The day proceeded in a nonstop grind, the kind that tested just about all the patience I had left.

Vermin Hollow had stinking corridors packed with endless Sewer Crawlers.

My red boots splashed through the muck as I moved deeper, while my slimes, perched at the ready, kept me covered in every direction. It was a rhythm I quickly fell into: spot a Crawler, aim, shoot, repeat.

Taking down Crawlers as they tried to scatter or rush us. Each one fell with a squeal, twitching in the sludge, and the XP ticked up bit by bit.

For each Crawler, I had to open their bodies at the spot where their hearts were located, right where their crystallized heart formed.

It was truly disgusting. I couldn’t help but think how much simpler it was with the viscous slimes. Once they died, they just collapsed into a puddle, leaving their crystallized heart, right there for the taking.

But with these creatures, I had to go through the annoying process of cutting them open with a makeshift knife—a piece of metal I found lying around.

There were tons of these broken bits from all the pipes running through the sewer. It was the only way to get to their crystallized heart.

Normally, people would take stuff like pelts, meat, and bones to sell once they returned to the city, but the smell was way too much to lug around for weeks.

If I had a spatial pouch, that’d be different. So, I just left the bodies and took the crystals.

I thought about trying to dry some of the meat, but I wasn’t sure if rat meat was even safe to eat. In the end, I figured I’d just stick with the dried meat I already had.

I hit my stride after the first dozen kills. Around every corner, beady red eyes would pop up, just seconds too late to do anything before my slimes’ arrows hit home.

The Crawlers would drop, and once I harvested their crystallized hearts from their grimy carcasses, they’d gleam against the filth before I tucked each one away. My pouch was slowly starting to fill up with them.

Hours passed, and the grind became a full-on job. I lost count of how many teeth I’d dodged, how many times I’d narrowly avoided one of their frenzied swipes. By the time I finished each wave, the tokens of the day’s work pilied up.

Finally, I caught a breather and checked my experience point. 23 kills, 23 XP and 23 crystallized hearts. Nothing mind-blowing, but progress is progress.

Hitting level 4, I needed 42 points in total to get to level 5.

Since I first showed up on this floor, I'd earned 30 experience points, which meant I was just 10 away from the next level.

It’d been easy to level up at the start—just 10 points for level 2.

But each level would crank up the amount by multiplying it by 1.6 times.

By the time I’d get to level 9, it’d be something like 438 points to hit 10.

438 Sewer Crawlers. Just thinking about it made me want to gag. If I kept going all the way from level 4 to 10, that was, what, over 1,100 points? Basically, I’d be stuck down here fighting a thousand sewer rats.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The thought of it made my skin crawl. These things weren’t even that interesting to fight—just gross, oversized rats lurking around in the muck, squeaking and looking for something to gnaw on.

I pictured myself down here for days, wading through sludge, dodging these nasty things while Lila made her comments about the smell.

By the time I killed a thousand, I’d probably have a Rat Exterminator title notification slapped onto me had such title existed.

Today alone felt like a marathon. I’d taken out thirty-two of them, and it already felt washed out right now. If I pushed for a thousand, I’d probably end up losing my mind, or worse—blending in with the Crawlers myself.

Yeah, no thanks. Staying here to grind through all that? Not happening.

“No way I’m staying down here that long,” I muttered.

So, the plan was simple: grind up to level 6, then head to the next floor. Just two more levels, and I’d be out of this dank, rat-infested sewer. But for now? It was time to rest.

My mana reserves were drained, and farming would be way easier once I’d recharged. With a full mana pool, I could summon more slimes to help me power through these Sewer Crawlers faster, cutting down the time it’d take to reach the next level.

I glanced at my stats. Only 10 experience points left to reach level 5. From there, I’d need 67 points to hit level 6, meaning I’d have to kill 77 more Crawlers to meet my goal.

I sighed, muttering to myself, “Alright, self-quest created.”

Turning to Lila, I asked, “Think you can find us a safe place to rest?”

Without a word, she tapped into her Pathfinder ability. A moment later, she opened them, looking thoughtful. “There’s only one safe spot on the entire floor,” she said. “Not exactly abundant on options, but it’s something.”

I nodded. Makes sense. With these Crawlers infesting every corner, it was no wonder there weren’t many places to safely lie low.

In regular parties, people would take turns resting while others kept watch, but luckily, my slimes didn’t need any rest. They could keep an eye out while we recharged.

“Alright, lead the way,” I said, giving her a small nod.

Lila started off, glancing back every so often to make sure I was following.

Lila led the way, taking us through the narrow, winding tunnels and around the puddles of murky sludge until we finally reached what she called the “safe spot.”

I blinked, trying to make sense of it. In front of us was a massive, rusted pipe, half-collapsed onto the floor.

From the looks of it, the pipe had once been connected to a network of other pipes along the ceiling but had broken loose, its ends jutting into the wall with an almost perfect fit.

The metal was dented and corroded, with patches of rust coating its entire surface.

The section that touched the floor looked like it had taken the brunt of the impact, lying at an angle with only a tiny gap open on one side where it didn’t quite meet the wall.

A single person could squeeze through that gap if they angled themselves right.

Lila turned to me, gesturing at the pipe. “This is it. The ‘safe’ spot I was telling you about.”

I looked at the entrance, raising an eyebrow. “Really? This?”

She shrugged, crossing her arms with a bit of a smirk. “Well, it’s technically safe. The pipe’s strong enough to keep anything from getting through from the back, and it’s small enough that unless someone’s actively looking for us, they’ll miss the opening.”

I gave it a skeptical glance. The inside of the pipe was dark and narrow, but she wasn’t wrong. With one end pressed tight against the wall, we’d only have the narrow gap at the entrance to worry about.

Anyone passing by would probably assume the pipe was sealed, just another piece of debris.

“Alright, fair enough,” I said. “At least our backs are covered, and it’s tucked away enough to keep any Crawlers from spotting us right off the bat.”

I approached the gap, crouching slightly to fit through. It was tight, but I managed to squeeze inside, the cold, damp metal brushing against my shoulders as I slid in.

The pipe was wide enough to let me sit cross-legged, though I had to hunch forward a bit.

Settling in, I looked around. The walls were rough and uneven, with layers of grime and an unpleasant stickiness that clung to the metal. This “safe spot” was not exactly cozy, but in the dungeon, cozy was a luxury you didn’t really get.

I sighed, finally resting my back against the curved wall of the pipe.

Leaning back, I took a deep breath, ignoring the faintly metallic, musty smell.

For the first time in hours, I actually felt safe enough to relax, even if I did feel like I was hiding inside a rusty tin can.

Lila settled down beside me, and as my slimes arranged themselves at the pipe’s entrance, ready to keep watch, I closed my eyes, ready to recharge for tomorrow's grind.