Leto Pov
No one except his foster mama had ever given him something so nice. The dagger was vicious looking. The handle was some type of leather with a nice grip.
The dagger was designed to rip more as it was pulled out. It left a nasty looking wound. He wanted a second one so he could double his damage output.
If he had two daggers when they were hunting the zebras he would have been able to take out the whole herd in one fell swoop. He wasn't ready to fight with the hyenas though so he would have to make due with just the one for now.
They hadn't spent much time on the first floor, but judging by the monsters they had seen while passing through they were a lot weaker than the monsters on the second floor. Well except for the bears they had seen.
He would never forget the size of those monsters. They could have swallowed him whole. He shook himself free of those thoughts and brought his mind back to the present.
He stared at his status panel and couldn't help but smile as he looked at his level. He had followed the village tradition and killed enough rats in the mine to acquire a level before coming to the dungeon.
He had already reached level nine after killing gazelles, ferrets, prairie dogs and zebras. He was sure they had only been here a month or two. The speed at which he was gaining levels was almost unheard of in the village.
He pulled his eyes away from his status panel and looked over the safe zone. The kids had made a stone fence around the cabin. He judged the area to be between fifteen and twenty feet around the cabins.
If they could find some seeds it would be a great spot to plant a garden. The berry bushes were enough for now though. He missed the farm and the village but all he could do was move forward.
They got in to routine pretty quickly as the days passed. They would wake up and eat breakfast in their cabin and make sure the kids were all settled before they left.
They would split their time between hunting for food and searching the grasslands for items they could harvest. Katherine was always looking around trying to keep the larger monsters within her view so they wouldn't be taken by surprise.
He just thought she was paranoid until she explained the encounter she had with the cheetah before they arrived. From then on he made sure to always keep an ear out for anything near by.
He made sure if he smelled anything out of place to let her know. His nose was far sharper than hers after all. He would never point that out to her though.
He still couldn't pin point the smell that lingered on her though. He wondered if he had access to the dragon inheritance mentioned in the explanation from the system, if he would know what the smell was.
He wasn't brave enough to ask her about it though. She had been so nice to them since they had arrived. He didn't want to sour their relationship. They spent more time out hunting and leveling up than anything else.
Occasionally they would spend some time in the cabin where they would try to learn to read and write but it was more than a little difficult without any writing utensils or paper. It was also a test on their memory.
Those were the nights they slept the best. He could spend an entire day hunting monsters and still not sleep as good. This was better than anything they would have ever recieved if they had stayed in the village.
He made sure to tell the kids to put in their best efforts. Time passed quickly. It was a few months later when Katherine told him they would start hunting the larger predator monsters.
Seeing as Katherine had experience with the hyenas they decided to start with them. The first night they went out he was shocked at how different the floor was. The noises made in the dark were creepier than the ones they normally heard.
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He did his best to stop the trembling in his legs. He stomped his foot and reminded himself that the blood of a legendary creature ran through his veins and he would not be afraid of a second floor dungeon monster.
Having learned from Kathrine's previous experience they waited in the safe zone until their eyes had adjusted to the dark. It only took ten minutes or so before his eyes adjusted but he waited until Katherine told him she was ready to set off.
She warned him on the way that it was very likely that the hyenas would probably start calling for back up as soon as they were discovered. He nodded at her explanation and asked what her plan was. It was very basic.
They would stand back to back so they couldn't be caught by surprise she would guard their left side and he would keep and eye on their right side. He thought it was a manageable plan.
They walked toward the area where their den was. They managed to get about two hundred feet from the entrance before they started hearing growling and squealing. It was just a little creepy.
He steeled his will and pulled out his dagger from his ring. He quickly turned around so he could make sure nothing snuck up on them. It only took a minute before they found themselves surrounded by fifteen or so hyenas.
He gulped loudly and raised his dagger ready to attack anything that came within arms length. After a tense but brief stand off the hyenas started closing in on them leaving them no where to run.
He knew Katherine could take care of herself so he focused on the monsters in front of him. He started moving his feet so they only landed in place for a moment. He felt like it was a mix between dancing and floating. After a few minutes of repeated effort he heard a ding.
He was a little surprised but he ignored it. Any time a hyena would get close he would kick or stab out. He didn't bother aiming for the head or neck. As long as his dagger made contact it would cause massive damage and it would only take a few minutes before they bled out.
It didn't take long for another dagger to drop. After he picked it up he felt like he could take on anything on the second floor. Even the cheetahs. He slashed and slashed at the hyenas and before he realized it they were surrounded by a pile of drops. There were daggers, pelts and meat drops.
They split up everything as best they could and began the treck back to the cabins. He made sure to keep an eye on their surroundings the whole way back to the cabin. He was grateful the other boys were asleep.
He quietly washed himself up before climbing in to his bed and passing out hard. The next morning he woke up later than normal but after checking his status panel and finding he was at level ten he was ecstatic. He also made sure to check his notifications. He completely forgot about it last night.
[Congratulations! You have learned a movement skill. low Hovering cloud. Master the footwork to level up this skill.]
He did feel like he was doing something different last night but he hadn't thought too much about it. He just did what felt right at the time. Thankfully he had the skill because he was drawing a blank on what he had done.
He didn't think he could replicate it again without the skill as a guide. He decided to put in time every day to make sure he would become proficient with the skill.
He pulled out the second dagger from his storage ring. He remembered how good it felt to have both daggers in his hands last night.
It had been very satisfying. He didn't think he could go back to using just one when they were out hunting. It didn't take long before Katherine came over to their cabin with breakfast.
She looked well rested so he assumed she had slept in too. He smiled broadly at her as she passed him some food. She smiled back briefly and continued handing out food.
They talked about what to do next now that they had a large predator under their belts. They didn't want to rush things and get hurt so they decided to hold off on poking the pride of lions.
The cheetahs were the fastest monsters on the floor and they didn't think they could corner one of those yet. They were put on the back burner. They set their eyes of the emus. They were large and aggressive.
It took them over five minutes to wear it down and corner it. They sure knew how to run. They might actually be faster than the cheetahs. The only upside was they didn't have claws and razor sharp teeth.
After spending a few months chasing them they felt like they had actually gotten faster. Their legs were stronger after the constant work out. It wouldn't be long before they would be ready to take on the pride of lions.
His gaze landed on the group of kids playing in the safe zone. Harmin is eleven, it wouldn't be much longer before he was able to join them leveling up. Silas is also eleven just a few weeks younger than Harmin. Hara the eldest girl is ten and her brother Heros is seven. Garm is nine and his sister Rose is seven. Lyra is also seven.
The bumper harvest the year before made it possible to have three children in the same year. It was a big deal for a village as small as theirs. He looked forward to watching them grow up in the dungeon.
He didn't really know how long they would stay but he would do his very best to make sure the group would stay safe; in the dungeon and outside it.
Once he knew they were safe and settled down he would set off to find out more information about dragons and those that hunt them. He hated the thought of being the last of his kind.