"Damn, damn, damn. Of all the reckless things I've said since awakening, accepting this mission might be top three.
Warm blood trails down my arm, dripping onto the dungeon floor with a slow, mocking rhythm. I grin anyway. It Could be worse; I could still be in the slums. At least here, I picked my own death."
"Great," I couldn't help but mutter as I scanned the shadows.
Dozens of piercing red eyes stare back at me. Darkfang Rats, way too many for a rank-F dungeon. Their claws scrape against the stone, their teeth clicking like they're arguing over who gets the first bite.
"I'm starting to think I was set up."
A dry laugh escapes me. "Who am I kidding? Of course I was. Information about an unexplored dungeon that's 'easy to clear' doesn't just fall into your lap."
I push myself upright, using my beginner short sword as a crutch. Pain shoots up my leg, sharp enough to blur my vision. One glance confirms it: a metal-fang rat bit me good.
My wound burns. I can see the skin is darkening. Probably infected.
Fantastic. I can't help but grin at this helpless situation I'm in.
I weigh my three options:
Option one: run and pray I don't collapse.
Option two: stand and fight until the rats choke on me.
Option three: survive long enough to level up… maybe even earn a skill point or two.
Not great odds, but better than anything the slums ever gave me.
I take a deep breath, my blue eyes glowing as I confirm the numbers. Fifteen of them. One of me.
With a grin i shouted, "I like those odds!!!"
One impatient rat screeches and leaps before I even finish my thoughts, fangs out, claws spread, ready to tear into its "free Sunday meal."
I can't even form a proper swordsman stance, so I do the next best thing: I throw my entire body forward. Sword, shoulder, and desperation all move as one.
The blade cuts straight through it is clean, messy, and perfect. All in one.
Warm blood splashes across my face. I can't help but smile.
"There might be hope after…."
I don't even finish the sentence.
The other fourteen rats surge into motion, circling me in frantic motion, their claws scraping the stone as they close in. No chance to repeat that reckless body weight slash. No breath, no pause, just action.
Just me.
And these lil basters.
And the fight truly begins.
The first rat's corpse hasn't even finished dropping before the swarm lunges.
Claws scrape stone. Red eyes blur. My heartbeat slams in my ears.
I barely lift my sword in time.
A second rat darts in low, snapping at my ankle. I kick it away, pain flaring in my injured leg.
Another leap for my throat.
I twist…badly…. and it only grazes my shoulder, but the momentum sends me stumbling backward into the wall.
Stone digs into my spine. My lungs seize.
No room to breathe. No room to think.
A rat springs at my chest.
I swing on instinct.
The blade catches its skull with a sickening crunch
[ +15 EXP ]
The notification flashes across my vision, bright blue and distracting as hell.
"Not now!" I bark, slashing blindly as another jumps from the side.
I miss. It doesn't.
"Damn"
Teeth sink into my forearm.
I scream with raw emotions and, panicked, slam it against the wall until it finally lets go. The creature hits the ground, dazed.
I stomp down on its skull with everything I have.
Its bones crack under my heel.
[ +15 EXP ]
Two more rush me at once.
I swing my sword in a wild arc. Steel meets flesh. One is sliced in half; the other dodges under my guard and rakes its claws across my ribs. Warm blood spills, the pain sharp and blinding, I couldn't help but squint my eyes.
I choke on my own breath. I choke on fear and anger. The surviving rat hisses triumphantly.
Then I drive my blade straight through its mouth, pinning it to the floor.
[ +15 EXP ]
"Three down," I gasp for whatever air I can get. "Twelve left. Perfect. Totally manageable. I can do this all day." (Author: Anyone got the refrance)
The remaining rats circle tighter, their bodies low, their fangs dripping, their tails twitching with excitement.
They smell my exhaustion.
They smell my blood.
Another leap.
Another follows.
Then two more.
I'm swinging, blocking, stumbling, bleeding—my attacks sloppy but desperate. The dungeon echoes with screeches, steel, and my own ragged breathing.
Blue EXP flashes pop in and out of my vision like fireworks:
[ +15 EXP ]
[ +15 EXP ]
[ +15 EXP ]
I can't even tell which kills belong to which swings. I'm fighting on instinct alone, every muscle screaming, every breath uneven.
My leg buckles.
My grip slips.
A rat lunges straight for my neck, and in that split second, everything slows.
A final, thin notification materializes in front of me, shimmering like it knows something I don't:
[ EXP Requirement Met ]
[ Level Up Available ]
My heart stops, my eyes widen, and hope begins to seep into me.
And the next wave crashes into me.
The world shakes.
Not from the rats, but from the glowing blue text burning in front of my eyes.
[ Level Up Available ]
The notification pulses once, twice. On the third pulse, my vision blurs, colors smearing into white.
For a second, I think I'm dying.
Then.....
I'm not in the dungeon anymore.
I'm standing in the all-too-familiar ruins of Vermont City.