I cursed existence with every ounce of strenght I could muster.

Through blurry eyes I stared down at the puddle of blood and partially digested scrambled eggs. Fuck it all.

My chest burned as my stomach lurched for a possible excavation part three. Arms numb and my left leg kept shaking. The slow ticking of the bandage felt like torture. I was angered. I was in agony. I was... alive.

Barely. I blinked away the haze in my vision to glance at the Health Report screaming for my attention. In an attempt to distract my stomach from hurling again, I looked through the log.

There was a warning for where I dropped to 5% HP after taking the bolt straight to the chest. I didn’t need the line about contracting the Rat Plague to know that the projectile was covered with the shit. The pain told enough of a story. There was a second health warning where I went back down to 9% before taking an Antidote potion.

Through… some manner of miracle, I had killed the rats while hovering in single digit HP. No Killing Blow opportunities to help me, even. Hadn’t looted. Was ignoring the System notifications.

Once the last had fallen, the relief and adrenaline dump had destroyed me. Although the Rat Plague had been cured, I couldn’t help but immediately throw up. In fact, I hadn’t moved from this hunched over position—hands on my knees—since I had activated a bandage.

“Fuuuuuuck,” I complained. The two minutes were up, the bandage bringing me up to just over a third of my full health. I still felt like I had been hit by a truck.

My right hand stuck to my leg slightly as I pulled it away, the blood that had been covering it drying against the fabric. Rather than drop my weapon once the fighting concluded, I had put it in my Inventory instead, almost innately. Rather than bring the weapon out, I grabbed my last bandage and applied it to my arm. It didn’t seem to matter where I applied it for it to take effect, and my left arm was safer. Trying to put it on my leg would just tempt vertigo to pull me over into the soaked earth.

I glanced around to make sure there were no other rats hiding in the shadows, but saw none. Graveyard all but cleared. I turned my nose up at the flickering torches of foul light, absolutely despising this place. While I healed, I checked whatever the System wanted to tell me. There were a lot of things.

[Level Up]

[You are now Level 3]

[Received 2 unassigned stat points]

[Milestone Reached: Ahead of the curve. You are one of the first Players to reach level 3]

[Reward Received: Gloves of Speed]

[Milestone Reached: You’ve had a near-death experience. That’s a bad habit to pick up.]

[Reward Received: Health Potion (3)]

[Milestone Reached: You have killed your first Elite monster. Give yourself a pat on the back]

[Reward Received: Armor Upgrade Stone (Morale)]

[Milestone Reached: Surrounded, you won a whole fight while on less than 10% health.]

[Reward Received: Ability granted - Against All Odds 1]

I groaned. Took one of the Health Potions to bring me up to 85% HP. The aches in my chest subsided, and any nausea abated. Still ached like shit, though. Shaking my head off, I stretched out my tired muscles. Not the greatest rewards for almost dying, but just being alive was enough for me right now.

Fuck those rats for wasting my diner breakfast, though.

I glared at their mangled corpses and brought up my upgrade stone. Used it on… my shirt. Honestly, that was a mistake - I was just looking at options when hitting it accidentally. Given how ruined it was, I didn’t think the system would even let me. Torn in several places, partly hanging off me and partly stuck to my skin with how soaked it was with blood and bile. I looked like someone had gone way too overboard with their zombie halloween costume.

But now it also gave me an extra Morale point. Hooray.

Would have been nicer to roll Vitality or Power, but I was too tired to complain. I seriously felt like passing out was a potentially real threat if I didn’t get rest soon. Even taking a couple of steps forward so that I could… loot… was a struggle.

While I gathered my energy, I went through the other things the System had rewarded my with.

[Against All Odds 1]

[+1% Health, Stamina, and Morale when surrounded by 3 or more opponents. (Min 1)]

Interesting. I didn’t plan to make that sort of situation a common event, but it would be a decent bonus when the chance arises. Leveling it up might be an issue. The longer I survived and more strength I gained, the greater that percentage boost would be - even at the lower skill level.

There were a few other skills gained during my fight too. I let them be free and updated.

[Hammer Mastery 3]

[New Passive: Resilient 1]

[New Passive: Decimator: Ratfolk 1]

Resilient made me take slightly less damage when below 20% HP. Decimator increased my damage against Ratfolk. Killing ten of them had apparently been how I unlocked it, and there were probably similar stages to leveling it up. That wasn’t what decimate meant, but I was too tired to argue with the intangible magical bullshit ruining my life.

“Let’s loot and go,” I told my legs. They cooperated, and I moved to the bodies, kneeling into the cool ground to work the System menus.

[15 Gold]

[Bandages (2)]

[Basic Knife (4)]

[Common Skillbook (Lightbulb)]

[Shortsword (Veiled)]

[Rat Juice (2)]

I almost wanted to puke again. Always with these fucking daggers. Never enough armor. I wasn’t even able to use the sword as it had an enchanment that needed to be Unveiled by someone else with different bullshit skills that I didn’t have. I clenched my jaw and withdrew the skillbook, opening it and learning the skill that definitely didn’t allow me to Unveil.

[Lightbulb 1]

[Creates a small orb of light that follows you]

It was… a useful utility skill, I had to admit. My raging ire petered out. Getting back to the bunker was my priority now, anything else could wait until I had a good sleep. Bernie must be worried, and probably confused. I let out one long sigh as my eyes went to the mausoleum.

To my aching eyes it looked either like a glimmering treasure chest, or my final resting place. I’d already had my fill of gambling this evening, and should be happy enough my winnings.

I could… at least pry at the odds, though. Leaving a potential reward out here might draw other people out to claim it. I… wasn’t in the market for getting into territory disputes with 'players' who were potentially more powerful than me. Not with an easy way to escape. History repeats, or something like that.

My legs had taken me over to the ominous building while my mind idly flittered about the nonsense. Two lanterns hung either side of an arched opening. At some point there would have been a barred gate, perhaps, if the bent hinges remaining on the stonework were any signal. Even with my burned out nose, the small from the darkness below was horrid. Like stomach acid mixed with cow manure. I wavered slightly and put my hand on the wall for support as I felt lightheaded.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I swore, repeatedly, under my breath. It looked like a staircase went below ground, before turning to the right after this long set. Some manner of dried grime covered the steps and walls up to about knee height, as if it had been flooded or something.

The hammer came back into my hand, and I held it tight. One peek, I told myself. Worst case, I could probably run. Probably.

Foot on the first step. I descended, slowly. One foot after the other, bracing myself against the right wall so as to not make a sound. I held my breath as the smell got worse, my heartbeat pounding through my dizzy head.

I stopped at the corner. Composing myself, I tilted slightly, to glance around to what lay further down.

It was the Boss.

My eyes widened at the sight of it. A giant maggot, almost the size of my deceased van. It’s bulbous body pulsated and writhed as it defecated constantly. Two gems of green hung on the wall, lighting this putrid and horrifying scene. I didn’t know what it was eating, and didn’t intend to stick around and find out.

As slowly and quietly as I could, I withdrew and headed straight back up the stairs. It felt like hours before I reached the comparatively clear air of the outside once more, and I gasped. If I hadn’t emptied out my scrambled eggs already, now would have been the time for sure. I hated everything.

My left hand rose once I let most of the vertigo simmer down, and I used Lightbulb. A dim ball of light appeared in the air just off to my left. When I took a step, it hovered along beside me, like a fairy follower. It didn’t make much a dent to the darkness, however - not when in the presence of all of these lanterns…

I paused and looked at the hanging light source to my side. The foul and odd light within flickered slightly, as if shying away from my glare. I had a mean streak, and was far enough gone to act on impulse. With a dull expression on my face, I turned and counted. Fifteen. That should be enough.

A sharper me would have had second thoughts at least three times as I shuffled through the graveyard to gather up all of the oil lanterns. But I was driven purely by spite. Putting them into my Inventory took out a huge amount of legwork, and eventually I found myself back at the entrance to the staircase.

Drunk on exhaustion, I withdrew them one by one. Blew them out and opened them up. Turned the stone steps into an impromptu river. Like it had been flooded. I grinned and stepped carefully down there, the inert bodies of fourteen of the light sources laying either side of the trail of oil.

I paused once more at the corner. Last lantern came up in my hand, the flame rising brighter as it met the ambient gasses. This is for the eggs, I thought.

Turning, I flung it into the chamber with the maggot. Then I ran. There was a burst of energy, followed by a high-pitched scream that sounded like an upset child. My legs burned with exhaustion as I powered up the stairs. My Lightbulb circled out of the way as I twisted at the top, throwing my lit Torch down to the bottom.

The maggot was down there, rounding the corner. It had four eyes as large as my fist, black and gleaming. Beneath several folds of its bulbous body was a small mouth, still open and screaming - exposing dozens of finger-long teeth and odd tentacle protrusions.

I dove to the side, able to override the fear threatening to keep me routed in place. The oil ignited, burning through the pustulent gasses filling the place, a flaming blast rocketing out of the doorway.

Slightly deafened from the explosion, I pushed myself up, arms shaking. Small patches of the graveyard had been set alight and a burning smell weighed heavily around me. The shockwave even manage to wash away some of my brain fog, and I realized that this was a stupid ass plan.

A thought given credibility as the large form of the maggot pushed itself out from the doorway. It was on fire, several sections raw and bloody, blind in the left eyes where a patch of its face was smouldering. The angered squeal had deepened into something gutteral, venegeful.

I went to stand, but was finding it difficult to breathe. Smoke and exhaustion all but pinned me to the ground as I fought against gravity. A fight hard won. I wavered in place, my teeth clenched and bared, hand shaking with how tight I was holding the hammer.

The Plague Maggot had a skull icon to denote it was a Boss. It also had several other icons that were red with flames in them. Probably related to the burning damage. It didn’t seem to care, and retracted slightly, before surging to meet me.

Two reckless foes, making a last ditch attempt to end this sick game.

I liked those odds, and the maggot was a terrible gambler.

With its body damaged and weakened, the stress of the attempted attack was too much. Caught over the top steps, burnt flesh stuck and tore, the maggot literally ripping itself in two as it charged. The attack was delayed, but it didn’t stop the monster from seeing red.

Unfortunately, I also saw a flash of red.

One of the looted knives spun in my left hand, the hammer in my right already also replaced by a dagger. I lashed out with my off-hand, piercing through the larger eye of the maggot, bursting it before prying the ruined orb out with a twist. The other dagger came in with a powerful jab, bursting through the back of the empty socket and into the brain of the disgusting creature.

The plague maggot shuddered, writhing in contempt as I twisted the knife and drew it back out. It stopped screaming at me, the sound fading away as it died.

I considered throwing up again. My arm almost up to the elbow was covered in gore. It smelled like rotten eggs—some cruel irony, I was sure—and the monster itself was a nightmare brought to life.

Perhaps almost as bad were the notifications running in my STAR.

They could wait until I got to the bunker. I closed my eyes for a few moments to cool off from the fight, and almost fell asleep where I stood. With only my Lightbulb illuminating the area, I was at least glad to have some way of not tripping over everything on the return journey. It would be a cruel twist if I died falling and cracking my head open on a gravestone.

I looted the Boss. At first, I was planning to ignore whatever I received until I was safe and rested, but I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows as the items filtered in.

[78 Gold]

[Boss Token]

[Rare Weapon Chest (Random)]

[Full Restore (3)]

[Uncommon Skillbook (Cleanse)]

[Blank Scroll (2)]

[Common Equipment Chest (3)]

Not entirely… dogshit. It made such a nice change that I was almost willing to stand around sorting through it all. Almost. The fact that my vision was starting to get wavy meant that I had limited time to mess around before I actually passed out.

With all the willpower that I had, I started off walking back to the bunker. My path barely illuminated by the Lightbulb spell. My the feeling in my legs was a pendulum swinging between burning agony and numbness. While my stomach growled, my lungs throbbed with pain. I was a walking corpse.

My hand reached out and touched the cold metal of the bunker door. I couldn’t decide whether it had taken ten seconds or three days to get here, my mind forgetting the neverending process of stumbling through the dark as if I had no capacity to hold short term thoughts.

I stood for a moment, hesitating to turn the lock. Part of me wanted to run. To escape. If I went down there and stayed, I would be expected to do this bullshit over and over again. I’d be responsible for Bernie and… apparently the rest of the world.

On the other hand, somewhere safe to sleep was all I wanted right now.

I opened up the door. Closed it behind me and clung to railings as I stumbled carefully down the metal stairs. Second door… I managed to open, growling from the exersion.

The relief hit me as soon as I staggered into the small chamber. Bernie was there, awake. The holographic form of Richard stood up from his chair in surprise.

“Scarlet,” he said. “Holy shit you look terrible.”

I flipped him off as I pushed the door closed. As the pair moved over to me, I pulled out the chair from my Inventory and placed it down. I sat. Bliss.

“Are you okay, dear?” Bernie looked concerned, unable to decide which part of me to look at.

“I’ve had rougher nights,” I said, closing my eyes in the hopes that it would stop the relieved tears from leaking out. Mission failed.

“Level three… and you killed a Boss?” Richard said, and I couldn’t place what tone he was aiming for. “Jesus Christ, Plagued Ratfolk? You’re lucky to be alive.”

I exhaled through my nose. “Yeah, I’m certainly feeling on top of the world about it.” Despite the draw of sleep, I opened my eyes back up. “Just so you know, I fully blame you.”

He held his hands up. “I just wanted you to kill a couple of monsters to get used to the idea. Level 2 would have been nice, but Plagued Ratfolk are some of the nastiest creatures you could have gone up against at this stage.”

As much as I wanted to curse him out, I bit my tongue. The cold reality of it was having the Guide on my side would increase my chances of surviving. Hopefully. While staying in the bunker overnight was a less traumatic experience, he was right - I was ready to kill and knew what the stakes were. Even gained a few tools to get a foot up in this whole charade.

“Need to assign stats. How. Why.” Simple instructions, delivered to my Guide bluntly in lieu of expletives.

“It’ll be on your Stats page, but it only appears in the bunker.”

He was still talking as I looked at them, completely fed up with how the day had gone. I had 4 points I could divide and add to my base 1 across the board. Without caring about any outside input, I went for 2 in Vitality and 2 in Stamina. Anything to prevent me from feel this shit every day.

Richard continue to blabber about my achievements, as he was clearly able to read through my notifications and Inventory. I ignored him to look up at Bernie.

“How are you dealing with all of this?”

“It all seems so… fantastical.” He smiled at me apologetically. “The state you’re in gives credibility to all the claims I had trouble believing. Richard says the skillbook I received is very useful, and that I should group up with you.”

I nodded, my eyes closing once more. “Doubt that’s a… good idea. What… skill… did…”

My sentence trailed off as I passed out.