Up the beach, the island was wild and overgrown, with vegetation acting like a barrier. Groups of crabs, each the size of a desk, meandered down the tranquil beach. They varied in size and color, from light-blue to yellow.

“So, what’cha got?” Darya asked me.

There was no point in hiding it, she was going to see it first hand anyway. We went back and forth telling each other our abilities. She was level forty-five and had a general, tier two [Venomous Sting] attack skill that worked with any weapon. It dealt damage over time, and also slowed the target. Her second skill was [Dash] that allowed her to get in and get out quickly if needed. Her two passives were [Quiet Step] and [Extended Breath Hold] which she hoped to replace for something better. I told her about my three skills, but kept [Drakon’s Hoard] to myself.

Since neither of us wanted to get into fistycuffs with the crabs -- their claws looked like they could sever an arm, we agreed on a simple strategy. Drop the traps, distract them with illusions if needed, shoot ‘em till they’re dead, then rinse and repeat. If things went bad, the plan was to run back to the portal -- they couldn’t go through it. [Keen Eye] showed them as [t1] and gray, which made me think they’d be easy.

The initial cluster of eight crabs was lounging near the water, approximately thirty meters away. I wasn't sure if they noticed our presence, but at that distance, they paid us no mind. I proceeded to place three traps on the ground in a line. This precaution would buy us some time to retreat if the traps didn't prove effective. However, I didn't anticipate having to depend on them.

“Okay, let’s do it,” I said.

We drew our bows and released our shots together. I hit one square in the center. The powered arrow punctured through the shell, sent chunks flying, and a thick liquid splattered onto the sand. An ‘Experience Gained’ message confirmed the kill. The crab remains vanished into a puff of dust, disintegrating into nothing.

The remaining seven turned and scuttled sideways toward us, their clicking claws raised menacingly. I didn’t expect these creatures to move so swiftly. Not wasting a moment, I retrieved another arrow from the quiver and fired again. Darya was twice as fast on the reload as me. I killed another while she loosened two arrows, then I killed a third.

The remaining five had slowed to a crawl when they hit the trio of traps. We continued backing up and I killed the two that didn’t get caught.

“That’s not even fair,” Darya said.

I was about to shoot again, when she grabbed my arm. “Save the arrows and wait, they’ll die soon.”

Out of the traps, they returned to crawling toward us, but slower than ever. It was a pitiful sight, and I almost felt bad for them. I wanted to end their misery, but instead we continued backing up until they finally succumbed to the venom.

“There ya go,” Darya said with a satisfied smile.

“I didn’t realize we were competing.”

Much like the tome from the dire bear, a couple of shiny drops appeared in place of the corpses that vanished. Darya picked them off the ground, gave one to me.

[Minor Power Crystal]

The blueish white crystal was the size of an acorn, and seemed to pulse with energy within. It was just what I needed for the [Oak Wand], though I still had to find the remaining parts.

“For how much would someone buy these in the village?” I asked her, wanting to find out what they were worth.

“We juice up our night lights with 'em, but Karl, the blacksmith, might toss you 10 silver a pop if you've got some to spare.”

“How long do they last?”

“About thirty nights.”

We moved up past the dead crabs up the beach to the next group. Using the same strategy, we got into a groove, taking out groups of eight or twelve at a time. After each group, we’d rest a bit in the shade to regenerate some mana, and strength. While the cool ocean breeze kept the temperature pleasant, I avoided spending too much time in the sun as I loathed getting sunburned. I also had to roll up my poncho and dress down to my pants. A straw hat would have been amazing to keep the sun out of my eyes.

Her mana pool was less than half of mine, and so was her mana regeneration. However, she had invested skill points to reduce mana on her Venomous Sting and was able to keep up with me.

Each group took about ten minutes, so by the time we cleared out the beach, we had 48 minutes remaining for the dungeon boss. For loot, we received eighteen [Minor Power Crystals] which we split fifty-fifty. In that time I also leveled up three times. I assumed the initial levels would go by fast, and then slow down eventually.

Same as before, I increased my Strength by 15 to bring it up to 396. I also wanted to upgrade my skills in the same way, but the damage upgrade option for [Power Shot] had doubled in cost from 1 to 2. The clamp power upgrade option had likewise increased in cost, but from 2 to 3. Despite the increases in cost, the benefits stayed the same at 20% each. In the end, I upgraded the [Steel Trap’s] clamp power as that was crucial for dealing with strong monsters.

Seeing all the crabs on this island, I had expected the boss to be a giant crab, but that was not what we found. Toward the end of the beach where it jutted up against a rocky shore of a cliff was a shaded nook off to the side. Among the trampled vegetation slept a colossal black boar. Its ebony hide was in stark contrast with the vibrant greenery. The beast exuded an air of power, despite peacefully slumbering in the warmth of the sun that filtered through the dense canopy above. Its massive tusks jutted up like bulls’ horns.

While not as big as the dire bear I had faced before, [Keen Eye] showed it to be equally dangerous.

* [t2] Ebony Boar [Green]

“The usual,” I whispered to Darya. “We’ll lead it into the traps, keep shooting, but don’t let it near you, alright?”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

She nodded.

I was eager to see how the upgraded clamp power of my [Steel Trap] fared against this [t2] monster. The dire bear had managed to wrangle out of the trap, but now it was upgraded by 40%.

We took position under the palm trees among sparse vegetation. I hoped that if things went bad, the trees would impede its movement to help us dodge it. I nodded to her, and we drew our bows.

My [Power Shot] grazed the massive boar down the side, leaving a bloody trail. With a loud screech, it sprung up to its feet. It looked a hell of a lot bigger and meaner as it careened in our direction.

Instead of taking a direct path, it veered around.

For something of its size, it sure moved fast. I shot and missed, but not Darya. Her venom-imbued arrows flew out and seemed to home in on the boar with magical accuracy.

It was coming around from the side as if it knew where I had laid the traps. We dashed forward to keep the traps between us and the boar. It trampled right through where we had stood, out to the beach and back around.

Shooting the crabs was easy as they had all moved in a straight line toward us, but this menace was moving perpendicular. I tried, but kept failing to lead the shots.

It looped around for another go, but this time we moved to anticipate its approach. This time the traps would be in its path, but so would we. I had time to shoot once, and the arrow grazed down its side. As it drew closer, its massive form grew larger by the moment. I really hoped the traps would’t fail.

Darya shifted in space at incredible speed, seeming to vanish and materialize a few meters away. Two traps clicked and lashed out. I jumped aside at the last moment. The monstrosity tore right past me. I crashed to the ground, felt the familiar sense of an adrenaline spike. I rolled and sprung to my feet, cursing under my breath.

Stupid traps didn’t work.

Expecting to run, instead my eyes settled on a disturbing sight. Several meters ahead the boar was flailing about, trying to stand up. Except, both of its front legs were missing. Darya had a look of shock on her face that matched my own. I followed a bloody trail from the boar to the traps, and that’s where I found a surprising answer. The traps didn’t fail, it was the boar’s legs that did. It didn’t take long for it to bleed out and the remains to vanish.

“Well, that’s … that’s one way of doing it,” she said.

[Congratulations! You have gained level 7.]

[Evolution Points gained: 2]

I was thrilled that I received these two evolution points simply for slaying the boss without having to eat its damn heart. I was divided on the whole evolution business. On the one hand, the upgrades would make me stronger, faster and tougher. But on the other, they would cost me in the looks department, and I had enough monstrous features already. Still, I didn’t want to lose out on an opportunity to get more points. I could always decide what to do with them later. Sadly, I couldn’t ask anyone for guidance about the evolution system. None of the villagers appeared to have any ‘monster’ upgrades. So, it was a safe bet that they couldn't evolve.

I placed four of the five attributes into Strength to raise to a nice, round 400. The remaining point went into Agility as it also affected [Power Shot.] As for the single skill point, I decided to save it to increase [Power Shot] damage later. With the boss dead, the dungeon timer showed more than half an hour remaining.

“I hate to admit it,” I said. “But I’m not too familiar with these dungeons. What happens if you overstay the timer?”

“You’d just get kicked out.”

“I see. What about taking some firewood back to the abbey?” I asked her as I considered chopping down a palm tree for firewood.

“Don’t bother,” she told me. “You can’t take anything out of the dungeon that wasn’t specifically granted by the gods. Most everything in the Void is tainted. The water tastes bitter, and even the wood burns with a noxious smoke.”

“It’s a good thing that these corpses vanish. I don’t know if I could eat another heart like the last one. I barely stomached the bear’s heart-”

She narrowed her eyes. “Y-You what?”

“I’m not a big fan of organ meat, alright? Maybe that’s how I was raised, but I prefer a nice juicy steak.”

She put her hands on her hips. “If you didn’t like it so much, you know you could have shared it with others, yeah?”

“Huh, that was an option? Why didn’t nobody say something?!”

“What sort of a backward place are you from where you don’t eat the best part?”

“It’s uhm … don’t remind me.” I sighed, looked aside. “It’s far away. Alright?”

Mention of my home made me miss my firefighting buddies at work and their camaraderie. I missed my comforts and modern living. Before, I didn’t have to wrestle down a bear for a meal. Neither did I wear a blanket for clothes and look like a wild animal myself.

She must have noticed my sour mood. “I’m sorry for barking at ya.”

“It’s fine, I’ll be alright. I’m just glad to know that I don’t need to keep eating the entire thing now.”

She chuckled. “Sure thing, I'm all in to lend a hand with that.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“Why'd you haul yourself out here? What's the big quest?”

I shrugged. “Not actively on the lookout for anything, honestly. Just kinda wandering, life has been tossing unexpected challenges my way lately.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said.

A portal back to the bedroom had appeared in place of the boar’s remains. Next to it, three items popped up, illuminated by brilliant light. A rusty machete, a [Tome of Telekinesis] and a small metallic orb just like the one she had used to create the portal. I picked it up and a window showed its details.

[t2] Void Dungeon: Jungle

* Portal uses: 6; Duration: 2 hours

* +10% Experience / +10% Item Quantity

* 27% increased monster action speed

Dividing the crystals was a simple matter, but I had no idea what these three items were worth.

“Who gets what?” I asked her.

“Are you going to learn the tome?”

Telekinesis sounded like a dream to me. Being able to move things with your mind? Hell yeah, I wanted that. I needed it.

“I wouldn’t mind.”

“No room for it in my skill lineup, and I'm not ditching any of my existing ones. So, it's all yours. But, I'll gladly snag that dungeon orb.”

“And the machete?”

She shrugged. “Give it to one of the kids.”

“You want me to give a machete to one of the orphans?”

“Or not, you can keep it yourself if you like.”

“That’s not what I meant. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to give a deadly weapon to a child.”

“What’s the big deal? Just make sure it’s one of the older boys, okay?”

This place wasn’t twenty-first century America, that’s for sure. I had to remind myself that kids used to get .22 rifles on their twelfth birthday. In fact, many still do that in the south. A machete was really just a big kitchen knife. Right?