Mark's magical torch lit up less and less of his surroundings as he moved deeper into the cave. It got to the point where holding the torch beside his face meant he could only see his knuckles in the light.

A creature could be sitting right outside his periphery, waiting for him to walk right into it. Instead of continuing deeper, Mark chose to maintain his vision, walking in a circle without going too far. It was far too deadly to keep going.

A few Black Beetles roamed an area where he could observe without moving close enough to alert them. Three of them were noticeably larger than the others. They had to be higher-leveled, while the rest resembled sizes of the ones he saw at the vine. Finally, a pile of grubs and spherical eggs were guarded by a third type of beetle.

Many of the beetles had scars carved into their carapaces. Their horns had frightening attack power, but their bodies were even more resistant. To kill these monsters, Mark needed to target their underbellies, where they were much squishier. But flipping them over could prove difficult.

He gave up fighting them directly. After luring two beetles to fly towards him, he fled along the wall back to where the vine lay. If he could handle this correctly, these beetles were easy pickings.

He ran back to the vine's massive body and waited. The moment the beetles landed, he stepped backwards, then launched himself forwards with all his might. Behind him, the beetles were smashed into pieces by the vine's fury. One of them died immediately, but the other landed close to where Mark had sprinted.

He summoned two Magic Missiles and blasted them straight into its wounded carapace. Fluid poured out from its wounds, but it was still alive. The beetle tried to stagger away. Two more Magic Missiles finished it off.

Mark shivered a little from the kill. It wasn't enough to give him a level, though. He looked at the other beetle's location but found its entire body gone. The vine had eaten its bits and pieces, and was now retreating to its resting spot.

Could I do this again and again?

Perhaps he could. Mark went back to where he found the family of beetles. After some time analyzing their patrol patterns, he lured another three to attack him.

The vine was already swinging when he came close to the place where he had stopped before. It was starting to learn. But Mark had expected this to happen, and dodged even earlier than last time.

As the beetles fell desperately into the vine's writhing lashes, Mark waited until they flew above its attacks before launching his Magic Missiles. Their light revealed two injured silhouettes flying through the air. He quickly mustered up two more and punctured straight into the beetles' insides, securing both kills at the same time.

A burst of energy flowed into him.

Congratulations! You have reached Level 3.

Mark Winters - Level 3

Class: Mage (Common)

Stats - 3 Free Points -> 0

Strength: 6

Dexterity: 5

Endurance: 7

Vitality: 6 -> 7

Intelligence: 9 -> 11

Wisdom: 6

Right as he placed his new stat points into Intelligence and Vitality, the vine heaved furiously and struck the ground harder than ever. It refused to calm down.

Mark fled the area, knowing not to push it too far. He looked back into the darkness for one last time. If he waited, perhaps an entity with power rivaling the carnivorous vine would come out and fight. Though the chance was low, Mark had to admit the gains would be great.

Still, Mark was hesitant. That was not a smart risk to take, he reminded himself, and set off into the next tunnel. Along the way, he thought about a possible goal: finding where the carnivorous vine got the majority of its nutrients.

There was no way those beetles alone could feed such a massive vine and level it up that much. The amount of experience from the third beetle barely scratched the surface of what he needed to gain a fourth level. He guessed there was a water source. And water meant life - including the resources needed to sustain it. Other than slaying entities stronger than it, the vine might've been able to accumulate experience through growth.

Perhaps these resources would be located deeper down this tunnel. For now, he had no way to explore the rest of the cavern. Then there was his primary goal: finding more skeletons to capture. It was better for him to prioritize necromancy than searching around for vague opportunities.

This tunnel was much like the ones above this floor. Stone and soil snaked down through lengthy corridors, with direct sightlines interrupted by long, winding turns. A few empty rooms appeared as well, but he hadn't found anything until he came across one with dark patches on the floor.

Mark stooped down to look closer. It was blood. Then he heard something hard hit the stone, coming from a corner inside the room. He turned his head to look into the darkness. Instead of entering, he threw his torch, revealing a dead body who lay face-down.

From the clothes it wore, Mark recognized who he was. "Jonah," he muttered. One of his coworkers from the retail store. Always kept to himself, never interacting much with the others. The fastest Mark had seen him move was when clocking out.

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Now, the man lay dead right in front of his eyes. A cold sinking sensation wormed its way into his stomach. Death was real and it was here. Not everyone had the ability to survive in this world.

But Mark refused to let himself be consumed by fear. He had more dire things to worry about, like the mass he detected hidden underneath the body. A Magic Missile shimmered into reality and he brought it forwards, but then the mass screamed.

"Don't hurt me!" the man pleaded with his hands raised.

"Who are you?" Mark asked. He mistook the man for a monster. But his spell remained on his hand, ready to fire at any moment.

"I'm Bruce. I'm just as lost as you." A nervous smile made its way onto his face. Bruce kept glancing at the Magic Missile, clearly shocked.

Mark had never seen him before in his life. "What class are you?" he asked.

"Rogue," Bruce said. "Look, how about we work together? I see that you're a Mage. Don't you need someone to help scout for you?"

"How can I trust you?" Mark shot his eyes toward Jonah's corpse. "How did he die?"

"Well, he's my hero." Bruce scratched his neck and splayed out his arms. "I'm unarmed. Lost my weapon a long ways back, and he was the one who got hurt saving me from some monsters." He raised an eyebrow, pointing at the body. "May I prove my innocence?"

Mark nodded. Bruce turned the body onto his back, revealing three small arrows stuck into the stomach. But they didn't look like they were made for humans.

"We were attacked by small, tiny creatures. Ambushed." Bruce shivered. "Arrows that came flying out of nowhere, a gas that made us sleepy. They chased us for a long time down those tunnels."

Mark could not tell if he was lying. Having a companion around would certainly be useful, but it would also bar the use of his pocket plane until he was alone. Then again, it wasn't as if it would be particularly hard to hide the portal. The darkness in this place made sure of that. And Bruce certainly seemed more informed about this place than he did.

"Hey, you don't look scared. Those monsters...have you ever seen them before?"

"Were they green? They'd be goblins, then."

"Yeah, uh, goblins! That's what they are!" Bruce tried to look knowledgeable, but his eyes remained panicky.

Mark squinted at him."Anything else you found?"

"While we were running, I saw a lot of rooms along the way. Couldn't explore them of course, but I can take you to them! You look pretty strong."

"You have a deal. Bruce, lead the way."

"Uh, can't I stay in the back? I'm a weak Rogue."

Mark frowned and pointed in the distance. "Go there first, and wait. I need a second to think."

"Sorry." Bruce quickly rushed out under Mark's watchful gaze.

It did not sit right with Mark to leave Jonah's body there to rot. He opened up the portal soundlessly and dragged the corpse inside. Afterwards, he walked back out and continued down the tunnel, with Bruce following.

"So," Mark asked, "what can a Rogue do?"

"I've got two different skills, one passive and one active. Check this out," Bruce said. Crouching low, he seemed to disappear. And that was with Mark actively staring at him. "My active," he said. "It helps me become stealthier."

"And your passive?"

"I make less sound when I move." Bruce searched for a spot of stone and tapped it with his feet. Mark barely heard a thing even as the taps increased in intensity. "This works on what I'm wearing too," he said with some trepidation.

Mark appreciated the man's willingness to speak. They wandered down the corridors for about a minute before Bruce stopped him.

"Right here," he said. "I've always been perceptive so I can spot things others can't. If you could help me out, that'd be great." He went up to the wall and began to dig into the dirt.

But Mark simply continued to stare, remaining cautious at a distance in case this was a trap. He silently prepared a Magic Missile behind his back.

Bruce opened up a hole and pressed his hand deep inside. A few seconds later, they heard the sound of grinding coming from far away.

"That was a wall," he said. "It should be hiding something."

Mark nodded. "Lead the way."

"Still? Fine," mumbled Bruce. The two of them ran down the corridor and quickly found where the sliding wall was located. A new room had appeared out of nowhere.

Mark glared at the trembling Bruce, who with shaking fingers, threw his torch into the room. It fell short and bounced on the floor. Still, the barest hint of light managed to reveal a closed container stored in the center.

"Go in," Mark instructed. The man looked back at him with wide eyes. "It'll be fine. You're a Rogue. Good at escaping things, aren't you?"

When Bruce entered the room and loitered around the box without any issues, Mark followed suit. He inspected the box while keeping an eye on the rogue. It seemed like a simple, old container, according to the system. But it could easily hide an undead body.

"Do you want to open this?" Mark asked. "If you're too frightened, there's no need. We can keep going." He could store the box inside his pocket plane anyway, so he wasn't worried about losing this opportunity.

Bruce looked hesitant, but eventually groped his hands around the box, searching for a way to open the lid. There were two small openings with latches that sealed it shut. After staring at them for a while, the man unlocked the box and wrestled with the lid to set it down.

He's not weak, Mark noted and backed off a few steps. The lid crashed into the ground with a bang, sending layers of dust into the air. Two Magic Missiles materialized into his hands for insurance.

Bruce looked down inside the box and a grin broke onto his face. His hand shot into the container and picked up an object - a sword. When Mark's first Magic Missile blew through the air, the man was already gone.

Mark immediately threw himself to the side. A blade swept through the air from where he was standing and continued to follow him as he ran around the box. After a few rounds of circling, the both of them stopped and stared at the other from opposite sides.

"It's a new world from here on out, brother," Bruce said. "Nothing personal. I have to get out of here alive."

Instead of responding, Mark focused on the corpse resting inside the box. It was dressed in full plate armor and looked as if it were sleeping. One of its fingers was outstretched which he found odd. By instinct, Mark grabbed its helmet and threw it at Bruce.

"What's that going to do?" The man easily evaded the attack, while Mark backed away with wide eyes. Bruce continued around the box and cornered him against the wall. "I can dodge anything you throw at me with ease."

"Why don't you look behind you?"