Stacy crunched down on the overcooked fish, ignoring its slightly sour taste as she greedily gobbled it up, filling herself with all the protein and carbs she’d need to fight off any monster that dared to prey on her. She was feeling confident; she just killed a Yellow Rank creature and a dozen other White Rank creatures, all by herself. Sure, she did cheat to win. But she felt too good about herself to care.

After all, she now had a steady supply of food just floating in the lake before her. She also spent some time to relief herself from her other bodily functions and needs, as well as to take a shower. Because she stunk. Stacy took a whiff of the stench she exuded and nearly puked.

She was cleaner now. But without any soap or shampoo with her, she stilled smelled like, well… shit.

Now then, what are these new skill things I got? Stacy finally decided to look at her new status. She received three new skills, each of them for White Rank, all related to magic.

[Basic Mana Control]

- You have unlocked the ability to manipulate magic at its most basic form.

- Related Attribute: Magic

Isn’t this literally what I did just now? She didn’t get why she needed a skill to do something she already could do. Or maybe it was the other way around? She received the skill because she could do it, not to help her do it?

[Firebolt]

- Conjures up a ball of fire that can be hurled to inflict fire damage.

- Uses 5% of mana.

- Related Attribute: Magic

Okay, a [Firebolt] was not something she could perform. Or so she thought.

“[Firebolt].” A ball of fire shot out. It was no different from the attacks of the fire fish. It was about the size of a baseball, an almost physical sphere of flames which charred the rock wall black. I couldn’t do that earlier. So, her hypothesis was incorrect. Or only partially correct?

[Electric Shock]

- Sends a jolt of electricity through a single target over a set period. Does not harm the user.

- Uses 10% of mana every 10 seconds.

- Related Attributed: Magic

It seemed that her initial assumption and second thought were both right. [Electric Shock] was what she used to kill the millecritter. Stacy was still trying to adjust to the fact that she was responsible for killing a dozen things bigger than a small dog. If she weren’t so preoccupied with surviving in this damp, dark cave, she’d have spent more than a single thought on that fact.

What next? She skimmed through the messages in her mind. There was something important she must’ve forgot while feasting on sushi.

You have met the requirements for Yellow Rank. Would you like to advance now?

Right, that. She reached another rank. Yellow. Were the ranks really arranged by color? Was this really what she was supposed to be questioning?

“Yes, I’d like to advance.” Seriously, why was that even a question?

*DING!* Your Rank has advanced from White to Yellow!

Power +1

Magic +3

Intuition +2

Free Attribute Point +1

Skills gained from Yellow Rank:

[Keen Sight]

- Your vision is improved. You can discern movement and odd shapes better, even in the dark.

- Related Attribute: Intuition

[Quickened Recovery]

- You naturally recover health, mana, and stamina at a more rapid pace.

- Related Attribute: Resiliency

The cost for all White Rank skills are halved.

Status:

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Name: Stacy

Rank: Yellow – Lvl. 1

Health: 75%

Mana: 33%

Stamina: 66%

Attributes:

Power: 7

Magic: 5

Dexterity: 11

Resiliency: 5

Intuition: 6

Worldliness: 0

Free Points: 4

Skills:

White Rank Skills:

[Evade], [Lesser Stamina], [Quick Thinking], [Mana Control], [Firebolt], [Electric Shock]

Yellow Rank Skills:

[Keen Sight], [Quickened Recovery]

Stacy stood up straighter. She felt powerful. She didn’t just gain three new skills— she gained another two and a new rank. She felt like she was at the top of the world. Nothing could stop her.

She glanced back at her month-long supply of food, the dozens of floating fire fishes. Stacy hadn’t killed most of them. That was the work of the millecritter. But she would gladly take advantage of its labor and feed on the dead fish.

Maybe the millecritter was edible too. Gross, gross, gross. Hopefully it wasn’t poisonous. The last thing she wanted was to get food poisoning here. But she was glad. Stacy could defend herself now. She head a steady source of food. She had a cozy place to sleep.

God, this all sounded so wrong. The little alcove definitely wasn’t comfortable. And the fire fish might rot before she could even indulge in all of them. Point was, things were finally going her way.

And Stacy was starting to feel… comfortable.

She paused as a figure moved in the distance. It looked like a fetidbug. Her [Keen Sight] already showing its usefulness. Stacy grinned, raising a hand. I can just burn whatever it is that comes my way.

There was a spark. Flames burned in her fingertips. And there was a flicker. A figure to her left. No, her right. Wait…

Stacy stared around her. It wasn’t just a single fetidbug hopping her way. A swarm of them came encroaching on her. Dozens, hundreds even, came her way. She could hear clicks and scratches. They moved as a single mass, a black blanket that threatened to smother her in her corner.

She took a step back. “Oh, my god.”

There was no way she could possibly kill all of them. She hurled a [Firebolt] into the swarm of fetidbugs.

You have defeated a [Fetidbug (White Rank)].

Only a single notification went off in her head. She definitely didn’t have enough mana to deal with all of them, even with only 2.5% being expended for each [Firebolt].

Run. Stacy glanced around in a panic. But there was nowhere for her to go. She could either curl up into a ball against the mossy wall and hope they ignored her, or dive into the lake and hope it led somewhere. Both were predicated on chance.

And she didn’t think either had, like, a chance of her surviving.

There was only one other path for her to follow. The hole. The very same one torn open by that giant worm. It was a deep pit, one that was probably over twenty feet wide. It was the only place Stacy could go. She knew it led somewhere, since that giant worm had to come from somewhere.

So, Stacy made the jump. The leap of faith. And by that, she slid down the side of the hole. It wasn’t a straight incline down. The giant worm didn’t just move in a straight line. It curved, as was the nature of the very long-bodied organism.

She heard the sounds of the fetidbugs approaching. It was like a storm, the kind that she hated because she knew it meant the beach was closed.

It was a noisy chatter. And she ran from it. The hole looped into a tunnel. She stumbled away as she reached the bottom, pushing herself off the wall. Stacy glanced up once, seeing the bulk of the fetidbug swarm skip over the pit. Most of them didn’t pursue her. Only some broke off. Still a large amount. Enough to force Stacy to turn tails and make a break for it.

I’m not dying here. Stacy was resolute in her belief, even as she sprinted into the darkness. Her finger was still a lit ablaze, a small candleflame to guide her path. I am absolutely not dying to a bunch of giant cockroaches!

The floor was slippery. The walls were covered in a white goo. She did not slip. She couldn’t afford to slip. Maybe it was her enhanced dexterity aiding her, but Stacy ran on. The fetidbugs gave chase. It was a journey that lasted hours.

She panted, her recent meals rising up her stomach. But she suppressed it back down with a swallow. Stacy had never run a marathon before, but she was certain she’d be done with one when she reached the end of the tunnel.

It curved and turned as she occasionally sent [Firebolts] back at the fetidbugs. It allayed their advance. It culled their numbers. Her mana reached the brink of reaching 0% at one point, so she focused only on fleeing. But the passive effects of [Quickened Recovery] proved effective, and she was back to throwing the magical balls of fire again after enough time passed.

The pursuit became fruitless. The fetidbugs realized they would never reach her. That too many of them had died chasing after the strange, screaming girl. So, finally, they turned back.

Stacy collapsed to a puddle of sweat. “Oh, thank god!”

You have defeated a [Fetidbug (White Rank)].

…

*DING!* Rank: Yellow has leveled up to level 2! Free Attribute Point +1

Now all that was left was for her to somehow leave this extensive, lengthy, probably unending tunnel.