Derek blinked groggily, the damp cavern ceiling coming into focus as he lay on the cold, rocky ground. Every part of his body felt sore, but as he shifted, he realized there was no stabbing pain, no open wounds or broken bones. His body was once again mysteriously healed.

He pushed himself up slowly, glancing down at his arms and torso, green goo slapped everywhere from head to toe. Also, he wasn’t wearing any clothes. His eyebrows shot up and he instinctively turned towards his right where the merwoman was silently standing. Her expression was as indifferent as always.

He cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly, thankful for the sticky green goo that still clung to his skin. “Uh… thanks, I guess… for the healing.” She gave a slight nod in response.

Derek looked at her for a couple of moments before letting out a sigh and sitting back down on the floor. He was exhausted but he was alive. He gazed at the massive corpse that laid a few feet away from him. He couldn’t believe that he actually defeated something like this.

Derek did not plan on fooling himself. He knew he only won this time around because of dumb luck. That too barely. He was still sitting here alive because of the monster standing next to him. He paused and then laughed at the thought. Was she really a monster? She had by now saved his ass a few times over.

But then again, she had her own agenda. If he did not fit in it, then his fate wouldn’t be any different than the others who were left to fend for themselves.

Derek laughed again. Half the people he knew fit the same description so what was really the difference between them and her? The number of people who turned their backs against him when he fell from the top was not just one or two. He let out another deep breath and shook away all the unnecessary thoughts.

For now, his focus should be on one thing and only one thing. To become more powerful. Only then he would be able to find his mother and only then he would be able to find Jo. He glanced at the corpse one more time before quickly pulling up all the notifications he had received.

[Ding! You have gained experience points]

[Ding! You have leveled up]

[Lvl 10 > Lvl 11]

[Ding! You have gained Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Intelligence +1 and Wisdom +1]

[Ding! You have gained 1 free stat point]

[Ding! You have leveled up]

[Lvl 11 > Lvl 12]

[Ding! You have gained Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Intelligence +1 and Wisdom +1]

[Ding! You have gained 1 free stat point]

[Ding! You have leveled up]

[Lvl 12 > Lvl 13]

[Ding! You have gained Strength +1, Agility +1, Endurance +1, Intelligence +1 and Wisdom +1]

[Ding! You have gained 1 free stat point]

[Ding! You have obtained the title ‘Nest Guardian Slayer’]

[Ding! All your stats are increased by 1]

***

Derek raised his brow in surprise to see that he had leveled up thrice from a single fight and he had also earned a new title that gave a good boost to his stats. It was a big reward. It made sense given the intensity of the battle. The nest guardian had pushed him to his absolute limit, and the rewards reflected that. Also, it had something new and unique.

The small shiny rock of mana.

Derek was a little disappointed that the whole thing was used up in the fight just like that. If he had even some of it left, he could have analyzed it a bit more. But wait, he dug it out from underneath an eye socket. Perhaps there was more of it?

Derek immediately got to work, curiosity overtaking his exhaustion. If the shiny ball of mana was embedded in the nest guardian’s flesh, perhaps there were more hidden within its massive body. He quickly approached the creature’s corpse.

His hands were still sticky with the green goo, but that wasn’t going to stop him. Taking a deep breath, he reached out and touched the hard, cracked shell of the creature. It was cold now, lifeless.

There was no response from the guardian as he began to feel around the area where he had first torn the small rock from its body. He crouched down, focusing on the soft tissue around the creature’s wounds, hoping to find some sign of more rocks.

His fingers scraped through the thick, dark blood and sinew, and he relentlessly searched the corpse from top to bottom. He used its own hard shell to tear open its flesh, exposing more of the inner tissues beneath the thick carapace.

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Finally, after what felt like an eternity of digging, he gave up. It looked like the big ass crab had only one of those rocks. For good measure, he even retraced his steps and went back to some of the smaller crabs he had fought and tore them apart as well.

But his search turned up nothing. No more mana rocks, no hidden treasures, nothing but more sticky, foul-smelling blood and broken shell fragments.

Derek sighed in disappointment, wiping his hands on his legs in an attempt to clean off some of the goo. He had been hopeful, but it seemed the one small shiny rock of mana was all he was going to get from this particular trial.

He stood up slowly, exhaustion creeping back into his muscles. The green goo clung to him like a second skin, but he was too tired to care anymore. “Well, that’s that,” he muttered to himself, stretching his stiff muscles, once again painfully aware that he was completely naked and walking around like a caveman.

Derek rubbed the back of his neck, casting an awkward glance toward the merwoman. “Do you have any clothes with you… by any chance?”

The merwoman blinked once, her expression unreadable, then turned her head slightly, as if contemplating the request. After what felt like an eternity, she gestured toward a small pile a few feet away. It was a small bundle of his previously torn and tattered clothes which were now fully ripped apart in shreds.

Derek sighed as he gathered the bits and pieces and tried to fashion something with them, at least big enough to cover his junk. After fiddling with it for a few minutes he gave up. Yup, it looked like he was going to remain naked for the foreseeable future.

Ignoring his exposed little soldier, he once again crouched near the crab carcass or more specifically some parts of the flesh he had salvaged that were not too putrid for consumption. Clothing was optional but feeding himself wasn’t. His stomach reminded him of that with loud grumbles. A wave of weakness threatened to wash over him.

The idea of eating a crab that had been dead for hours didn’t exactly thrill him, but in his current state, he didn’t have much of a choice.

He gingerly cut away a small chunk of the least foul-smelling meat and gave it a tentative sniff. It smelled terrible, but it was protein, and he needed energy. With a deep breath, he grimaced and took a bite, immediately regretting it as the raw, slimy texture coated his mouth. He swallowed quickly, forcing it down. Immediately, he felt more energetic.

Derek did not know at what frequency he needed to eat but he had a feeling that it was soon going to change. He still found it hard to believe that he had absolutely no need to drink any water. He was feeling hungry so why not thirsty? Mulling over things in his mind, he took a bite and then took another bite. The energy he felt returning to his body was faint, but it was better than nothing.

After managing to choke down several pieces, Derek sat back, feeling a little less shaky. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and let out a rancid burp that brought up the disgusting taste back in his mouth again. Pushing down the urge to puke his guts off, he closed his eyes and rested for a moment which quickly turned into a small power nap.

Derek cursed himself as he woke up with a start. He did not mean to sleep. He could not afford to be sleeping and relaxing now when the world was turning upside down. But what now? The title indicated that this nest was fully cleared. So staying inside this place was kind of pointless. Where to next?

Derek stood up as he slowly started walking out. The merwoman did not look like she was planning to talk any time soon. Perhaps she was waiting for him to take care of the other issue at hand first. He clenched his fists and increased his pace. There was no hesitation in his steps. It was difficult but he needed to do this.

Soon, he reached the spot where the others were resting. As he approached the group, he could feel their anxious gazes land on him. Some were hopeful, others wary, and a few looked outright frightened. He took a deep breath, the green goo drying uncomfortably on his skin. "It’s done," he said, his voice flat but steady. "The nest guardian is dead. The danger's over. At least for now."

He glanced around at the faces staring back at him, feeling a strange responsibility settle onto his shoulders. He didn’t want to be anyone’s hero. He hadn’t asked for this. But there was no escaping the fact that, like it or not, these people were looking to him for guidance.

Derek, however, was firm in his decision. He was not planning to be anyone’s savior at the moment so he laid out all the options on the table. “I am planning to leave this place now.”

He shot a glance at the merwoman who had silently followed him. “I don’t know how dangerous the next place might be. You can follow me if you want but it will be at your own risk. You can also stay back in this same nest. It is completely safe as far as I can see but then again anything might change. Once again you will be on your own.”

“Will you ever come back?” Elise asked, her voice trembling. It looked like they had already discussed this and probably guessed where everything was heading. If they couldn’t accompany him in a simple dungeon, then how were they going to accompany him in the outside world?

Derek took a deep breath and nodded. “I cannot make any promises but if it is within my ability and if I find a safer space, I will come back and help you all relocate. Be careful, and stay together. If something changes here, if it becomes unsafe, don’t hesitate to move. Survive.”

With that, Derek turned to leave. The merwoman silently followed, her presence like a shadow beside him. He could hear the whispers and the mumbles behind him but he did not look back. He continued walking straight and as soon as he reached the entrance a flickering screen appeared in front of him.

[Ding! Do you wish to exit the nest?]

Derek selected ‘Yes’ and the next second he was once again back in the dark endless waters. For a moment he felt the choking suffocation but the merwoman immediately cast an air bubble for him.

“Thanks.” He gave her a nod. As he was wondering what to do next, the mixture of caked blood and the sticky green medicine slowly started drifting in the gentle water current. He was now not even sort of covered. For all intents and purposes, he was completely buck-naked.

Derek shrugged it off. Hey, the whole world was going crazy. What’s a bit of nakedness? He decided to ignore it and focus on the task at hand. The next step. He needed to become stronger, and another of these nests seemed like a good idea.

He turned to his personal cheat, the merwoman, to talk to her or rather signal her since they were in water and all, but all of a sudden a new system screen flashed in front of him.

[Ding! You have successfully assimilated a fraction of abyssal energy]

[Ding! You are now corrupted]

[Ding! Error]

[Ding! Your body is rejecting the corruption]

[Ding! Error]

[Ding! Your body is rejecting the corruption]

[Ding! Error]

[Ding! Your body is rejecting the corruption]

[Ding! Success]

[Ding! Your body is now corrupted]

[Ding! You have gained 0.1 strength]