''t showing anything. Nothing happens when I press the light switch either. Does this mean we have a power cut? I walk out into the main living area. It''s oddly silent. You get so used to the hum of the fridge and other appliances that you don''t notice them until they aren''t there. There''s a bit of a commotion going on outside on the landing. Some yelling, some crying, and all being annoying. Looks like the power cut is building-wide. I sigh to myself, put on an oversized black hoodie with cute bunny ears¨Cand an adorable little fluffy bunny tail near my butt¨Cand grab a black facemask. I don''t want to leave, but the least I can do for Jake is get some information. That way he doesn''t have to do everything himself when he gets back from work. Being a shut-in and being lazy aren''t the same. There''s no little beep when I open the front door, just a small creak. The noises seem to be coming from down the hall to the left, back in the common area we passed when Jake showed me around. The door closes behind me, and I hear the unmistakable click of the lock engaging. Shit. I press the key card to the sensor. Naturally, nothing happens. While ¡°lazy¡± may not describe me, ¡°fucking stupid¡± does. The common area is packed. More people come in from the stairwell leading from the floor above, escorted by people in security uniforms. ¡°Aren''t there any Rankers living here?¡± ¡°Why''d a dungeon have to spawn next to my apartment?¡± Well, that explains the kerfuffle. The energy leaked from a dungeon tends to disrupt electricity nearby. The higher rank the dungeon, the stronger the leak and the wider the area of impact. ¡°Mum, can we go back yet?¡± ¡°I''m scared!¡± The noise is hurting my ears. I hate people. Maybe I can just chill by the door until Jake gets back. At least my phone battery is separate from the main electrical system. ¡°You have to help!¡± A woman wails at a man with a dagger at his side. Likely a Ranker. His face is pale and he shifts awkwardly. ¡°My kids got sucked in!¡± ¡°S-sorry, ma¡¯am,¡± he stammers. ¡°I''m just an E-Ranker. I can''t handle a B-Rank dungeon on my own! I-I¡¯ve let the guild I''m with know, and there should be qualified Rankers here in a few hours.¡± My ears prick at that. I despise children. They are the literal worst. They run their bikes into the flower patch you''ve looked after for weeks, just because it''s funny. They scream and make annoying noises, just because they want attention. They break your nose and cut off your long hair with scissors, just because the popular guy took you to the Senior Ball and not them. They bully and torment you, just because you don''t fit in. Fuck children. But still¡­ they are scared and alone in a dungeon, just like I was a few days ago. They won''t survive the few hours it takes for help to arrive. I just want to be alone. Ugh. Sometimes I hate being an adult, because adults have to be responsible. Chapter 10 - The Villainess Wears a Bunny Hoodie First thing''s first. Every good Ranker knows to make sure civilians are looked after. I need supplies. Going back into the apartment to see if Jake has a stash is a no-go. But Rankers have access to something called the Grand Exchange. Perhaps I can buy potions there. With just that thought, a glowing blue panel appears before me. [To access the Grand Exchange, please choose a RankerID] Dammit. I don''t want to be a Ranker, so I tried putting off choosing a name, sort of like if you keep ignoring letters from your doctor to visit, they eventually stop. I like my job as a programmer. It''s remote and I don''t have to deal with people. I don''t want to be some bitch to society''s whims and orders. All humans except Jake are scum. I absolutely won''t be a hero to this society. ¡°Villainess,¡± I mutter, not wanting to draw attention. [Are you sure you want the RankerID ? This cannot be changed] [(Y/N)] The panel changes when I select ¡°Yes¡± to UI resembling an in-game shop. In the top left, next to a bunny icon is my RankerID. In the top right is a search bar, and in the lower 90% of the screen are lists of various items, from daggers to portal scrolls to armour. A portal scroll is probably the top priority, but I scoff at the price. 10,000AUD??? What a joke. The price is likely inflated because guilds like to buy them up for raids. I tap on the search bar and enter ¡°potion¡±. At the top of the screen is a Minor Healing Potion, costing 100AUD. At least this was more bearable. I buy three of them just in case. As I go to exit the market, I notice something else: a Minor Mana Potion for 75AUD. This would be very helpful for maintaining my Berserk skill. The fight against Lathokar would have been a lot simpler had I not wasted it earlier. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I buy two of them and cringe as my bank account is $450 lighter. I was saving money for a new GPU for my PC. Walking back into the common area, the commotion has gotten worse. A few people have latched on to the fact the man is a Ranker, and are screaming at him to do his job. The security guards at the side don''t interfere, instead glaring at him as if their extra workload is his fault. Honestly, humanity can go fuck itself. Fortunately, with everyone¡¯s attention fixed on a man who, for all reason, shouldn¡¯t run into a high-rank dungeon by himself, no one notices the small woman in a bunny hoodie sneak her way around the edges of the room and up the stairs. The next floor up is eerily quiet in comparison, with the only sounds coming from the stairwell behind me. The last time I entered a dungeon, it was purely by accident. How do I find the entrance? I walk along the corridor, scanning the doors. Much like Jake¡¯s apartment, these all have keycard scanners. Maybe these children were snobby rich kids, so them not returning from a dungeon wouldn¡¯t be the worst¡­ right? As it turns out, dungeon entrances aren¡¯t too well hidden. One of the apartment doors is wide open, a golden band of light glowing around the doorframe. I really hadn¡¯t been paying attention where I was walking, huh? No wonder Jake was so mad. I open my inventory. It is rather sparse, with only the iron hammer I¡¯d first picked up (so that¡¯s where it vanished to), 3 Minor Healing Potions, 2 Minor Mana Potions, the great hammer, and¡­ a gift box? I don¡¯t remember picking that up. Is it some sign-up bonus? [Greater Gift Box] [Rarity: ???] [Contains additional rewards from soloing and slaying ] Huh. The notifications did say something about gaining additional rewards. I figured that was my [Fury of the Small] leveling up and getting the great hammer. If the boss drop was already considered a rare item, this had the potential to be even better, right? Or maybe I should sell it and recoup my PC upgrade savings. I eventually decide to open it. PC savings mean jack shit if I don¡¯t survive this dungeon and get the devilspawn¨CI mean, children¨Cto safety. [Opening ] [Contents are being tailored to ] [ has obtained ] [ has obtained ] [Amulet of Retribution] [Rarity: Rare] [Deal 25% extra damage to the last creature type who damaged you] [Current Creature Bonus: Lizardfolk] [Minor Blessing: STR] [Consumable] [Rarity: Rare] [Permanently increase STR by 1] Woah, woah, woah! These items are pretty insane, right? In games, anything that permanently increases stats is great, even if it is by 1. I immediately activate the blessing and hang the amulet around my neck. My stats now look like: [ID: Villainess] [Rank: C (#10,380 OCE)] [Berserker Level 4] [XP: 245/1,000] [HP: 20/20] [MP: 5/5] [STR: 16] [AGI: 0] [ARC: 0] [VIT: 0] [INS: 0] [Status: Rested] [Passively regenerate 10% of HP and MP per minute] [Skills] [(Passive) Fury of the Small] [(Active) Berserk] [(Passive) Blood Frenzy] [Equipped Items] [Lizard King¡¯s Great Hammer] [Amulet of Retribution] Chapter 11 - Orc Stronghold I With my STR attribute at an even number, two-handing the great hammer will now yield the full bonus. I remove it from my inventory and step beyond the boundary, into the dungeon. [You have entered ] [Dungeon Rank: B] Immediately the scenery is different compared to the lizardfolk dungeon. Where that was a cave, here I was in a well-structured room lined with stone bricks. On the walls hang lit torches, illuminating the room I¡¯m standing in. A couple of large human-like bodies lie on the floor, their faces half melted off. Grey brain goop oozes out of the skulls and mixes with the blood to cover the floor. Huddled in the corner of the room, as far from the corpses as possible, is a young woman with 3 little children¨Ctwo boys and a girl, probably between 5 and 8 years old. The pungent smell of soiled underwear reaches my nose and I gag. The woman with the children wears bright pink latex gloves and a brown-ish lab coat. On the floor by her side is a small wooden crate, about the size of a shoe box, filled with glass vials. Some form of medic class, I presume. Judging on the two orc bodies beside them, the children were lucky she was with them. ¡°You lot were quick,¡± she says, pulling a strand of her red hair behind her ear. Her accent is very thickly European, likely German or Swiss or that area. ¡°I¡¯m Kataclysm, a B-Rank Alchemist. I¡¯m only a support class, but I was sucked in here with¨C¡± She pauses and frowns, her green eyes squinting. ¡°Where are the others? Andrew should have contacted the Lightseeker Guild. Where is he?¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. My heart hammers in my chest. Shit. An event even worse than a surprise boss encounter when you¡¯re at 1HP and out of items; conversing with a human. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I shuffle my feet uncomfortably. ¡°Th-the guild is a f-few hours away. Is Andrew the guy¡­ with the dagger? H-he¡¯s¡­ downstairs¡­ dealing with an angry m-mob.¡± She tilts her head in confusion. ¡°A mob? What¡¯s going on? Why did you come here without back-up? This place is dangerous!| I point to the children. ¡°Mob of p-parents. I came be-because the arguing was annoying. I-I-I brought potions.¡± ¡°Sounds like parents alright. I was a teacher before I Awakened, and the parents were often worse than the children.¡± She gestures to the crate beside her. ¡°I¡¯m an Alchemist, the potion-making class.¡± ¡°O-oh¡­¡± There goes $300 I¡¯m not gonna get back. I point to the hallway beyond the room. ¡°Sh-shall we go f-find the¡­ exit portal?¡± Kataclysm glares at me. ¡°Why? You¡¯re by yourself and have even less confidence than Timmy here¡±. She nods her head towards pants-shitter #1, whose eyes are swollen red from crying. I¡­ have no argument for that. She¡¯s completely correct. The wall of golden light behind us crackles and the man from downstairs falls through. Fortunately, his fall was broken by the soft corpses. ¡°Andrew!¡± Kataclysm rushes to the man¡¯s side. ¡°What are you doing here? This dungeon is far too dangerous for you! Are the reinforcements here?¡± He gets up, wiping brain goop off his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Another dungeon broke out in a school, and the Guild is prioritising that. The parents threw me in here when they found out.¡± ¡°Schei?e,¡± the woman mutters under her breath, turning a worried glance back at the children. ¡°I have maybe a day¡¯s worth of supplies at best.¡± Andrew finally notices me. ¡°You¡¯re the girl from the lobby! What are you doing here?¡± I take a deep breath. Come on, Hana. Adults need to sound confident even when they aren¡¯t. Otherwise those barely holding on will fall into hopelessness, like that one dungeon game where when one character reaches a stress threshold, they gain an affliction and often cause the entire party to gain stress levels, cascading out of control, and then you are wiped out. ¡°I-I¡¯m the woman who¡¯s gonna save all your shitty lives.¡± Chapter 12 - Orc Stronghold II Before I can be asked any more completely reasonable questions, I turn and walk out into the hallway. It stretches on until a staircase in the distance. The walls are occasionally interspersed with barred cell doors, the rooms inside looking similar to the one I left. Many of the torches down here are unlit, plunging me into darkness more often than not. My strength isn¡¯t high enough to wield the great hammer in a single hand, so I turn to ask one of the other Rankers if they can carry a torch. They aren¡¯t following me. Typical. I¡¯ll just clear a safe path to an escape portal and backtrack to let them know. This is going to be the last time I¡¯ll help humans. They are just too much hassle. I make it to the bottom of the stairs with no trouble. Standing guard at the top of the stairs are two orcs, bare chested and in hide pants, measuring over 2 metres high and holding axes at their sides. They face the other direction from me, so I manage to sneak further up without being seen. With two hands on my Lizard King¡¯s Great Hammer, I should be able to hit for 44 damage. Hopefully that¡¯s enough to take out an orc? I shift my stance and swing the great hammer at one of the orc¡¯s heads. He falls forward, his axe skittering across the cobblestone floor. Alright! One down, one to¨C No XP message shows up. Instead, the orc stands back up. I guess B-Rank dungeons are no joke. A foot strikes me in the gut, as the second orc takes advantage of my stunned reaction to boot me down the stairs. I tumble down, painfully bashing the side of my head on the corner of a star, stars jumping across my vision. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. [HP: 8/20] [Chosen Creature Type: Lizardfolk -> Orc] [Status: Dazed] [You are slowed by 50% for 10 seconds] My head throbs as I stand back up. The two orcs charge down the steps, and I turn and slowly run back down the corridor. I pull one of the Minor Healing Potions from my inventory and down it in one swig. [HP: 20/20] [You are healed to full HP. All negative status effects have been cleared] Oh, is that how it works with statuses? I make a mental note as I pivot on one foot and use the additional momentum to drive the great hammer into the side of the closest orc¡¯s knee, snapping it with very little effort. I hop back as he crashes at my feet. Okay, striking the joints seems to be far more effective than the skull. The one I initially hit jumps over him, fists raised. I duck under the first punch he swings, but my face goes straight into the uppercut with the other hand, cleanly knocking me down. [HP: 12/20] His foot comes down with a stomp, and I barely roll out of the way before it cracks the ground beside me. Fuck. Did Rank really make that big of a difference? Kataclysm is only a support class, yet she dealt with 2 orcs by herself while also protecting children. I have no other option. I activate [Berserk] and swing with all my might at the orc¡¯s hip. With a disgusting CRACK, the orc buckles as his pelvis shatters and spine dislocates, and he flies across the hall into a wall. [HP: 15/20] [MP: 4/5] [Gained 100xp] I get up off the floor, run to the second orc crawling his way towards me, and bring the great hammer down on his head. Their skulls may be incredibly resilient, but 120 damage is clearly enough to splatter brain and blood everywhere. [HP: 18/20] [MP: 3/5] [Gained 100xp] I don¡¯t give myself time to think or time to loot. I have 15 seconds of Berserk remaining. I push my right foot into the floor, and with the might of 32 STR, launch myself forward, using my left foot at the bottom of the staircase to alter my trajectory up at an angle. [MP: 2/5] High up in the air, almost brushing the ceiling of this tall room, I see reinforcements burst in. I take my great hammer and throw it like a missile at the group of orcs, pulversing one of their torsos. And promptly throw myself into the wall behind me at very painful speeds. I feel my ribs break and pierce me painfully from the inside. [HP: 2/20] [Gained 100xp] [Status: Bleed] [Take 1 damage every minute] Fuck Newton and his stupid 3rd law. Chapter 13 - Orc Stronghold III Before I slide down and die from fall damage, I twist my body so my legs are crouched against the wall, and push off, firing myself at the orcs. With 90% of my hit points gone, thanks to [Blood Frenzy] I should be hitting almost twice as hard as before. I''m at the group in barely a second, grabbing onto the staff of the great hammer. My shoulders scream from the tension as I turn like doing a flip, and slam the weapon¡¯s head into the ground. [(Active) Pound the Great Hammer into the ground to create earth spikes in a 3m radius around you, dealing STR (32) damage. Cooldown: 60s] The orcs around me cry out as spikes explode out of the floor and pierce all through their legs and abdomen with a massive 75 damage damage a piece. [Blood Frenzy] and the Amulet of Retribution are doing some serious work. The orcs impaled by multiple spikes stand no chance, dying almost instantly. [HP: 20/20] [MP: 1/5] [You are healed to full HP. All negative status effects have been cleared] [You have leveled up!] [XP: 145/2,500] [You have 3 attribute points to allocate] The remaining orc scrambles back, his legs mangled beyond recognition. His eyes bulge from the sockets and he whimpers as I approach. [Gained 100xp] [ has deactivated] I run a hand through my hair and giggle. Not the teehee kind of giggle cute girls do, but¨Calright, it''s a cackle. You got me, I''m a mad woman. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Holy shit! Who knew killing could be so fun? After replenishing my MP with a Minor Mana Potion, I allocate my 3 attributes all into STR. Just 1 point off being able to wield the Lizard King¡¯s Great Hammer in one hand. With 245 out of the required 2,500xp needed for Level 6, that means I''d need to kill another 23 orcs to get the required STR. I continue through the door the orc group hand come from into another room, this one empty save for a table with bowls filled with a sort of greenish-grey porridge. No thanks. Unlike Goldilocks, I''m not that desperate for porridge. The hallway beyond this room branches in two directions; left and right. This is a bit of a pickle if I clean up one way looking for the portal, and the others go the other way. Scooping up blood and guts from the remains in the previous room, I smear them in a shape of an arrow on the wall. Hopefully they can figure that one. I then head down the right path, in the direction of the arrow I made. After a few twists and turns, I finally make it to a large wooden door. I push it open a jar and count 10 or so orcs on the other side. Not a boss room, but sadly not an easy one either. I''d lucked out earlier with the reinforcements being tightly packed together, but this room is spacious enough that the orcs are fairly spread out. The great hammer¡¯s active ability would only take out 3 at best. I take a deep breath, a plan formulating in my mind. I would kick the door down, hopefully taking out one orc in the process, then¨C ¡°Excuse me?¡± Behind me are the two other Rankers, linked in a handholding chain with the three children, similar to a kindergarten walking bus. Kataclysm is at one end of the chain, and Andrew is at the other. I put my finger to my lips under the face mask, and convey with my eyes that there are almost a dozen orcs on the other side of the door. Sadly humans have yet to develop telepathy. Kataclysm withdraws a compass from her pocket. ¡°This is a special item of mine. It points to the nearest exist portal, which is down the other way.¡± ¡°B-but¨C,¡± I stop myself. She''s right. Taking Captain Shitpants and his two sidekicks, Pissle Dee and Pissle Dum, to safety is the top priority. It was the whole reason I even came here in the first place. What''s getting into you, Hana? I briefly glance back at the door¨CI''ll be back for your XP, I try to tell it¨Cand head back down the hallway, staying ahead, but following Kataclysm¡¯s instructions. We finally take a left and find ourselves in the portal room, guarded by four orcs. Before the woman has a chance to tell the kids to get back, my hammer has already demolished the kneecaps of the closest guard. With the room containing a dozen-or-so orcs and the boss room still to be done, I really want conserve my [Berserk]. This unfortunately puts me in a position where my Amulet of Retribution, granting me 25% bonus damage to orcs, is my only damage buff. 70 damage on a hit wasn''t necessarily bad, it just wasn''t ¡°obliterate everything¡± standards. I smack the fallen orc hard on the spine, hyperextending his chest with a nasty snap that would make the kids soil themselves if their bowels weren''t already empty. [Gained 100xp] The next two orcs die in a similar fashion, and my great hammer soon fractures the skull of the fourth. I raise my weapon like an executioner, grinning like an idiot under my face mask, and deliver a second blow to his skull, spraying his brains in a 60¡ã cone. [XP: 645/2,500] With the threats gone, Andrew takes the three mentally scarred children through the exit portal, leaving me alone with Kataclysm. Chapter 14 - Orc Stronghold IV She looks at me, her eyes dancing about looking everywhere but my eyes. Her fingers fidgeted about. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry about what I said. You know, before? I honestly expected a C-Ranker like you to die to the first orc you came across, but you really did save us even when our guild abandoned us. Thanks.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I don''t really know how to respond. You''re welcome and bye? Actually, something in her words caught my attention. ¡°C-Rank? Wh-where did you find that?¡± Had I accidentally actually said something? Now way they would have followed me had I said that. She looks at me weirdly. ¡°Support classes are able to see certain information about allies and enemies. It allows us to know who to prioritise with buffs and debuffs. Things like rank, hit points, mana, names... not much of a hero, are you?¡± It scares me that such a skill is so common. Does that mean Jake already knows?? Is that really why he wants me to live with him? So he can keep an eye on me? Had he sussed me out when he found me in the alley? ¡°A-anyway,¡± I say, desperate to end this conversation. ¡°The portal is th-there. See¡­ you.¡± I patiently wait for her to leave. She doesn''t. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Oh, I''m not leaving you here. You think just because you saved us that you''re able to kill the boss on your own?¡± She paces back and forth, her arms adding extra emphasis to the emotion behind her words. ¡°There''s a reason guilds exist and coordinate raids. B-Rank dungeons are¨C¡± I move forward, grab her shoulders and shove her through the portal. Except she twists her body, arms swinging up like a graceful dancer, and I land hard on my back. [HP: 19/20] [Chosen Creature Type: Orc -> Human] That bitch ruined my buff! ¡°You can''t even handle me! A verdamten support! How do you think a boss fight will go, hmm? Du bl?den Idiot!¡± I don¡¯t even realise I¡¯ve activated [Berserk] until my great hammer strikes her in the waist and she seemingly teleports into the wall with an almighty crash. The dust settles, and next to a splintered and bloody section of wall lies the broken and unmoving body of Kataclysm. Shit! I drop my great hammer, the weapon dissolving into particles as I run to her side. Shitshitshitshit. Her body is limp in my arms, ragdolling as I shake her to please just wake up! But nothing. I take out my second Minor Healing Potion, and pour it into her mouth. Nothing. ¡°Pl-please w-wake up,¡± I sob, but unlike in movies, she doesn¡¯t stir. [ has deactivated] How could I let this happen? What was I thinking?! Humans only have 20 hit points. She looks like she¡¯s barely older than me, like she¡¯s in her late twenties. She easily had another 50-60 years, and I took them from her. Just like that. How would Andrew take the news? They were friends, right? Oh gosh, what if I ruined their love story? What if they were married and Timmy was their son? What do I do now, I think, shakily standing up. Do I just leave her here? Maybe I could say we were ambushed just before going through the portal. That would stop me from being thrown into prison, right? I stumble out of the room and throw up. (End) Chapter 15 - Orc Stronghold V I¡¯m a murderer, I think, as my great hammer splatters an orc in two, her guts whipping through the air like a glitched physics object. I deserve to die. An orc head flies past me. It starts with self defense against a lizardfolk, then becomes homicide against a human. Where will it end, I ask myself, looking back at the room I just massacred. [You have leveled up!] [XP: 45/10,000] [You have 3 attribute points to allocate] I lost track of what I was doing a while ago now. The orcs I slew are just a blur. I know I¡¯ve leveled up twice since leaving the woman¡¯s body. At least one thing hasn¡¯t changed. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. [Chosen Creature Type: Human] I drink my last Minor Mana Potion, restoring me to 5 MP, and push open the large set of doors in front of me. The room beyond is an ornate banquet room. The seats are empty and the tables are bare. The only sign of life in this room is the large figure in the seat of honour at the far end of the room. An orc is a full set of heavy armour, fashioned from the scales of a dragon, judging from the massive dragonskull adorning the wall behind him. This is my penance. I¡¯ll try and fail to slay this boss, just like how Kataclysm said I would. I¡¯ll die and spend the rest of eternity wallowing in darkness, like I deserve. I activate [Berserk] for the last time, and launch myself across the room at the boss. The great hammer strikes him square in the chest, but he doesn''t so much as flinch from the impact. [You are in the presence of ] The momentum carries me further and I slam headfirst into the wall. [HP: 16/20] [MP: 3/5] I should have just stepped through the portal like a good girl when she told me I''d be no match for this boss. Then both of us would have made it out of this dungeon alive. Darkness finally consumes me. End. Announcement: End If you somehow made it this far in this nonsense, thanks for reading. --------------------------------------- I got 32 pages into this project and just didn''t feel it anymore. Hana went awol and just went stupid and unfun. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It certainly got further than all my failed 1-2 page projects, so I decided to post the whole thing in one go. Kataclysm didn''t die (hence no XP message). Unlike Hana, she invested points into VIT. She just feigned it and would have left through the portal and spread news of a psycho named Villainess attacking other Rankers, and then there would be a warrant and she''d run away... Hana just became too deranged to deal with. There was even supposed to be a yuri/GL plot with Hana and Kataclysm, but lmao that didn''t work out.