I stared wide-eyed at the empty air where the party should be. It took an uncomfortably long time for my mind to snap back at just how quickly they vanished. Oh sure, I'd seen magic tricks that did similar things with small objects, but nothing was like this. There was no curtain to hide behind, no trap door to slip into, not even a ripple in the air to hint that all might not be as it seems. Just empty air where five armed and armored people used to be.
'That's some kind of magical bullshit. If there isn't something right out of the Land of Faerie, I want my money back.'
Focusing on the doorway to the dungeon, I used Analyze.
Dungeon: Oberon's Hunting Ground
The dungeon will scale difficulty with the challenger[s].
*Note: Most dungeons are meant to be taken on by a party of four or more. Though, no dungeon is impossible, regardless of party size or level. There is always a path forward for those willing to pay in blood and sweat.*
I shuddered slightly, and the last line felt different from the system's normal information. It felt like a challenge, as though that great being that brought me back was telling me that this was a way to push myself to the limit and beyond if only I was willing to bleed for it.
Knowing what I did about games, I was betting that the dungeon was not just going to scale off of my race and level but from everything on my charter sheet. I could probably cheat a little by not acknowledging my notifications that even now blinked calmly for my attention. No, if I was going to live up to the challenge I set for myself truly, then I wanted the dungeon to push me as hard as possible, which meant checking my notifications after each encounter.
Congratulations, you've learned, Eaceno. EXP was awarded for learning a language without a trainer.
Tongues level up. +1 to Intelligence
Analyze level up. +1 to Wisdom
I nodded at the gains. With the extra Mana, I could be a little freer with my spell usage. I searched around the trees around me for a branch I could use as a spear. Finding one that was an inch longer than I was tall, standing on my hind legs, I got to work crafting a new spear. I knew I should try to find a sharp stone to make into the tip, but I had no tools or knowledge for knapping. Checking over my crunched spear, it looked slightly sharper than before and came out the length I wanted at my height.
I slid the spear into the snakeskin holder on my back before rushing head-first into Oberon's Hunting Ground.
The forest around me twisted as I stepped through the gate. The trees grew closer together as the underbrush grew thick. The air itself seemed to grow heavy and thick. A new notification popped up without warning.
You have entered Oberon's Hunting Ground. Oberon has started the hunt. Run, hide, or fight. It matters not. The hunt comes for all.
Goal:
Find the exit
Defeat 10 hounds [Optional]
Defeat 5 Huntsmen [Optional]
Defeat 5 Riders [Optional]
Defeat Oberon [Optional]
Defeat all the hunters [Optional]
'There goes my hope of being the hunter.'
Hounds howled in the distance as a signal horn blared. I sighed heavily, happy I was so small. I'm hoping that my size would allow me to take them out one at a time. I went running up a nearby tree only to have a branch swat me away. I shook my head and took a closer look around. The forest had turned into a labyrinth.
Growling softly, I sprinted forward, keeping to the left wall. I focused solely on staying as close to the left wall as possible, ignoring everything else around me. I pushed my Agility for all it was worth. My Stamina rapidly dropped as my body was hard-pressed to keep up with the speed I was capable of. I had to stop my mad dash sooner than I wanted to. Leaving my stamina half of my max, I slowed my speed to a crawl.
Something was off. My ears twitched, listening to the unnaturally quiet of the labyrinth. A rustling came from my right. Trusting my instances, I hopped back as flames built in my maw and aimed at the bush. A snapping, snarling hound burst from the underbrush. Drool foamed from its mouth as its bark-like skin easily fended off the brambles and thorns of the underbrush that was meant to slow it.
My flames spewed forward, washing over and coating the hound. I had to jump back even further as the hound seemed to ignore the flames washing over it. I pumped my mana into my two front paws as the hound swiped its paw at me. I snapped my mouth shut as the fire died away just in time for the hound's paw to slam into my side and bat me into a wall.
Growling, I stayed on all fours as I was forced to hold my spell in place. I rushed at the much larger hound. I had doubled my size in the short while I was on this world, but the hound stood four feet tall at the shoulder, and the parts not covered in bark had grass and moss coating it.
I crouched low before pushing off the ground, hard leaping up into the hound's throat. My claws slashed into its bark, ripping the tough armor-like skin free. A grass rope sprang from the hound's chest, aiming right for me. I pushed myself hard off the hound, twisting my body around and landing against a tree before pushing back off it before a branch could swat me out of the sky.
I flew back at the hound, flames building back in my mouth again. I dug my claws into its bark and scurried around its neck and back. I started to claw at its moss-covered shoulders before infusing my mana into my teeth and bit into its back, and flames poured forward. The fire was focused on the back of the hound, where I clamped my teeth down until they forced their way out to wash over its back, burning away the moss and grass on the hound's back.
I moved to where the moss was and grabbed my spear, ramming it down hard into its back. I used my full weight behind each thrust, hanging on as the hound bucked and shook, attempting to throw me off. A new grass rope reached up from its chest and wrapped around me. It tightened its grip before yanking hard as my claws scratched at the ropes, cutting them particularly. I was flung from the hound's back, leaving my spear in it as I flew into the underbrush.
I had to cut my way out of the underbrush, and by the time I got out, the moss on the hound's chest glowed brightly before flowing out to encase the hound as a whole. When the glow faded away, a lot of the damage I dealt with had been replaced with new green moss.
I growled at the sight of the hound's healing. I pumped my mana back into my maw while dashing forward. I dodged the incoming snap of its jaws by fainting a jump, only to dash left and go under the hound. I kept pouring mana into my spell as the flames shot up, washing over the hound's underbelly. I made sure to coat what I could now tell was the male hound completely in fire by casting the spell twice more while dodging around his attempt to stomp me or crush me under his bulk.
My head throbbed from mana depletion. If it was that bad now, I never wanted to run dry of mana in a fight. The sound of my spear snapping as the hound dropped and rolled around in an attempt to put off the fire its lower half had become helped me push the pain to the back of my mind.
I darted back in and jumped on the hound's face. My claws flashed, tearing into his eye before my teeth chomped down, ripping the wound larger as I forced my way into his eye socket. I felt something come down hard on my poor tail. The pain spurred me on as my hind legs gripped onto the hound's muzzle, stopping it from biting anything important.
The hound's paw came back up, racking across my back, ripping away my snakeskin sling. The claws on my right forelimb punched through its skull and into something soft and squishy as the hound tore me free, ripping part of his brain out with me. Panting heavily, I watched as the hound stumbled and then collapsed, no longer able to support his weight. A blue flashing light caught my attention, and I slumped in relief.
Acrobatics has leveled up. +1 to Dexterity
Congratulations, you have learned pain resistance. EXP has been awarded for learning a skill without a trainer.
Congratulations, you have defeated a level 2 Herba Canis. Increased EXP has been awarded for defeating a higher-tiered opponent.
Goal updated: Defeated 1/10 Hounds [Optional]
Health: 15/60 Stamina: 7/60 Mana: 23/160
'Well, I guess that proves I regain Stamina and Mana in a fight.'
After getting my breathing under control, I sat back on my hind legs and watched as my stamina ticked up point by point. I waited until I had a quarter of my stamina back before going forward and looting the grass hound. More of the ever-shifting lights seemed to enter me than normal. In the time it took me to loot the hound, my health had only gone up two points.
Hoping that the solution to my problem was in my Inventory, I willed it open to take stock of my new loot. The grid popped up in my view.
Flame touched feathers 20
Snake meat 1 lb
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Weasel meat .5 lbs
Weasel pelt 1
Grass Hound Fang 1
Health potion [Low-grade] 2
'Analyze'
Health potion [Low-grade]: Heal 50 points of Health upon consumption. Uses 1 per vial.
I snatched one of the Health potions out of the screen. The one-ounce vial was rather larger than my short frame. It was a glass tube about two inches long; the vial was narrower at the top than the bottom, giving it a teardrop shape. I pressed one of my claws to the top, where I found a scored line. Pressing into the scored line, the top broke off. Instead of falling to the ground, the part, no longer than one of my claws, shattered into the same ever-shifting lights as before. Mentally shrugging, I tilted the vial back down the whole then. Once the last drop of bittersweet red liquid hit my tongue, the vial shattered into shifting lights before fading away.
I felt the torn skin on my back ripple before stretching back into place and healing closed. I gave a full-body shudder, even going so far as to poof my tail out from the unnatural feeling. With my health now topped off and the fight over, I took a good look at my surroundings.
The first thing I noticed was that I was no longer in a hallway but in a room roughly 20ft by 20ft with exits on each end. The second was that there were bushes and trees scattered throughout the room. My front paw smacked hard into my forehead as it became clear what happened. The hound was either waiting silently in this room or was walking around in a patrol, probably stopping at each bush looking for an intruder. I, the ever-focused idiot, failed to notice the hall opening up, and the hound spotted me quickly after that.
It looks like even in this life, I was going to have a problem hyper-focusing. I took a deep breath before letting it out. This room suggested that at least the other hounds would be in similar rooms. With the new information in hand, I waited for my stamina to tick back up to full before heading through the exit to the room and continuing my dungeon run.
I moved slower now, hoping I was right in that the guardians would be stuck in their room. I was regretting that I used a potion by the time I got to the next room. Poking my head into the room, I spotted a hound.
Its back was to me as it stalked forward; still something seemed off about it. Looking beyond the hound, I couldn't see anything else in the room besides trees and shrubs. I backed up slightly I, sat back on my honchos, and rubbed my chin, watching.
The hound made a full trip around the room. I could see the path I could take to sneak past this new hound. Finally, as the hound walked past the entrance to the room, it clicked what was wrong with the hound. It didn't have the same bark-like skin as the last Grass Hound. It looked like a normal dog. It was about two feet tall, so at the shoulder. I moved closer, getting a better look at the hound to confirm my suspicions. After which, I'd check on my mana.
'Analyze.'
Canis level 5
Mana 110/160
I was filled with confidence by the hound before me being a lower tier than the hound I just defeated. I dropped down to all fours and bounced lightly before moving into the room. I made sure to move quietly up behind the hound before using any spells. I pumped the maximum mana into my front claws before racing forward and slashing at the hound's back leg. My claws flashed through the air, easily tearing through the muscles and tendons on its back thigh.
The hound spun around faster than I was expecting. I was barely able to move to get my left arm and half of my chest out of the way before its teeth clamped down hard, forcing the air out of my chest. I was lifted off my feet as you drove my claws into the hound's cheek and jaw, ripping apart anything I could reach. The hound shook its head back and forth, tearing open my flesh. A notification forced itself into my vision, only disheartening after I read it.
You are bleeding. -2 Health per second for the next 5 seconds.
I clamped down on the pain and nausea that pulsed through me with each shack of its head and used it to sharpen my mind. I pumped mana into my mouth, holding it in place as I went limp, hoping to trick the beast into thinking I was dead. Luckily, it worked, and the hound made to toss me up.
I pushed off its lower jaw as it threw me up, adding more speed and height to the toss than the hound was expecting. Twisting in the air, I let my spell finish and poured flames down at the hound. It was fast enough to keep the flame from washing over its face, but its injured back leg gave out, causing the flames to splash against its left side.
I landed hard, sending another wave of pain threw me. I forced myself forward towards the hound as it rolled on the ground. I lunged at the hound's throat as it put out the fire and made to stand up. My claws ripped into it and then threw its neck, scraping off its spine. Blood splashed over me as the hound's head came down, knocking me onto my back.
Groaning, I looted the hound instead of trying to lift it off of me. I stayed on my back, feeling the bleeding from my wounds trickle to a stop. My lungs heaved for air as I started to laugh uncontrollably. How could I ever think any fight would be easy in this world? I got myself back under control and willed my notifications to open.
Congratulations, you have defeated a level 5 Canis.
Pain Resistance levels up. +1 Constitution
Flame Breath leveled up. +1 Intelligence
I could feel how I was close to another level up; I just needed a little more. I forced myself to take slow, deep breaths, letting my mind drift away, sinking deep into a pool of obsidian. Specks of blue, green, and red lights drifted around me before I was flooded with golden motes. It snapped me back to my body, where a frantically flashing notification was waiting for me.
Congratulations, you've learned Meditation. EXP awarded for learning a skill without a trainer. This skill is one from your past life.
Assessing. [■■■■■■____]
Assessment complete.
[Truncated] Meditation leveled up [×5]. Wisdom +5 *Note Meditation increases Health, Stamina, and Mana regeneration*
Goal updated: Defeated 2/10 Hounds [Optional]
Level up!
You have gained +1 to Agility and Dexterity with +3 free stats.
Status
Name: [N/A]
Level:4
Race:Primae Nigrum Sciurus (Primal Black Squirrel)
Health: 50/90 Stamina:50/90 Mana:100/170
Strength:6->7
Agility: 13->15
Dexterity: 14->15
Constitution:7->9
Intelligence:17
Wisdom:18
Skills:
Acrobatics level 2
Analyze level 2
Fire Resistance level 1
Harvesting level 1
Meditation level 6
Natural Weapons level 2
Pain Resistance level 2
Ranger level 1
Weapons Crafting level:1
Abilities:
Tongues level: 2
Spells:
Flame Breath level:2
Imbue Natural Weapons level: 2
My stomach growled softly. Even if I could eat raw meat, I was getting tired of the taste. I spent longer than I probably should, hacking away at a tree limb until I had enough wood for a small fire. Doing my best to stack the wood in a pile, I grabbed two sticks that were Y-shaped. I placed them on either side of the fire pit. I scurried up one of the Y branches and put the snake meat on a long stick, placing it in the crotch made by the branch splitting off in two directions.
Hopping back to the ground, I pumped the minimum mana into my Flame Breath spell. The fresh logs hissed and popped before catching on fire. I made my way back up the branch on my left and started to turn the spit, ignoring the smoke that would occasionally drift in my direction. My mouth watered as the smell of cooking meat and burning wood filled the air around me. I kept one eye on the exit of the room while the meat slowly cooked.
After what felt like forever but was only ten minutes, I pulled the spit from the fire and made my way back to the ground. I sat back on my honchos, watching the fire as I munched on my food. It was a bit gamey and needed seasoning, but it was not half bad. A new notification blinked calmly, and I pulled it up.
Congratulations, you have learned Cooking. EXP awarded for learning a skill without a trainer. This skill is one from your past life.
Assessing. [■■■■■■■■_]
Assessment complete.
[Truncated] Cooking leveled up [x5] Dexterity +5.