People use the term ‘monster’ quite often in many different cases to describe totally different creatures. It’s become a catch-all term for anything dangerous, grotesque, or simply unknown. But originally, it referred to a very specific anomaly—one so unnatural that no other term would suffice. That anomaly was the crystallization of mana within a living being, forming what we now call a monster core.
This phenomenon occurred rarely, and only during the Wave. Later, it was discovered that the creatures dwelling within dungeons shared the same trait, and so they, too, were classified as monsters.
Yet somewhere along the way, things got muddled. Goblins, trolls, even the orcs—beasts without a trace of crystallized mana—were lumped into the same category. It doesn’t make sense. They don’t have cores. They don’t belong. They’re merely lower-race creatures, primitive and lacking in intelligence. Despite numerous attempts at communication, not even a basic non-aggression pact has ever been established. To most, they’re nothing more than vermin—dangerous, but beneath real concern. Ignore them when possible. Cull them when necessary.
Like what happened to the orcs in that forest recently.
A rustling sound echoes from the tunnel ahead, and my thoughts fade. My [Lumen] spell hovers above, flooding the space with light. And there it is. Another damn Ratroach.
Even after all this time, its appearance still triggers the same visceral disgust. Its name is fitting—its proportions match that of a rat, but everything else is pure insectoid horror. A chitinous body, segmented legs, and those beady, soulless eyes. The pincers twitch, clicking together, as if eager to tear into flesh.
Lloyd warned me that the deeper I descend, the bigger they get. The dog-sized abomination before me is proof enough. And according to him, they only get worse on the lower floors.
Not something I’m particularly looking forward to.
I draw Light from its sheath. A thin line of blue mana flares along the blade’s edge. I’ve been practicing with it more and more, trying to reclaim old skills—ones I haven’t used since the Clan. Fighting like this again feels strange. More cutting and stabbing, less brute force.
The Ratroach notices my movement and reacts instantly, launching itself toward my face with unnatural speed. I sidestep, twisting my body just enough to avoid its lunge. My blade flashes. A clean strike. The monster lands in two pieces—the severed head twitching uselessly on the dungeon floor.
A quick flick of Light cleans its fluids from the blade. No need to let that filth linger.
My gaze shifts to the main body. Amidst the pooling, brownish sludge, something faintly glimmers. The core. A perfectly smooth, crystalline structure, barely visible beneath the viscous mess. The stench is stomach-turning. I wait for the dungeon to absorb the worst of it before retrieving the core, careful to only use the tips of my fingers.
I exhale, slide it into my pouch—nearly full now—and wipe my fingers against the dungeon wall.
DISGUSTING.
These creatures are neither fast nor strong. There’s no need to waste mana shielding myself or casting powerful spells. Instead, I’ve been using them as training dummies—refining my footwork, honing my strikes, minimizing movement. It was useful at first, but I’ve reached the point where I know every attack pattern by heart. The fights have become routine, mechanical.
Frankly, this is starting to feel like a waste of time.
I should turn back. The journey to the surface will take a while.
By a strong suggestion from Lloyd, I didn't travel past the 5th floor, which I’m currently on. He was adamant that I stay on the upper floors for at least a week and get used to the dungeon’s layout and environment before going any further. Though, I’m not sure for how long that’ll hold, as the monsters here are a bit too weak...
He was adamant about that too, that the vast majority of people die here because of inexperience and overconfidence in their skills.
"The dungeon inhabitants see you as an intruder. And they want you dead." Lloyd said in a grave voice.
While I travel back to the surface, navigating through the endless maze of empty dark tunnels using a map that I bought from a merchant, and dispatch appearing Ratroaches I ponder about how my stupid ass ended up here and why...
I snort.
A smith hunting cockroaches in an underground maze of magic tunnels.
There are so many things wrong with that sentence that I don’t even know where to start.
A wet, chittering sound breaks the monotony.
I freeze.
From a tunnel to my left, a writhing swarm pours out—acidgrubs.
Far worse than Ratroaches.
Their cores are nearly worthless, and their bodies secrete a corrosive fluid capable of melting through metal and flesh alike. Even worse, when killed, they explode in a shower of acid. Which means they can only be dealt with from a safe distance.
I don’t have a ranged weapon. Up until now, I’ve been avoiding them entirely.
But an exception can be made.
A quick glance confirms the area is clear—no other monsters lurking in the shadows. I raise my hand toward the swarm. Mana surges through my body, gathering in my palm, moving into a spell matrix. A small, burning sphere of fire forms, growing as I channel more mana into it. A heartbeat later, I released the spell.
[Fireball]
It slams into the stone wall. A full meter away from my target.
I freeze with my jaw dropping.
I quickly checked my surroundings, making sure no one witnessed that embarrassment.
Madness. Ten meters away. And I missed it.
I really have gotten rusty.
I summon another [Fireball]. The grubs skitter away from the scorched wall, but this time, I don’t miss. The explosion sends a burst of flames and acid in all directions, the smell of burning chitin filling the tunnel.
Why the fuck do they have to explode so violently?
Once the scattered remains are absorbed by the floor, I cautiously approach, checking if there are more of them around.
I stop as I come across what is left of the cores.
Just cracked pieces.
Are those even worth anything?
...Unlikely, but I still should collect them.
I continue my ascent, dispatching the occasional Ratroach or stray acidgrub along the way. The pouch at my belt grows heavier with collected cores, though I doubt they’ll fetch much of a price.
The higher I go, the more I encounter others making their way back as well. Slowly, lone wanderers merge into a long, winding column—adventurers in battered dungeon gear, illuminated by the floating glow of [Lumen].
The sight is almost surreal.
Though I was shocked to learn that quite a few can’t use a basic structured spell [Lumen], and have to resort to purchasing expensive enchanted devices as light sources. Yet the most horrifying thing is that some have access to neither and end up battling the monsters in the darkness of the dungeon with fucking torch in one hand and a weapon in the other.
Absolute madness.
I try not to judge. Some people are in desperate financial situations. But I cannot fathom how someone would pay ten gold just to enter the dungeon, yet refuse to spend a few gold coins on an enchanted light source to keep themselves alive.
It’s nonsense.
My thoughts are interrupted as we reach the entrance. The tunnel widens. The dim, oppressive air of the dungeon is replaced with fresh wind from the surface.
People release held breaths. Some break into relieved smiles.
No more monsters. Not here.
The few creatures that do stumble too close are swiftly dealt with by the stationed guards.
For now, we’re safe.
The column slows to a crawl, then grinds to a halt.
Another queue.
A groan escapes me.
Again?
Will I have to queue for death too?
The line moves at a sluggish but steady pace toward the dungeon exit. Before long, the towering stone archway comes into view, guards stationed before it, their armor gleaming faintly under the artificial light. Minutes later, my turn arrives.
Inside, the queue splits into several shorter lines, all leading to a row of tables manned by a large group of guards. I scan the room and immediately recognize one of them.
"Officer Lloyd," I say as I approach.
He glances up and grins. "Oh. Hey, Harv. How was your first solo dive?"
I hesitate before answering. "Okay, I guess?"
Lloyd chuckles. "Hah! I know that feeling. The dark tunnels, the bugs... It gets to you."
"Disgusting," I mutter under my breath as we walk toward a table where an older woman sits, waiting to process my haul.
"Oh, that too." He snorts, shaking his head. "Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Give it a week or two." Then, with a more serious expression, he asks, "Did you stay on the upper floors?"
"Yes. I only went down to the fifth," I reply, unloading the monster cores onto the table.
"Good. After that, the bugs get nasty—and explosive." He gestures for me to raise my arms. "Sorry about the search. Captain’s orders. The damn smugglers with mana disruptors make the ‘search’ spell useless."
I nod, standing still as he pats down my legs, checking for hidden pockets.
"As I told you yesterday," Lloyd continues, "the deeper you go, the bigger the swarms. And trust me, those are real trouble. You need a decent team before—"
He stops mid-sentence as another figure approaches.
"Lieutenant Trudam," Lloyd says, snapping to attention with a crisp salute.
"At ease, Lloyd. And for the last time, drop the lieutenant part," Trudam replies with a tired sigh.
So the smiling guard from yesterday is a lieutenant.
Should I salute too?
Before I could decide, he turned to me. "Hey there."
"Greetings, Lieutenant," I replied.
He groans. "Not you too. Just Trudam is fine."
"So," he continues, "how was your day?"
I hesitate. "Okayish?"
He chuckles. "Had any trouble with the monsters?"
"No. I stayed on the upper floors, as instructed."
"Good. Good. I know it’s dull, but the first few days are the most dangerous. You have no idea how many rookies died this week alone. Better safe than dead."
His eyes lock onto mine, his expression unwavering. There’s conviction there, but also something else—something heavier.
I nod. "I understand."
"27 Ratroaches and 9 Acidgrubs," the woman behind the table interjects, finally done counting my haul.
Lieutenant whistles. "That’s quite impressive."
The woman scribbles something down, then looks up at me. "Tax or Paper?"
"Paper," I reply.
Two choices. Pay the tax now and take the cores home, or exchange them for a receipt that can be cashed at the Adventurer’s Guild later. The first option is better if you’re lucky enough to find a high-quality core—sell it yourself and make a bigger profit. But that takes time, connections, and sometimes extra coin to secure a good deal.
The second option is more convenient. The Guild handles everything, and if there’s a monster extermination quest active, you might get an extra reward. Plus, it contributes to your rank advancement—something the first method doesn’t.
Everyone’s trying to get a piece of your pie...
The woman finishes writing and slides the paper toward me. "Check and sign here."
I scan the document, verifying that the numbers are correct before adding my signature. She nods, stamps the paper, and hands it over.
So much goddamn bureaucracy...
"Good luck, Harv," Lieutenant says with a smile. "And remember, stay on the upper floors for at least a week."
"Same to you too... ah... um... Sir."
Why the hell did I say that?
Lieutenant raises an eyebrow but only chuckles as I turn and walk away.
I don’t exhale until I’m outside the building. Only then do I grimace.
That was somehow more embarrassing than my [Fireball] fiasco. Forgetting names is normal for me, and usually, I don’t care. But this time... it’s different.
He remembered mine.
I even heard Lloyd say his name twice just minutes ago, and yet—gone. Right when I needed it.
Frustrated, I replay the interaction in my head, my grimace deepening.
They were friendly. Too friendly?
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No. Genuinely nice, even.
Damn.
This city has made me paranoid. I keep expecting an underhanded twist, some hidden motive lurking behind every conversation. I’ve become cautious—too cautious.
Was I rude? Impolite?
I sigh. Maybe I should actually try a little harder with these people.
After all...
I’m not some evil-looking asshole.
...
"Youuuu heeear me?" the drunk smith says after taking another swig from the bottle.
"Yes." I say while looking Mike straight in the eyes.
"Youu kidz kno n’thing." he continues.
"Yes." I repeat while nodding for who knows which time.
"In my days... my... days..." Mike says much slower and quieter until the bottle drops on the floor spilling its content as snores fill the room. The drunk sits on the small chair while leaning against the table, whilst the smell of alcohol fills the small smithy.
I can’t even continue working on my projects, because as soon as I start, the noise fills this small smithy and he wakes up to continue his drunken rant. This already happened two times.
This is getting way out of hand.
Getting absolutely smashed once a week I can somehow tolerate, but doing that every day is a different story. And it seems these episodes are only getting worse. It wasn’t like that when I met him, and that was just a week ago. This smithy didn’t have that many customers, to begin with, but now there are even fewer. How does he even pay for the booze?
Oh. Right.
There is a stable source of income. Me. A few silver coins isn’t that much, but it should be enough for several bottles of booze at least.
Am I responsible for his state? Can I somehow be blamed?
I turn to the drunk. An unpleasant feeling creeps over me. This whole situation won’t get better. Something must be done.
Mike is a very good smith. He has the skills, experience, and knowledge. I never asked what Rank he is, but it can’t be a low one. Even in a half-drunk state, his movements are precise. I look around the small smithy and start questioning how a person like him ended up in this hole. I bet that Mike can make stuff that’s much better than anything those fancy smith shops on the central street have to offer, the ones with huge glass doors and sky-high prices.
He’s not a bad person. He just has a problem.
But it’s not my problem...
Maybe I could also find another smith somewhere who can-
Ha.
Who am I kidding? I searched the city for decent smiths, and their prices were at least ten or even twenty times higher.
I turn back to the snoring drunk and start thinking about what can be done with the mess sitting on the chair.
...
While I walk in the direction of the dungeon entrance, the adventurers in the long queue continue to give me the same glares I’ve been seeing the past several days. I do my best to ignore them.
It’s not like I wanted to join the army in the first place! I just happen to be born with a slightly larger mana pool, that’s all! It wasn’t my decision to have the accursed army bracelet attached to my wrist... And who knows when I can take it off.
But none of them care about that. There is no point in even trying to explain things from my point of view. They don’t care about my problems, they care about theirs, and the fact that I pay less tax for the same work.
This whole time I’ve had to deal with the nasty parts of such status, well now I’ll try to enjoy the good parts too.
"Greetings Lieutenant Trudam, Officer Llyod." I say with a nod.
It’s already been a week since our first meeting, and now I can easily recall their names.
Fuck you brain. How can I effortlessly remember the weak points and names of hundreds of different monsters, the contents of books I read months ago, lessons that I was taught years ago, and the dates of events that occurred on the other side of the world, but not the names and the faces of people I interact with daily. How? Why?
"Hey Harv." they say at the same time raising their hands in greeting. "Finally going lower?"
"Yes, but only till the 9th floor." I say.
"Good. Good. The swarms get much bigger from that point on. Oh, also be careful with the Boomroaches, they can jump and explode, hence the name." says the Lieutenant with a raised finger pointing at me.
"I will." I reply with a nod.
A minute later the long, slow descent into the dungeon begins.
There’s an elevator present that many experienced adventurers use to get to the 10th and 20th floor. Lloyd explained that the fee for such service is not small, but compared to the time and effort it takes to reach the floor on your own, the price is worth it.
He also said that the lowest floor ever reached was 32nd, by a huge team of skilled adventurers from the capital.
Thirty-two floors full of monsters that grow in strength and numbers the further you go.
Why would anyone want to do that?
I’m pretty sure that without an elevator it wouldn’t even be possible to reach that deep.
Not like I’m planning to.
...
After some time and quite a few dispatched bugs, I finally reached the area which leads to the sixth floor.
In general, the floors are horizontally flat and only the tunnels which connect the floors have a sharp slope, like the one I’m currently in.
As with all the other areas in the dungeon, this place is lacking any markers and unique identifiers, and if not for the map in my hands, even reaching any of the previous floors would be a... staggering achievement. I mean it’s all just stupid dark tunnels and intersections with the same absolutely dull appearance and general layout. You can’t even tell on which exact floor you’re on by just-
Suddenly an absolutely horrifying thought pops ups in my mind and my grip tightens around the map.
How would one even navigate back to the surface if their map was damaged or lost?
Shit.
Maybe I should buy a backup map and keep it somewhere close. Just in case...
After swallowing down the lump in my throat I resume the walk. Less than a minute later the tunnel leading to the 6th floor ends, opening up to the same type of dull-
Wait.
Are the corridors narrower? I stretch my hands out to take a measure of it. Huh? Wait. It’s not that much different compared to the fifth and yet... in comparison to the first it, they are different. Were the floors narrowing down and I just didn’t notice it? Is it the darkness? An illusion? Or some play of ambient mana?
I put my hand on the wall and push against the slightly damp soil. Not an illusion. The same action is repeated with the wall on the opposite side. I then send out a [Echo Pulse] and grimace as it dissipates at a much shorter distance than it did on the upper floors. I push the [Lumen] spell hovering over my head further away and the mana expenditure sharply increases and my control over it starts to waver forcing me to move it back to its original location.
Okay. I think I understand now why Llyod and Trudam kept insisting that I don’t progress further for a whole week...
Mana skills don't work that well in the dungeon because of the interference from the mana veins and the dungeon core itself. That's common knowledge and it applies to both spells and especially sensory abilities. But the effect seems to be growing stronger the deeper you go. Much stronger Why did no one mention it? Wait. If the effect grows in strength, does that mean that at some point on the lower floors casting spells becomes impossible?
Okay. Let’s not think about it. It doesn’t matter. Once again, I ain’t going to delve so deep. Especially not alone. And even if the environment's effect hinders the usage of some of my skills it's still not to such a degree as to impede me from exploring further.
But I should monitor the effect closely, just in case.
Okay.
Let’s see what this floor has to offer.
Exploration of the 6th floor starts quite slowly at first as even though I’m much more skilled than the average person who explores these floors, it’s still better to be cautious. This proves to be a valid concern as minutes pass and I haven’t encountered a single bug yet. Only my footsteps quietly echo as I move deeper into the floor following the map in my hands.
That’s strange. Why are there less monsters? It was supposed to be the opposite...
Several minutes later I approach the first intersection and the silence is broken by the sound of skittering.
Finally!
[Force Aegis]
I carefully fold the map and put it back into my internal pocket after which I move closer while pushing mana into Light. Something comes into view and I stop sharply noticing what it is.
There are two ratroaches right in the middle of the intersection. The problem is, that, unlike the ones I met on the upper floors, which were at most the size of a large dog and weren’t a threat, the bear-sized bugs before me are a different story.
Why did the size change so much?
Hm.
I would prefer to test the waters with a single one before having to deal with two at the same time. And there could be even more in there, hidden in other corridors...
It’s better if they come to me than the other way around. Having to deal with attacks from only a single direction seems smarter than jumping right into it where monsters could come from all sides.
But how would I even attract the attention of one and not the other? If I stomp or produce sound the effect will be radial...
Frowning, I move the [Lumen] over my head side to side.
They can’t be totally blind and mana movement should be easier for them to notice. And yet none of that seems to have an effect. Should I move it closer to them? No. It’s too far, the mana interference will unravel the spell matrix at such distance.
While I try to come up with another method the duo turns in my direction and start moving as their antennae wiggle around. I take slow steps away while holding Light at the ready while both of their pincers flex aggressively. The width of the tunnel is barely enough for the two roaches to fit at the same time, yet neither of them moves in front of the other.
Shit.
It would be so much easier to deal with them if one blocked the other's path...
And so I continue walking in reverse trying to bait one of them while they follow me, slowly gaining speed.
Not good.
This could get ugly if both of them attack at the same time. I pushed more into [Mana Aegist] and Light, which started shining brighter.
They are closer than before.
I decide to bait them with [Lumen] again, pushing it further away from me, hovering in front of one of them, yet neither seems to notice it, as if it’s not there.
Are they blind?... Then why do they even have eyes in the first place?
Finally one of them pounces and I leap away with Light in my hands performing a sharp uppercut. Its ugly head splits vertically into two halves as the body slumps down lifelessly to the dungeon floor. The second attempted to crawl over it only to slump down as Light moved horizontally this time.
Several long seconds passed before their bodies start slowly turning into sludge and getting absorbed by the floor. Less than a minute later only two monster cores are left on the ground, which are slightly bigger than the ones I’ve gathered from the higher floors. I pick them up but continue to frown in confusion.
That was easier than expected. Are their large bodies just for show?
Am I just too cautious and paranoid?
I slowly moved back to the intersection and another Ratroach there. A lone one standing right in the middle of the intersection. One which doesn’t seem to notice me, with its back towards me. My eyes carefully study the other paths... but they seem empty.
Hm.
This seems excessive.
Maybe they’re just slightly larger versions...
I didn't encounter any issues with these types of monsters before, and it’s only a single floor lower than usual. Maybe Lloyd and Trudam are just overreacting. I’m not your average unskilled newbie. And lone one shouldn’t be able to harm me. Quite the opposite. I could use this opportunity to polish my skills, the same way I did with the orcs in the forest. I learned and improved a lot that day...
Hm.
The shine of blue mana around Light nearly disappears, leaving only a thin line around the weapon’s edge.
But let’s leave the [Force Aegis] in place, just in case.
I stomped my leg and the thud resounded loudly across the tunnel.
The bug starts turning around. Its antennas wiggle disgustingly while its pincers start salivating.
Okay. It reacted to sound.
I should use this opportunity to check if the larger version has some new-
Suddenly something crashes into me from above and the air is driven out of me as I impact the floor. Light stuck between me and the new weight. Pincers move to my neck but at the very last moment, I place my left hand in its path. They clench shut around my wrist covered in [Force Aegis] and a tremendous amount of mana drains instantly. I attempt to move but it’s useless, its weight pinning me to the ground. Something else snaps around my foot.
No.
Terror.
The smell of burnt flesh.
Image of empty eye sockets.
With a scream, my mana erupts in an explosion of force which throws the foe off.
I rise.
Light in my hand blazing with mana illuminates the whole intersection.
I leap at the closest one and Light splits its whole body.
I move again and thrust my sword through the other creature with my mana ripping a giant hole through its head.
It falls to the floor lifelessly.
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
Shit.
[Echo Pulse]
Nothing.
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
[Echo Pulse]
Nothing.
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
[Echo Pulse]
Again nothing.
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
They’re dead. No more enemies around. Dead. I‘m alive. I just overacted... Panicked.
Panicked.
I notice my right hand shaking slightly. A burst of mana into my right limb causes a spike of sharp pain but also stops the tremor.
I’m okay.
I’m fine.
Alive.
Not dead.
Goddamn it.
Is this fate trying to teach me a lesson? ‘Not your average unskilled newbie’ my ass. Failed to do the most basic step. Always check the ceiling! Fucking moron!
I look down at myself.
Covered in dirt... Like a kid.
Acted like a kid.
That image... and smell... they hadn’t appeared for quite some time.
God fucking damn it.
A few minutes later I feel calmer and in control of myself, and maybe a little bit cleaner.
After gathering the two more cores and scowling throughout, I resumed the dive.
There is no way I’m stopping. This was nothing, nothing at all. I’m fine. Everything’s okay. This was a lesson, right, A LESSON. A very good lesson. And now I’ve learned it. I’m better for it.
The fact that I kept the [Force Aegis] up and running the whole time quite literally may have saved my life.
There will not be a repeat of this again.
I need to continue.
This can’t be the last thing I do today.
I won’t run away.
No way a few bugs will stop me!
...
Me and my big fucking mouth...
"Gooooood roachies." I say sweetly, half whispering, while slowly moving away. "Stay right there... and don’t... go boom... boom..."
Several small red-ish bugs about five meters away from me in the middle of the corridor intersection, each barely the size of a house cat, silently staring at me with their long antennas moving back and forth.
"I’m... no one dangerous..." I continue with the same disgustingly squeaky voice.
These little shits are much more dangerous than the big ratroaches. I was cautioned about them, but as always it fell on deaf ears. These little shits can JUMP and oh boy do they fly far and fast.
I notice movement behind me. Slightly turning my head I find several more of these little shits skittering in my direction. I make yet another mistake by sending a [Echo Pulse] to map the area and all the enemies around me. The bugs noticed that. That’s the signal they needed. High-pitched screeching fills the corridor as they all leap into the air moments later.
I pour a torrent of mana into the [Force Aegis].
Impact. Instant detonation.
Followed by more impacts and a chain of explosions from the other bugs all around me.
Narrow tunnel shuddered and a blazing red inferno consumed everything around me.
Long seconds pass as the fire disappears leaving behind nasty smoke.
I start coughing.
The smell of burnt flesh.
Image of the empty eye-. NO. NO!!!
I send a burst of mana throughout my body and pain returns me to reality.
I’m okay.
*Breathe in*
*Cough*
*Cough*
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
Everything’s okay.
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
A dozen more seconds pass until smoke is sucked into the walls of the dungeon and I find myself alone next to the empty corridor intersection. And no mana cores in sight...
FUCKING USELESS WASTE OF MANA!!!
ONCE AGAIN A HUGE CHUNK OF MANA WAS WASTED ON NOTHING MORE THAN AN EXPLOSION AND COUGHING SMOKE!
How are you even supposed to kill them!?
They sense mana from far distances.
And explode upon a slight touch.
HOW???
WHAT???
WHY???
While I fume in anger, the sound of skittering reaches my ears once again. Goosebumps travel down my back. The explosion attracted more of them, while I was standing around like an idiot. I slowly turn in the direction of the sound and find an approaching trio of large ratroaches, followed by yet another set of boomroaches.
Me and my FUCKING mouth!
The big ones clack their pincers menacingly while the small ones zero in on my position with their antennas and prepare for the leap.
Life moves in a quick series of images.
[Echo Pulse]
Impact on the shield.
Explosion.
I leap back.
A Ratroach appears in front of me.
Its head is split by Light in my right hand.
Another impact.
Explosion.
Massive impact.
Pincers around my left leg.
Light is plunged through the ugly head of the new ratroach.
The smoke clears slightly.
[Echo Pulse]
Last ratroach.
It prepares for a jump.
Mana is sent to my limbs.
It screeches and leaps.
I push more mana into Light.
The monster is split vertically.
A burst of fluids splashes against me.
[Echo Pulse]
Nothing around.
I clean away the sludge from my face.
*Breathe in*
[Echo Pulse]
*Breathe out*
Nothing.
*Cough*
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
*Breathe in*
*Breathe out*
[Echo Pulse]
Nothing.
Silence.
No more enemies.
Barely a third of my mana is left.
I start breathing deeper with closed eyes and distributing whatever mana is left evenly throughout my body. A few seconds later a shaky balance is established and my eyes open. Only for cold dread to start crawling up my back.
I need to get out.
A series of screeches echo from somewhere deeper in.
More have been attracted by the sound.
This is dangerous. TOO DANGEROUS. I’m alone, and there is no help coming for sure.
I ignore the few broken monster cores lying on the floor and start running. I’m on the 8th floor, and the elevator is very close on the tenth, but that’s directly through the area where the monsters have been coming from. The alternative is a long and rough ascent through eight floors full of monsters, though this kind of non-stop barrage of attacks never happened on the upper floors.
I don’t have much of a choice. Pushing through is just too dangerous. A long and safe ascent it is then.
My legs made the decision even before I came to the same conclusion. The map is in one of the internal pockets, but there’s neither the time nor the need to take it out and check.
A third of my mana pool should be enough, I must make it enough.
I pass another corridor intersection but continue straight ahead. Left on the next one. Alarmingly the amount of noise and hisses throughout the area has only increased. That’s not good, not good at-
There it is! Turn left here.
I turn and find myself face to face with a small group of Boomroaches. All of their heads turn in my direction in unison. I pull out mana into an unstructured globe of energy, rupture it into fragments and hurl them at the group as I leap back behind the corner.
Explosions.
More mana lost.
*Cough*
A screech resounds behind me and I leap back into the smoke which I just escaped from as something passes just a few centimeters away from me.
[Echo Pulse]
Impact and explosion rock me, draining even more mana.
I grit my teeth and push more mana into my legs, moving around the dead monster bodies which still have not been absorbed and leaping out of the dark smoke.
Faster.
I need to get out of here.
FASTER.
More mana, more speed.
Dark and empty corridors pass by as the [Lumen] spell moves further in front of me breaking through the darkness.
More and more screeches resound in the darkness behind.
A right turn on the next intersection.
Which should be visible any second.
Come on.
Where are you?
Where?
There!
Suddenly a group of people cuts me off from the left corridor and I barely stop myself from barreling through them as I nearly lose balance.
"RUN!" one of them screams.
I make a mistake and turn my head in the direction where the group appeared from and find several dozen massive ratroaches appearing out of the darkness. Mana is instantly sent to my legs and I start running for my life trailing right at the heels of the group.
The sound of screeches increases in volume behind me, but I don’t make another mistake of turning around and checking.
Run.
RUN!
My muscles scream in pain as I reach the limits of speed what a human with two swords and in armor can reach. The group in front of me somehow manages to keep up with such a pace too.
"Move aside!" shouts one of them while turning around.
I squeeze closer to the sidewall.
A shower of ice chunks passes by me and a moment later a series of explosions rock the corridor. I overtake the group, the members of which slowed down to look behind. A few moments later I followed their example.
Did the ice spell hit the boomroaches?
How were they able to pinpoint them in this darkness?
Slowly the dark smoke which is blocking the view starts disappearing only for several massive ratroaches to burst out.
My legs start moving before anyone can say anything.
FUCK THESE BUGS!
FUCK THIS DUNGEON!
AND FUCK THESE FUCKING EXPLOSIONS!
NO WAY I’M RETURNING HERE EVER AGAIN!
