What is the first thing to do when stranded in a strange, large forest?
Find a water source.
Aomori was still human and had the same need for water. After "amicably inquiring" with a few nearby Pokémon, he arrived at a small stream.
At this moment, the Caterpie in his hand opened its adorable, wide eyes again.
But upon seeing the sight before it, the Caterpie wished it hadn't woken up.
The air was thick and dark, filled with swarms of massive yellow hornets.
They were Beedrill, one of the three major threats in the forest. They were numerous and powerful, intensely protective of their own, held grudges fiercely, and had an extreme sense of territory. To provoke them meant a relentless pursuit to the death—no Pokémon dared to easily cross them.
"It's over, it's over. Is my bug life going to end here? It's all the big villain's fault! He can't escape this, either..." Caterpie glanced out of the corner of its eye at the "big villain," only to see his mouth curling up. "He's smiling? He must have gone crazy from the fear..."
Feeling its body lighten, Caterpie was thrown onto the grass, meeting the teary-eyed gaze of a nearby Weedle.
"Well, found the source. Truly well-deserved."
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
The Beedrill, seeing the human before them completely unresponsive, felt provoked. They brandished their thick twin stingers and swooped down toward him.
Fury Attack!
Dozens of Beedrill attacked in unison. Caterpie lowered its head, unable to bear the gruesome sight that was surely coming.
Dong! Dong dong dong dong...
"Huh? Why are there so many thudding sounds?" Caterpie raised its head in astonishment, realizing that the ones hitting the ground were not the big villain, but the seemingly guaranteed-to-win Beedrill. "How is this possible?!"
Aomori held his hands in a crane stance, his arms moving like flowing water. Each strike accurately hit the Beedrill's fragile head. Under the augmentation of Thunder Breathing, every blow was strong enough to shatter rock. Most Beedrill couldn't withstand it and dropped to the ground as cleanly as falling dumplings. Soon, only a few larger-sized Beedrill were still flying.
Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist is an advanced fighting style. It can flow like water, seamlessly protecting the entire body, and also penetrate like water, attacking the enemy's vital points. It is a highly skilled combination of offense and defense. Even though Aomori was a beginner, dealing with Beedrill was simple.
"Are you still going to dance?" Aomori sneered.
A volley of thin needles was Aomori's answer. Pin Missile!
A large pillar suddenly shot up from the ground, blocking the needles.
It was the 13 Totem Pole!
Aomori moved around the pillar, smashing down the Beedrill one by one. The remaining active Beedrill, sensing the danger, buzzed and flew back into the dense woods.
Aomori paid them no mind, carefully reviewing his experience using the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. He felt he had learned a great deal, and his skill proficiency had increased significantly. It was clear that practice alone was insufficient; he needed real combat.
"The Pokémon here are truly hospitable. Not only do they bring EXP, but they also serve as sparring partners. The next batch must be arriving soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, Aomori heard a pleasant, loud buzzing. The fleeing Beedrill had brought back ten times more experience packages, overwhelming the sky.
Aomori smiled and crooked his finger toward the Beedrill. "Come on. Let's fight a billion more rounds!"
Fast-forward to dusk. The restraints on Caterpie were somehow removed, but it didn't flee. Instead, it watched Aomori send off wave after wave of Beedrill. Its expression evolved from initial surprise to horror, then from horror to numbness, and finally, it ascended to awe.
"He's so strong. I want to be that strong too. If I follow him, I can definitely do it." Caterpie's gaze gradually became resolute.
(｡･｀ω´･｡)
The battle between Aomori and the Beedrill had lasted for several hours. All the Beedrill in the area were drawn into the fight, charging forward wave after wave like a raging torrent that surrounded Aomori. Yet, Aomori stood firm like a reef, constantly battered but never broken.
With so many Beedrill, getting injured was inevitable. Whenever his injuries accumulated enough to hinder his movements, a holy light would descend, giving him strength.
The prolonged fighting had left Aomori physically and spiritually drained, but he clung to his last breath. His trembling hands still firmly struck the vital points of the Beedrill before him, one punch, one Beedrill.
Towards the end, Aomori was no longer limited to his hands. His knees, ankles, and head all became weapons. His attacks were relentless until there was nothing left to obstruct his vision.
Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz...
The Beedrill, having been brutalized all day, had lost all their sharp edge and fled back to their territory in disarray.
Once the last Beedrill was out of sight, Aomori sighed in relief and collapsed onto the ground. After resting for a few seconds, he stood up, staggered to the stream, and lay down, plunging his head into the water and gulping down several mouthfuls.
The clear, sweet stream water flowed down his throat, quenching his thirst. Aomori lifted his head from the stream, combed his wet hair with his hand, pulled a Delicious Rice Ball from the System, and swallowed it whole. Only then did he feel a bit of vitality return. He then used his remaining mental energy to cast a single Lesser Healing Spell. The minor injuries and fatigue instantly disappeared by more than half.
Opening the System Log, it was filled with dense System prompts that Aomori had blocked during the fight. He skipped past most of the Beedrill defeat messages and picked out a few pieces of distinct information.
First, his level had risen to Level 7. Gaining two levels on the first day in the Dungeon felt like riding a rocket compared to the three months it took him to reach Level 5 before.
The legend of Pikachu starting at max level was an exaggeration, but after defeating so many Pidgey, it had to be at least Level 30.
Compared to that, Aomori was still quite normal. "Got it. Next time, I'll find Pidgey to farm EXP."
Next was the soaring Points total: 15,071!
Each Beedrill provided 10 to 30 Points, and the sheer quantity added up quickly.
In the One-Punch Man world, he was lucky to encounter a Monster once every few days. By comparison, the Dungeon world was paradise!
Then, his Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist had advanced to Level 3. Since skill level merely quantified Aomori's mastery and could not be leveled up by monster slaying like character EXP, this clearly demonstrated the immense gains of this battle.
Finally, there was a new System notification he hadn't seen before:
Ding!
[Congratulations to Player Aomori for defeating Beedrill, obtaining Dropped Treasure Chest 1.]
There were 12 such notifications, meaning Aomori had received 12 Dropped Treasure Chests in total.
Fighting monsters actually drops Treasure Chests? However, the probability was truly low, only 12 drops from nearly a thousand Beedrill.
Aomori found the Dropped Treasure Chests in his System Backpack. Without delay, he opened all of them.
Ding!
[Congratulations to Player Aomori for opening Dropped Treasure Chest x12, obtaining 300 Points, Free Attribute Point x3, Treasure Map Fragment x1, Beedrill Stinger x5.]
Treasure Map Fragment?
Aomori clicked on it and saw that it required 9 fragments to synthesize a complete Treasure Map, which would indicate a location with "great treasure."
As for the Beedrill Stingers, the System prompted that they were a common material and not valuable.
Aomori allocated the 3 extra Free Attribute Points to his Energy, making his main attributes: [Constitution 45 (25), Energy 20, Spirit 20].
He then checked his quest progress: [Grass-type (4/10), Bug-type (50/50), Flying-type (1/10)]. The quest to defeat Bug-types was successfully completed. Next, he needed to seek the help of Grass and Flying-type Pokémon.
By the time everything was organized, night had fallen. Aomori simply built a fire on the spot, leaned against a slightly larger rock, pulled out the orange booklet (Icha Icha Paradise), and began reading intently.
Not far away, the newly freed Caterpie lay in the grass, quietly observing Aomori. It wanted to approach but was still a little afraid, eventually falling asleep amidst its internal struggle.
In its dream, it was successfully captured by Aomori, followed him to defeat one strong enemy after another, and finally, amidst cheers and praise, it evolved into an elegant, bright green dragon soaring through the sky.
Just as it was enjoying its effortless flight, a sudden feeling of falling woke it up.
"It was just a dream."
Caterpie immediately raised its head to look for Aomori. It finally let out a sigh of relief when it saw the familiar figure doing push-ups on the ground.
Remembering the scene in its dream, the determined Caterpie began crawling toward Aomori.
It was now the morning of Aomori's second day in the Dungeon. He had slept for only two hours before resuming his morning exercises.
Finishing his workout, Aomori suddenly looked down. A Caterpie had arrived at his feet, staring at him with bright, earnest eyes.
(｡･｀ω´･｡)
"It's you," Aomori recognized the Caterpie from the faint scars on its back. He looked up at the sky and murmured, "The time should have reset."
He promptly dropped his hand, and his fist struck the ground. The innocent Caterpie spiraled into unconsciousness again: "???"
"Still no prompt? It seems fixed EXP farming won't work."
Aomori stretched his body and walked down along the stream. He was rested enough; it was time to find his next sparring partner.
...
After a long while, Caterpie slowly woke up. It couldn't find Aomori's figure and hung its head in disappointment.
"Was I rejected? Of course. Who would care about a weak little Caterpie?"
Yet, Aomori's heroic image of a lone man challenging a thousand enemies lingered in its mind, impossible to forget.
"No, I must become a strong bug who can stand on its own! Don't look down on a young bug's weakness! Just you wait!"
The determined Caterpie embarked on its path to strength alone. Under the slanting rays of the sun, its small silhouette appeared tall and proud.