I pushed through the film warily, having watched half the group enter before me. There was a subtle sense of pressure and my senses opened to a world of twilight, a dreamy forest caught between day and night.

I looked in awe.

[Dungeon Notice]: Congratulations! You are a member of the first group to enter the [Sleepywood]. As the first group to explore this Dungeon, the quality of your rewards is vastly increased.

“Jesus.” Someone whispered, stepping out of that prismordial film. Nearby, Rose, Gary, and the others came through.

“Woah,” Rose said, looking around.

I mentally regarded the dungeon notice, interested there was a local notification system like that. If there were world and area notices, then I supposed it followed there were some like this.

I rested my hand on my goblin knife, looking around, an eerie sense of being watched. Was it [Solo’s Instinct]? Something more?

It made me uneasy and I resisted an immediate urge to use [Never Alone]. It was the first time in a while I didn’t have a second set of eyes to watch myself.

Parker was scanning the treeline while Rickson investigated the only thing of note nearby, the stone formation we had walked out of. It looked oddly out of place surrounded by evergreen grass so vibrant as to be tinged blue by the moonlight.

He placed his hand on it as I stared up at the moon, people spreading out around me. It was blue. Gone was the pale grey I was accustomed to. A blue crescent circle commanded the sky. A few people followed my gaze, wordless.

“Here,” Rickson said, his voice carrying over through the quiet. “Looks like it’s the exit too.”

A few people walked over to confirm. I joined Parker who hadn’t taken his eyes off the treeline, along with a couple of others. Somehow, it felt the most natural to stay watchful for dangers. Probably an effect of the usage of my clones thus far.

“Feels like we’re being watched,” Parker remarked, uneasy. The man didn’t have a weapon but he moved with a certain confidence I didn’t question.

“It was in the description,” I recalled. “Watchful eyes.” [Solo’s Instinct] prompted me and my gaze slipped left, to the other side of the treeline. The feeling faded near immediately, leaving me wondering what had triggered it.

“I don’t like it.” He said. I agreed with him there.

“Well, we’ll find out if it’s worth it in the end,” I replied.

It didn’t take long for us to start moving. We stepped into the shadow of the trees with extreme caution, Parker and a couple of others in front, Rickson following. Gary, Rose, and myself towards the back.

The fact we were so closely grouped made me tense. As the group stepped between the trees, I tended towards the rear. There, I traced the gazes of the group, their squinting eyes against the twilight shadows. As we walked, I stepped away from a clone of myself, materializing into individualism behind me, wordlessly stepping away into the dimly lit shadows. I repeated the maneuver three more times, the clones only moving once everyone was out range.

They spread out, walking cautiously—

I sensed it before I saw it. I turned fast. One of the vanguards yelled and I saw a shadow crash into Parker. I jerked forward, realizing instantly I had nothing to help him from this distance.

Instead, I heard something beside me. A crackle of flame, the smell of smoke.

“[Firebolt].” My eyes went wide.

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Rose was there, eyes alight, hand splayed. An orb of bright fire shot forward, crashing into the figure and setting it alight. It roared, squirming as fur caught on fire, and Parker somehow threw it off.

It scrambled to its feet, raking grass and dirt as it came to a halt.

The thing stood like a tiger, except it had six legs and four eyes. Antennae poked over its crown, jaws like mandibles, opening four ways. There was a moment where everyone just stared, it being the only thing moving, roaring at being cornered.

“Attack!” Gary yelled just as it lunged for Rickson.

“Stop it!”

Parker slammed into it, fearless, as others piled on and Rickson scrambled back. “[Power Strike]!” He yelled, and I saw his fist blur, pistoning into the alien creature’s side. It roared, shuddering, trying to get purchase

“Keep it down, Parker!” One of the people in front. “[Bloodletting Slash]!” A knife sought out its throat, leaving it choking and bleeding.

Its movements immediately slowed. It struggled, desperate until eventually, it died. Everyone took a collective breath, some people frozen in movement and hesitance, others staring steely-eyed.

“God.” Someone intoned, shaky. “What the hell is that thing?”

“Looks like a damn alien.”

“Parker! Are you okay?” Rose ran over.

“I’m fine, just bruised, thankfully.” He groaned.

People were standing over it but an equal amount were staring at the few people who had let loose Skills. Myself among them. It was surprising witnessing them in action, especially Rose’s, and I couldn’t decide whether they were more or less impactful than my own. There was nothing in my repertoire so directly applicable, I’d have been a sitting duck if I’d been pounced on like that.

The thought served as a cautious reminder.

Parker was breathing hard, looking at the body as Gary and I walked up. My clones scanned the perimeter quietly, eyes on the trees above.

Parker’s voice carried when he spoke, the glade returning to that strange quietness. “I leveled.” He said. “I think Rickson was right.”

Rickson was off to the side, breathing hard. “Y-yeah, I did too.” He chimed in.

Gary looked at the body. “Jack? You said you had a Skill for this?”

“Yeah. Fair warning, it’s gonna be a little unsettling.” A man said, walking over, looking at the body. He held his hand over the creature. “Ugly fella. [Day’s Hunt].” And I blinked as I saw skin and fur peeled back, meat, organs, and bones pulling away as the beast came apart. Even the antennae and eyes.

Jack saw everyone staring. “I’m a [Hunter]. I can only use this once a day and I have to participate. Processes anything I hunt.” He paused. “And… yeah, I leveled too.”

“That’s amazing,” I said, genuinely stunned.

It was a Skill that was entirely utility, similar in vein to my own, and looked to skip the entire process of skinning and butchering an animal. In the apocalypse where it was unlikely to find someone who knew how to do those things, it was invaluable.

Compared to [Never Alone], was it more or less impactful? Before the influx of attributes and levels I’d lucked out on, I was only capable of cloning myself two, three times? And I’d already been thankfully skewed towards the pertinent attributes.

Were three weakened versions of myself really any more useful than what I’d just seen? The [Solo] Class, I felt, was one that lent itself to more maneuverability. Not so much one for direct combat, or strictly survival. It couldn’t take on that monster like Parker had, not without preparation, nor could it do what Jack had done either.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as something drew my gaze.

“Guys,” Rickson said, turning heads. “I’m glad we confirmed the leveling part.” He said, pushing up his glasses. “But, I think we might’ve confirmed the Item thing too. Look.”

There was suddenly a chest nearby and I’d seen enough of that style of container to recognize it even before the message appeared. It hadn’t been there moments before. And somehow, everyone already knew where to find it.

[Dungeon Notice]: For defeating a Gloom Tiger, your group is rewarded with a [Common Chest].

[Dungeon Notice]: Congratulations! As you are the first group to explore the [Sleepywood] the [Common Chest] reward has been upgraded to an [Uncommon Chest].

Item: [Uncommon Chest]

Chests are hidden troves of treasure, capable of holding great boons and riches. This chest has the potential to hold uncommon valuables, either in effect, rarity, or quality.

And so began our exploration of the [Sleepywood].